Duo Blends Vegas, Philly

By Alex Richmond, FOR THE INQUIRER
Posted: March 05, 2000

If The Sopranos were to hire a house band, they could do a lot worse than the extreme lounge keyboard-and-drums duo of Mickey and Joey Pal.

The two have been playing music together for 30 years this month, and appear every Wednesday through Saturday night at Kathleen's Cafe (on Ninth and Christian Streets). Equal parts Las Vegas and South Philly, their act draws from a large repertoire of songs, from Broadway show tunes to Bacharach to "Wildwood Days."

Between songs, the off-color jokes fly fast and thick. If you lack an appreciation for dirty jokes, simply have a drink, loosen up, and wait for the musical performance to begin again. But please be patient; you're living in Mickey and Joey's world now.

Mickey, from behind his drum kit, starts goofing around. "Does anyone know what 'Volare' means in Italian? It means fly. So to mix things up, tell someone that their volare is open." An obligatory rimshot follows.

"Did you know we were the first band ever to have an audience member come up onstage and sing? It's good for business, because next week they come back, with an aunt, an uncle, a cousin. It's good for business, even if they're bad!"

A man - just a regular guy - wearing pressed black jeans, a red-and-white-leather jacket and crisp white sneakers, takes the stage. A gold cross hangs around his neck. After taking the microphone from Joey behind the keyboards, the guy expertly belts out not one, but two Frankie Valli songs.

Mickey thanks the South Philly native, adding, "They got a lot of talent downtown."

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