THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 6, 1995 TAG: 9508030231
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
David Kinne describes himself as a cross between Jim Carrey and George Carlin.
``My delivery is real animated,'' Kinne said recently from his home in Safety Harbor, Fla. ``I do the rubber face, but my material is observational like Carlin's.''
He brings his act to The Comedy Club in Nags Head on Monday for a weeklong engagement.
Kinne, 35, started in the funny business about 10 years ago. He was living in Atlanta, studying biology in graduate school, when he realized that he hated graduate school and biology. After dropping out of school, he began auditioning for and getting gigs all around the Atlanta comedy club circuit.
Although the work was steady, the money was low. For six years, he had to work odd jobs to supplement his income. But in 1991, comedy became a full-time job.
Kinne usually does 150-175 shows a year, but he recently took about eight months off. He and wife Genise have been tending to their 1-year-old son, Benjamin. The Kinnes also have a 9-year-old daughter, Courtney.
Is he eager to re-hit the road?
``I'll miss them,'' he says. ``But being on the road is what I do.''
Kinne may not have his family when he visits Nags Head, but he will have his guitar. It's a big part of his act.
``I do lots of song parodies,'' Kinne says. ``I also do impersonations of Dylan and Springsteen.''
His big finish is an original song called, ``I Don't Love You Since You Ate My Dog.''
What's up with that?
``It's not your typical love song, that's for sure,'' Kinne says. ``I just try to make everybody feel better and forget about what's going on in the world.''
Kinne spends his off hours writing. In addition to his stand-up material, he's completed two screenplays. One is a comedy; the other is a horror story.
In 1993, he released a live recording of his comedy bits, including his dog-eating hit, on the Laughing Hyena label. Fellow Atlanta comedian Jeff Foxworthy also records for the label.
Kinne says his show in Nags Head will be rated PG.
``I try to keep it clean. Once in a while, it may be PB13. My daughter has seen the show.''
Return of the '20s
The 1920s may have been America's richest musical era. Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Hoagy Carmichael were all at the top of their game. The music was melodic, moody and undeniably romantic. And you could dance to it.
It was also a time of the big band. Not the 20- and 30-piece outfits that Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey would field in the ``swing era,'' which was just ahead; instead, 12- and 13-member ensembles were the rage.
When the ``swing era'' hit in the 1930s, the smaller big bands all but disappeared. But now, there is a mini-revival led by former Outer Banker Lynn Summerall.
Conductor Summerall's 13-member Hotel Paradise Roof Garden Orchestra brings the music of the 1920s and early '30s to the Ramada Inn Ballroom in Kill Devil Hills on Aug. 12.
Summerall, who handled publicity for ``The Lost Colony,'' wrote for The Carolina Coast and worked as a disc jockey at WVOD in Manteo in the early 1980s, now works as a staff announcer at public radio station WHRO in Norfolk.
He put this group together in January 1992. Summerall led the band through six months of rehearsals. He also tracked down the original sheet music, which wasn't always easy. The Library of Congress proved to be a major source.
``I dearly loved the music of the '20s and '30s,'' Summerall says. ``But you couldn't hear it anywhere live. So, I put this band together.''
Summerall says he always wanted to be a conductor. He leads the band of three saxes, three trumpets, three strings and four rhythms. What makes this band special is the inclusion of a tuba and a banjo. It gives the music a ``Dixieland'' feel. Former WVEC television personality Becky Livas is the vocalist.
Summerall describes Livas' voice as ``sweet, sort of a Kate Smith soprano.
``The orchestra plays mostly in the Tidewater area, including two regular gigs at Uncle Louie's in Norfolk and Old Point Steak House in Portsmouth.
What, in Summerall's estimation, makes the music of the '20s specal?
``The melodies are so easy,'' he says. ``The way the music was presented with its bounce made it very danceable.''
The 2 1/2-hour show at the Ramada Inn will feature such standards as Cole Porter's ``Night and Day'' and Duke Ellington's ``Sophisticated Lady,'' as well as the lesser-known ``Black Bottom Stomp'' and ``Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella.''
``Lost Colony'' musician Mary Moore will be the guest pianist. Christina Lazo, a Colony dancer, will be the guest tap dancer. And also that night, Summerall will sing.
``Nothing too demanding,'' he says. ``It will be in my range.''
Almost all of the orchestra's music is from 1920 to 1935, but there is an exception.
The band does a Roaring '20s' version of the Billy Ray Cyrus hit, ``Achy Breaky Heart.''
Isn't that a Cole Porter song? ILLUSTRATION: Photo
David Kinne wrote the song, ``I Don't Love You Since You Ate My
Dog.''
by CNB