Crooner, Mark Mahar and the RAZ PACK swing through summer

The Rat Pack Café in Framingham has once again extended their Sunday entertainment, this time through Labor Day. The audience has grown and seating has become reservation-driven for the weekly Sunday show. The old-school style entertainment, starring talented crooner/impressionist Mark Mahar and his cohorts, is fast becoming an area favorite. This now following two prior contract extensions:

(PRWEB) June 15, 2004 -- What started in January, as a promotional night of entertainment for the venues new Sunday night opening, is officially a hit with a growing audience. Mark Mahar and The Raz Pack (named after the group's Musical Director, Mark [Raz] Rasmussen, and the bands Old Hollywood-style shenanigans) meander through new renditions of old songs and Mahar's impressions of legendary icons.

Mahar has spent his whole career being influenced by Old Hollywood legends. He sites his admiration for the genre as the reason for naming his debut CD, Blame It On My Youth", stating, Im not old enough to have enjoyed sharing the stage with those I admire most...but I was born late. What are you gonna do?" His short answer rings like a Nike slogan. And he has..."just done it".

Over the last 10 years Mahar has made use of his drive and talent to find a home in the entertainment marketplace. After 6 months in Las Vegas, a month in L.A. and club dates at some of New Englands casinos and hottest clubs, Mahar has carved out a formidable entertainment company and career.

I love what Im doing and I work with some exceptional talent. The Rat Pack Café is great place for our clients to see the show in a room that already pays homage to guys like Martin, Sinatra and Sammy. On the other hand you have to keep your eye on growth and strategy as a businessman. Were going back into the studio this fall to record two more CDs and produce more original music".

This singer (he prefers crooner") is a businessman with his eye on the stage. He says hes mostly straight-laced for the private and corporate market" but find him in a nightclub and youll see an all-together different entertainer.

When it comes to impressions, Mahar has a plethora of voices in his head. His tongue-in-cheek rendition of Dean Martin is among his favorites. I get compared to Sinatra quite a bit, but [Sinatras] voice is so close to my own that I dont have as much fun with it. I throw Sammy Davis, Jr. or Louis Armstrong out there though and it shocks the crowd a little. I get a kick out of that."

Mahar says hell try anything once. A few weeks ago, a couple in the crowd asked me to sing 'Everybody Loves Somebody as Jerry Lewis. Id never done 'Jerry singing before, and hadnt heard his version of that song, but I did it anyway. It ended up being a real crowd pleaser. The couple later told me that I even threw the 'Hey Lady in exactly the right spot. I get a kick out of that. Ive listened so intently to the people that I emulate that sometimes [impressions] just become intuitive. It is comforting to know that my ridiculousness has an audience, let alone some historical accuracy."

Mahar says he laughs harder inside than the audience does because hes thinking, Sinatra is looking down at my #ss laughing his off right now...silly boy."

Mahar is one entertainer who may have arrived here from a time warp. He uses phrases that at the same time seem fitting to his character, yet age inappropriate- and he gets away with it. To hear him tell an audience, peppered with baby-boomers, that theyre a good looking bunch o kids" demonstrates a strange confidence which Mahar exudes naturally. He means every word, and the audience buys it. Mahar is a genuine entertainer who is a fan of good music and the era he presents.

I think I take risks as an entertainer because I love laughter and applause...and because its cool. Specifically on club dates. If I let up for a second someone might catch on that Im really just a dull guy whos in love with a microphone, his audience and his idols. If that happens I might not look as cool...or will I? Who knows? So, I just make fun of myself, and the cool people who inspired me to love entertainment. I make a living in this business...that in and of itself is a dream come true.

Ill continue to take chances because I dont want to risk the chance Ive been given (if that makes any sense). There is a simple honesty in just loving the stage. Audiences dont want you to pretend that showbiz is a burdened career. Yeah, I bust my butt during the day at my desk like everyone else. I have difficult clients and rules of engagement, or industry protocols, that seem ridiculous sometimes, but those trials got me on stage. Theres no comparing my deskwork to my stage life. The audience wants a show and thats what they get...a guy who loves it and doesnt care that 'the biz is tough. It should be tough or Id have a boatload of competition."

Mahar Enterprises, Inc. (his entertainment company), is quickly becoming a vehicle for other artists as well. Mahar considers himself to be in a strategic position at a time when the industry is undergoing what he refers to as an overhaul".

"Not since the advent of TV and Old Hollywood has the industry seen such a threatening tide which requires new thinking and superb quality to reach the shore." Considered an aggressive entrepreneur by his friends and associates, there is no question he has a work ethic with one thing in mind: Find bigger audiences, do it his way" and dont stop. As he says, My career roller coaster has been ticking up the hill for a long time and I am just catching a view of the horizon. Im ridiculously excited and prepared for a great ride."

While the global music scene is welcoming back the genre with cats" like Harry Connick, Michael Buble (Canadian Crooner) and others, Mahar is preparing for stardom (including upcoming dates at "The Breakers" in Palm Beach, foreign release of his CD and select Tahoe Casinos this Fall). In the meantime, he remains booking privately and can be found carousing with the rest of the Raz Pack every Sunday night, at the Rat Pack Café in Framingham.

Im not sure if hes riding a roller coaster or a time machine. Either way, he had this writer hearing the persistent sound as we spoke. It is hard to ignore when you are in his presence..."tick, tick, tick, tick".

The Rat Pack Café (Route 9, Framingham)
Every Sunday through Labor Day
8pm-Midnight, 3 shows/night
Call (508) 628-1842 for reservations

Gail Lowe, Columnist
Lowe Down On One" -- Old Route One News