Legends of the Phil

Paul Saitowitz

The black hair, the sideburns, the glasses, the studded jackets, the

showmanship, the Tupelo, Miss., roots, the voice like butter -- yes,

the legendary Phil Shane will be back in Costa Mesa tonight.

The diminutive performer -- known for his One-Man Legends Show --

has been a fixture in Orange County crooning the likes of Elvis, Neil

Diamond, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and many others since the 1970s,

but last year he reached the pinnacle for any lounge singer.

“My wife and manager Michlene is great and she got me my first

Vegas gig at the Tropicana,” Shane said. “For my style of music Vegas

is it, and it’s like a dream to finally be playing here.”

After a steady year at the Tropicana making women swoon to pick up

his sweat-drenched hankies and men wish they could be him, Shane, who

can gyrate his pelvis at a rate that would impress the King, was

wrangled away from the Tropicana by a booking agent from the

more-upscale Monte Carlo.

He has since moved up to Vegas permanently and even purchased a

home in the area.

“I’ve been performing since I was about 13 years old and I’m

having more fun right now than I ever have,” Shane said.

He plays an average of five shows a week, and has never had a job

outside of performing for people. In addition to Sin City, he travels

east to play in Mesquite, Nev. or closer to the California boarder to

play at Whiskey Pete’s in Primm, Nev., but he will always have strong

ties to Orange County.

“I still like to get down there and play every month,” he said.

“It’s a real special spot for me. I’ve been playing that area for

years and I have a lot of close friends down there.”

One of the things that distinguishes Shane from other performers

of his ilk -- other than the fact that except for a few songs in

which he plays guitar, he basically sings to instrumental CDs -- is

that his crowd is more hip than a crowd at the Hollywood Palladium

lining up to see New York art rockers the Strokes. Members Only

jackets, trucker hats and retro hairdos are staples at his

performances, both in Las Vegas and Orange County.

“I’d say that my crowd is 70% young people, and that’s the thing I

love about this,” Shane said. “Their energy is so great and I feed

off that. They keep it fun for me.”

He’s reached an international demographic since going to Vegas and

hopes to one day get over to England and Japan.

“They have such a love for old-time rock ‘n’ roll in those

places,” he said. “It’s great to play for them.”

While Shane can basically play any song his audience requests,

including the latest top-40 hits, he prefers to focus on the classics

from the ‘50s and ‘60s and his originals.

“I won’t play any song that I don’t personally like,” he said. “I

like playing my originals and I like keeping my audience happy.”

So far, he’s been doing a pretty good job of that. Catch Phil

Shane tonight at La Cave, 1695 Irvine Ave.