Milwaukee-based Mark Shurilla and The Greatest Hits have been doing winter dance parties for about 15 years. This year, there's a national twist to their tour of Wisconsin, which includes at stop at Sentry Theater on Friday.
"Winter dance party" was the name given to the tour that featured Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper and other musicians in 1959.
The young world of rock 'n' roll music got a shock on Feb. 3, 1959, when Holly, Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash on the way to Fargo, N.D.
Shurilla and his band perform tribute concerts, with Shurilla playing the part of Buddy Holly. This year, however, there's something different.
Joining the stage performance is Victor DeLorenzo, drummer, vocalist and founding member of the Violent Femmes.
DeLorenzo has been the focus of national coverage in recent weeks after it was revealed that he had composed music from some lyrics Holly left behind in a notebook. The notebook came into the possession of a friend who had purchased it at an auction of Holly's belongings held by Holly's widow.
Lyrics to the song, titled "In Dutch," describe a bitter breakup and, speculation has it, were penned by a young, naïve Holly.
DeLorenzo will perform the song as part of the Winter Dance Party at Sentry Theater. The show begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. Tickets cost $14 in advance or $16 at the door. Call 346-4343 for more information. Tickets are available in the Arts and Athletic Ticket Office at Quandt Fieldhouse or by phone at 1-800-838-3378.
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story about DeLorenzo's collaboration with the long-dead Holly made its way around the country, thanks to The Associated Press. It also brought a negative reaction from Holly's widow, which doesn't faze Shurilla one bit.
"She sold the thing," Shurilla says of the notebook that contained the lyrics.
"We're doing it because we like it, we can do it, and that's spirit of rock and roll," he said in a phone interview. DeLorenzo wrote music that tried to accentuate Holly's singing and playing style. "He had it sitting in the bank for me for a couple of years, and when he played it for me, I said, 'Wow, we should do that.' "
The Winter Dance Party troupe likes to play in ballrooms and theaters, he said. Some of the musicians are middle-aged, but don't expect them to just stand there and play, Shurilla said. "We're a very physical band. We're very much in the style, we're playing this like rockabilly kids coming out. You have to play it with that kind of energy to be convincing. You either pull it off with a concise attitude or you aren't going to connect with people."
And so, long after the first Winter Dance Tour encountered tragedy, Shurilla said he aims to keep the tradition alive. "Rock and roll keeps you young," he said.