Ambidextrous With Special Guest, Ray Graffia

AMBIDEXTROUS is a 1960s/70s Cover Band, which began as a duet in 2014 with Scott Sodaro on electric guitar and his friend from 1st grade, Ray Lemieux, on acoustic. Scott had dabbled in acting in his younger days, and made his professional stage debut with Richard Egan at the Pheasant Run Playhouse, when he was 19 years old. He also appeared in several National commercials, and did a couple of small speaking roles on The Young & The Restless, when he lived in California in the 1980s. Scott and Ray recognized the need for a dedicated singer, and found one in Jim Stephens. Jim has never had a singing lesson in his life, but when Scott and Ray spotted him in a karaoke bar, they knew he was their front man. They went through a series of drummers, bass players, and keyboardists, and were fortunate to find Trace Chronister, formerly of the Southside Hitmen, Terry Black on bass guitar, and their most recent member, Steve Orshonsky, a classically-trained keyboard player. Ray left the band years ago, but remains close to them.

What makes AMBIDEXTROUS unique is their approach to the songs they love. “We don’t go on stage and play OUR rendition of the great songs of the past. We play them as best we can, using the original formulas which made those songs great. If there was no guitar solo in a song, we will not add one. The same goes for drums, bass, and keyboards. We wanted to be a band which was essentially a jukebox filled with what WE feel are the greatest songs from the past”, according to guitarist Scott Sodaro. “We want the audience to not know what’s coming next…..Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Monkees, the Boxtops, or Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf. The best part is when we play a song which few or no other bands play, and then after the show, people tell us that they have never heard anyone else do that particular song before. That’s what makes our day.”

AMBIDEXTROUS has been playing all over the Chicagoland area for years. Their dedication to keeping the music true to the original recordings impressed a couple of Chicago Rock and Roll legends enough that they occasionally perform with AMBIDEXTROUS…..Rick “Elvis” Saucedo and also Ray Graffia Jr., founding member and lead singer of the New Colony Six.

Tickets online: $25

Tickets at door: $30

Doors open an hour before showtime.