'The Bill and Andy Show' gives 'cover band' a whole new meaning

The Bill and Andy Show brings a whole new connotation to “cover band.” The wildly amusing performance, presented by Bill Hadam, 52, a product marketing specialist who has been renting in Beach Haven West for many years, and Andy Hladek, 55, a technology manager who owns a second home in Mystic Island, has been attracting local crowds with family-friendly fun since they started playing together over 10 years ago.

Photo by Connor Warren
The Bill and Andy Show attracts more and more
people with its silly antics and fun song renditions.

The duo dressed up in their usual show attire, Hawaiian shirts and casual shorts, during their latest performance at the Surf City Hotel on Sunday, July 7. The two have taken after Paul “Presto” Pestritto and Jack “Jackie V” Vitale, who played a similar act at the hotel for more than 40 years. Now a regular stage presence on Long Beach Island and the mainland, Hadam and Hladek have been playing at the hotel, free of cover charge, every Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. for more than five years.

Crowds of people sat around the Beach Club bar at the hotel on Sunday, waiting for the show to begin. Applause and whistles welcomed Hadam and Hladek to the stage positioned in the middle of the bar as they strapped on wireless microphones and acoustic guitars just after 5 p.m. The duo busted out wacky renditions of songs from their usual set list throughout the night, playing music from Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, Tom Petty, ACDC, Green Day, Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and more. Requests were accepted via paper napkins hanging from a rotating contraption above the bar. The musicians’ passion for performance and audience participation eventually gave way to group and karaoke-style sing-alongs complete with kazoos, cow bells, tambourines and maracas. A conga line even worked itself around the packed bar.

Photo by Connor Warren
Andy Hladek shows the audience how
to have some good, old fun.

“It’s really all about just trying to do songs that people are going to know and sing along with and have fun,” said Hadam. “We’ve got about 350 songs in the overall repertoire, but we typically play the same 50, 60, 70 songs because it’s the ones people ask for.”

“I think most acts on the Island play all the same stuff because that’s what people want to hear,” added Hladek. “You’re not going to surprise them because they want to hear the songs that they really like. But I think it’s also about what everybody does a little different. We walk around wireless; not a lot of guys do that. We’ll go walk back to a group and get them all singing because they’re just sitting there; you can get the participation going differently that way. We don’t take ourselves very seriously about what we do, and the crowd doesn’t, either. I think they come to have a good time.”

Songs played using a mandolin, ukulele, harmonica or bass also added to the night’s amusement. Fun props such as leis, wigs and giant blinking sunglasses, as well as silly on-stage banter consisting of old-time jokes the two have shared since they met in high school, kept the audience laughing and the drinks flowing.

Besides a drum machine nicknamed “Bob, the third band member,” Hadam and Hladek continued their performance without backing tracks, which have become popular with other cover bands.

“Everything you hear us play and all the mistakes we make are all natural and all live. We don’t practice any of the mistakes,” Hladek joked.

To help keep the party alive, the duo continued throughout the night, forgoing any type of break from the stage – something they said they have always done to help keep themselves and their audience having a good time at the bar.

“It makes you forget about the day job during the week. It’s a stress reliever,” said Hadam.

“We both love music,” added Hladek. “What could be better than doing what you want to do and getting paid for your hobby and making a lot of other people happy at the same time? That’s key.”

The duo is currently sponsored by Landshark Lager and Kona, which provide the audience with take-home T-shirts.

The Bill and Andy Show will take place at the Surf City Hotel all summer long. Visit billandandyshow.com for more information.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.