Chicago, IL (October 31, 2009) — For the first time in more than ten years, the legendary band Recollection has reunited under a new name — Guy Incognito — to christen Amp Rock Lounge in what some are hailing as the band’s werewolf bar mitzvah.

“Get it? Werewolf bar mitzvah?” said Amanda Newman, band manager and wife of keyboard player Rob Newman. Newman also masterminded the Groucho Marx glasses as a Halloween costume for the band.

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I suggested ‘Kosher Delight,’ but they just had to be ‘Guy Incognito.’”

For more than two hours on Saturday night, Guy Incognito delighted a drunken audience of dozens with their awkward jubilee and self-aware swagger.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, they’re so good,” said fan club president Ben Ferguson, whose wife, Abbie, wore a shirt with band members’ faces strategically situated atop her breasts. “I want to have their babies,” he added.

Once hailed for their electrifying live performances on the North Shore coffee house circuit and exclusive rehearsals in their drummer’s mom’s basement, Guy Incognito has spent the past decade cultivating their introspective pop sound. That is, they haven’t been doing much of anything for a long, long time.

[Caption: Drummer Scott Hinden's mom has a really sweet basement.]

Despite this hiatus — this period of “going incognito,” if you will — Guy Incognito continues to be one of the most influential bands in the lives of their little sisters, girlfriends, and would-be girlfriends, who know who they are.

Guy Incognito is the reunion of front man Barry Horwitz with his longtime collaborators and BFFs Rob Newman on keyboards and Scott Hinden on drums. The trio, then known as Recollection, first released an album in 1998 that featured photos of them at a suburban train station posing pensively while wearing denim jeans and sport coats and carrying single red roses. I mean, if that doesn’t make you swoon, then you’re just an animal.

In the past year, the band added bass player Matt Wechsler, primarily for his ability to grow his own ’stache.

“They hadn’t had much luck with keeping new bass players,” Amanda Newman said of Wecshler. “This time, they kept it in the Tribe. Sure enough, Matt stuck around, and next thing you know, the band was back and better than ever.”

“He’s hairy, just like us,” added Horwitz, whose own arm hair actually looked like crazy rocker tattoos that night. (See first photo, above.)

[Caption: Horwitz gets nice and sweaty, too -- just like Steven Tyler.]

Though not actually a member of the band, legendary rocker Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, pictured above, made a cameo. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, no one could really hear his voice very well.

“It’s too bad the balance was off,” said Kenny G, father of band manager Newman. ”I couldn’t hear Rob enough,” he added, placing his beer hand territorially on Newman’s keyboard. “I really, really love Rob. Have you seen that smile? It’s like the Kennedys!”

Kenny G later noted with some excitement that Newman wasn’t even wearing his wedding ring.

“I was afraid my ring would catch during a really intense glissando and I’d break a key,” Newman later explained. Newman’s signature is his athletic manner of playing the piano as if it were a drum set, including a lot of banging and foot stomping and often leading to cracked, bleeding fingernails. “Why, is Amanda pissed?” he asked.

Uncharacteristically, Newman’s wife did not fly into a jealous rage, although she was quick to indicate that, back in the day, the would-be girlfriends of the band then known as Recollection would routinely give her “the stink eye” when she showed up for gigs.

“They can have him,” she said. “He’s out of his mind. I mean, have you seen this guy? He’s dressed up as a Newsie, and not even for Halloween,” she said, referencing the 1992 cult classic film, Newsies.

Newman had no comment on her own ensemble, which was described by audience members as “showy” and “obnoxious,” though it remained unclear as to whether they were talking about the costume or Newman herself.

“I mean, she showed up with her parents in a white stretch limo,” said one audience member, who declined to give her name but was dressed up as what appeared to be a rose. “That’s a bit over the top.”

Newman, after claiming her parents ordered the limo without trying to be ironic, quickly added, “But, I mean, it went really great with my outfit, don’t you think?”

But no amount of sequins or Aquanet or electric blue tights could upstage the musicians of Guy Incognito that evening, who performed at their signature high intensity. Even the bartenders took note.

