‘Mixed Vegetables’ Hungry For More

Photos courtesy of Dan Holmes
Pictured at an all-day rehearsal are, from left: Geoff Tittmann, Joe Domjan, Dan Holmes, Chris Jannuzzi, Doug Smith, Steve Lanza, Andrew Dreyer and Doug Venuti.

By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com

Mixed Vegetables, a cover band founded in Huntington in the ’90s, is getting back together after 25 years.

Drummer Dan Holmes said that with such time passed, members becoming parents and everyone going through multiple careers, there’s been much to catch up on for everyone.

“We were all friends back in the day. It’s been great getting together again and exciting. There’s a lot of ground to cover, a lot of things have changed in our lives over the years,” Holmes, of Greenlawn, said.

The ensemble originally brought together Doug Venuti, Doug Smith, Kathy Turner Yurasko, Dan Holmes, Steve Lanza, Andrew Dreyer, Geoff Tittmann, Chris Jannuzzi, Joe Domjan, Chrissy Lawless Meyer, Kathleen Madden Quigley. For the reunion show, slated for Aug. 19 at the American Legion in Huntington, 10 of the original 11 members will perform.

To fill in the gap, Holmes contacted singer, Christine Jordan, from another band he’s in, Leap of Faith, to complete the upcoming performance.

After tenor sax player, Lanza, started a Mixed Vegetables Facebook page, old photos, videos, articles and memories started rushing back. That prompted Holmes to get in touch and summon the band together once more.

Among their repertoire, they’ll be playing hits like “Baby I Love You,” by Aretha Franklin, sung by Yurasko, as well as “Domino” by Van Morrison, to be sung by the band’s rhythm guitarist Chris Jannuzzi.

Holmes’ wife Michelle, who Dan described as the band’s biggest fan, eagerly awaits the show, which she also considers an early birthday present.

“It’s really awesome that they’re getting together. You’re going to have a ton of people from old and new,” she said. “Getting everybody in one place is going to be a really great experience for everybody.”

The American Legion is located at 1 Mill Dam Road. Tickets are available on Eventbrite by searching for “Mixed Vegetables,” or by logging on to Bit.ly/2v44qND.