HOLY SCINTA! Cosied up in the Bear’s Den (by Craig Avery)

IMG_2674I can honestly say I have seen the Scintas over 50 times. This show was one of the best. The locally grown Vegas sensation entertainers started wowing their fans in the late 70’s. We first saw them in Williamsville at a place called Goldie’s Apartment, and it was our little secret. When they moved to the Buffalo Playboy Club in the Executive Hotel by the airport, we brought customers there a couple of times a week. The act is a Vegas style mix of great music, comedy, impersonations, you name it. Frank Scinta was the main man last night at the Bear’s Den in the Seneca Niagara Casino, as his brother and sidekick, Joe, was dealing with a medical issue back in Vegas. Frankie didn’t miss a beat though, as his energy is endless, and his content is as unpredictable as it is awesome. He is a tremendous musical talent, playing keyboards, guitar, mandolin, and even the spoons. But it’s his delivery that makes the night. He and his backup band could play four chords of an Elton John song, and you’d swear they did the long version. He’ll interrupt a music set with impersonations of George Burns and Dean Martin, mocks ethnicities, then jokes at the thought of the audience being uncomfortable with it. You’ve just gotta laugh. He’s a master. Janien Valentine is the backup singer, and even belted out an opera song that brought the audience to its feet. She joined the band a few years ago, and hails from East Amherst.

American patriotism is a big part of Frankie’s show, and singing, “America the Beautiful,” while doing an impersonation of Ray Charles brought the Americans and Canadians in the audience closer together than the Rainbow Bridge could even think to. A full house of lucky concert goers at the Bear’s Den left smiling after a full two hours of laughing and singing. So Western New York is well represented in the world’s biggest entertainment venue, Vegas, while we still get up close and personal performances when these folks come home. And as Frankie repeated throughout the night, “There’s no place like home.”

Despite the extra workload Frank carried to manage the show by himself, he took the time to hang out with us locals at the Lobby Bar in the casino hotel for about an hour after the show. He was to start as a co-host of the Variety Club Telethon for Buffalo’s Women & Children’s Hospital at 7:00AM, a 12 hour gig for charity, then back to Vegas.

The entertainment industry- think about it. These guys have been “on” for almost 40 years straight, and haven’t missed a beat. Thanks to the Seneca Niagara Casino, they’ve got a great place to play to the hometown crowd.

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Comments

  1. Sandy Barton says:

    What a perfectly – perfect review of an amazing show. I too, was there to hear the impressions, songs, jokes and incredible talent that oozed off every inch of that stage. What spoke the loudest was Frankie’s home-town pride, his love of family and the pure joy he gets out of doing what he does. I have seen the Scintas more times than I can count and can honestly say … it never gets old. Frankie and his “team”, minus his equally funny and talented brother, filled the room with incredible energy and impeccable timing. We laughed, we sang, we sat in awe, and we were proud to claim Frankie as one of our own. And may I add, The Bear’s Den proved to be the ideal venue for the show. Not a bad seat in the house! I’m still smiling. Craig, spot on review- great job!

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