“I just wandered into this place after grabbing some pizza next door,” said some drunk guy dressed like Big Bird, “and the bartender is all, ‘Did you see Guy Incognito play? They totally rocked.’

“And I was all, ‘Guy Incognito’ — who’s that?’”

Indeed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The above footage was selected for publication specifically because it is Kenny G’s favorite song, and because it best illustrates Newman’s “foot-stompin’” style that his grandpa (who numbers among the six or seven who actually read this blog) loves so very much. More videos, in larger format, here.

For a complete photo gallery of the evening’s events, look at the pictures on the right. Or, oh, OK, I’ll make a link.

Oh yeah, my show!

It went great. Of course there are always a million last-minute issues and acamergencies, but nothing too bad. The best part is that there were no sore losers this year … the third-place group, for example, wasn’t pouting that they didn’t get first. They were shocked and thrilled, as was the second-place group. The first-place group, well, everyone knew they were going to win, but they were still ecstatic. This stands in stark contrast to last year, when an all-male group with huge egos decided to trash their dressing room after they didn’t place.

Then everyone went to PJ Clarke’s after, and for the first time, the after-party was a huge success, due in large part to the aforementioned glee of all participants. The groups even sang together, as I so love them to do, and I only had to do a little finagling to make the moment happen. I kept trying to get people to start “Lean On Me,” which was the big song to do post-concert back in my day. But, alas, no takers. Rob just shrugged and said “I guess we’re old.”

It was at this point that a girl from the winning group came up us and said she couldn’t get over how familiar Rob looked. It turns out they are from the same town, though because are 10 years apart and certainly weren’t in high school together, that didn’t answer the question of how she might know him.

So I decide to start throwing out some names of people we know, trying to make the connection. Of course the first name I try is Rob’s best friend Barry, who apparently really is known by everysingleperson from the North Shore, because sure enough, her eyes light up. Turns out she recognizes Rob and Barry from when their band used to play at her piano recitals when she was a little girl, as all three of them took lessons from the same teacher.

The kicker is that she kept repeating that part about “when she was a little girl.” And yeah, if she’s 18 now, and we’re 27, then back in 1996, when Loose Change was in its heyday, Rob was 15, and that would have made her … SIX.

The only thing that made me feel older than that is my recognition that the students’ pant legs were noticeably tighter than mine, particularly in the ankle region. The girls in the winning group rocked the belts that I so wanted to wear back in fourth grade. I was too young and uncool to wear them then, and I’m too old and uncool to wear them now.

Here’s a video of that group, the University of Southern California SoCal VoCals. Allegedly they are all music theater majors, which I’m sure will shock you.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And because I have finally gotten over myself (and my fear of becoming a part of the aca-nerdery), and because it is high time that you all see exactly what it is I do for a living, I give you some of my all-time favorite moments in college a cappella. At least, the ones I could find on “the internets,” as we old fogies say.

This is Brigham Young University Vocal Point, who won the tournament a few years ago, performing “Thriller.” I’m a sucker for that one zombie move … you know the one!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s University of Oregon Divisi, who didn’t win the tournament a few years ago. Don’t want to talk about it. This is “Yeah!” by Usher. Watch it until the end, you’ll be glad you did.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And BYU Noteworthy, another tournament winner, singing “How Great Thou Art.” About once a week, I get this stuck in my head and get a case of semi-permanent goosebumps. (Then I go and sing it in the shower and ruin it for myself.) They’re all crying by the end, and so am I.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Last but not least, yours truly and my husband-to-be, in the group that started it all for us. Keep in mind that this is basically what we majored in. Which actually kind of works out for me, considering my career today. Still, though.

Click here to view the embedded video.

See if you can spot:
- Kyle’s snake T-shirt
- John Bang dressed as a “bad-ass Asian,” complete with gold chain
- me wearing a tube top for the first and only time
- Rob’s sideburns
- Rob doing a cartwheel
- Rob’s white athletic socks with black shoes
- the moment when Kris decides that he needs to give Kyle a horse tranquilizer
- the quad, Lincoln Hall, the alma mater, Murphy’s Pub, the six pack dorms, and other favorite U of I spots

I have to say, I really do love my job.