What our clients & members of the press are saying...
City of Santee - Santee California:
Hi Bernie,
The show was great from our point of view as well. The crowd loved the band. I was cleaning up around the stage after the show and a lot of people came up to tell the band that they enjoyed the show. Thank you for helping make our event a success.
Best,
Jon Shellhammer
Special Events Coordinator • City of Santee, CA 92071
Hi Bernie,
The show was great from our point of view as well. The crowd loved the band. I was cleaning up around the stage after the show and a lot of people came up to tell the band that they enjoyed the show. Thank you for helping make our event a success.
Best,
Jon Shellhammer
Special Events Coordinator • City of Santee, CA 92071
Lido Live! - Newport Beach:
Im a fan of your band. Love the deep cuts To tell the truth I would rather see the Ultimate Stones here at a local venue ( especially a nice one like the Lido) than go through what I gotta go through to see the Rolling Stones.
You guys work hard on your show ........my friend Vladimir hadn't seen you guys before and now he's a big fan......... he has seen the Rolling Stones maybe 100 times. More than anyone I know. He couldn't get over how good you and your band sounded.
So........thanks again for a great show and I'll see next time......
Take care man
RJ
Im a fan of your band. Love the deep cuts To tell the truth I would rather see the Ultimate Stones here at a local venue ( especially a nice one like the Lido) than go through what I gotta go through to see the Rolling Stones.
You guys work hard on your show ........my friend Vladimir hadn't seen you guys before and now he's a big fan......... he has seen the Rolling Stones maybe 100 times. More than anyone I know. He couldn't get over how good you and your band sounded.
So........thanks again for a great show and I'll see next time......
Take care man
RJ
Baby Boomers Club - Laguna Woods:
Good morning,
Thanks so much for a great show! Please pass it on to the band members. It was the largest crowed we ever had and we turned away a large number of fans. Many many great comments about the event. I'm sure we will have you back again. It was a great pleasure working with you.
Cheers,
Leon
Good morning,
Thanks so much for a great show! Please pass it on to the band members. It was the largest crowed we ever had and we turned away a large number of fans. Many many great comments about the event. I'm sure we will have you back again. It was a great pleasure working with you.
Cheers,
Leon
Rockefellas Music Festival:
Why assemble a group like The Ultimate Stones? Because the tribute marketplace, flooded with everything from Rolling Stones garage bands on up, lacks the quality, consistency and showmanship factors demanded from today’s discerning tribute fans. They fully recreate an exciting Stones concert experience with an all look-alike cast of performers. The sights, sounds, energy and attitude that IS The Rolling Stones is all there.
They have become best known for pulling out the theatrical stops, raising the bar for all Rolling Stones impersonators with it’s array of musical and vocal talents. The great Jagger/Richards songs that we all know and love are performed completely live, not using backing tracks of any kind to fill in the sound but rather employ all the ingredients necessary to reproduce some of the rock world’s best known recordings. Imagine: A real sax solo in Brown Sugar. Real piano on the timeless Angie. Lush four and five part harmonies. Duets like Christina Aguilera and Mick Jagger on “Live With Me”, from the Martin Scorsese concert film “Shine A Light” and Merry Clayton or Lisa Fisher killing it on the enduring “Gimme Shelter”.
Born out of fans’ true love for the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, the initial casting call begat the first few key core members. Multiple “Micks” came and went until a stroke of great fortune led them to Jim Becker, whose vocals are amazingly accurate to “Mr. Jagger” himself. Magic happened. “Ronnie Wood” numbers one through eight gave it their all, but it wasn’t until Terry Myers arrived as “Woody” that the band truly gelled. A decision then needed to be made – how do these mature gentlemen, who resembled their real life counterparts, pull this off? The answer was clear: by representing the Rolling Stones as they are now, not as an anachronism.
Along the way, the Ultimate Stones have performed at some of the most amazing events and venues. Tribute-paloozas three, four and five at Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas, The Las Vegas Hilton, The Grove of Anaheim, The House of Blues chain, and so many others. They are amongst the very first elite groups to be selected for the new national AXS TV concert series, “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” (March, 2013), and the JACK-FM 101 Throwback at Dallas‘ Gexa Energy Pavilion (May 2013). They we also selected to perform for venerable L.A. radio station K-EARTH 101’s 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Gibson Amphitheater and became the focus of a news piece for FOX National News. The Ultimate Stones are now nationwide!
The atmosphere of an Ultimate Stones performance is very much like those great, energetic Rolling Stones extravaganzas. The crowd sings along to every song, dances and cheers wildly and leaves exhausted as the last note is played. Experience The Ultimate Stones for yourself and you’ll come to the conclusion that this band IS the ultimate Stones tribute show on the planet. If you see them coming to town, mark you calendar. Don’t miss your next opportunity to catch The Ultimate Stones!
Why assemble a group like The Ultimate Stones? Because the tribute marketplace, flooded with everything from Rolling Stones garage bands on up, lacks the quality, consistency and showmanship factors demanded from today’s discerning tribute fans. They fully recreate an exciting Stones concert experience with an all look-alike cast of performers. The sights, sounds, energy and attitude that IS The Rolling Stones is all there.
They have become best known for pulling out the theatrical stops, raising the bar for all Rolling Stones impersonators with it’s array of musical and vocal talents. The great Jagger/Richards songs that we all know and love are performed completely live, not using backing tracks of any kind to fill in the sound but rather employ all the ingredients necessary to reproduce some of the rock world’s best known recordings. Imagine: A real sax solo in Brown Sugar. Real piano on the timeless Angie. Lush four and five part harmonies. Duets like Christina Aguilera and Mick Jagger on “Live With Me”, from the Martin Scorsese concert film “Shine A Light” and Merry Clayton or Lisa Fisher killing it on the enduring “Gimme Shelter”.
Born out of fans’ true love for the World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band, the initial casting call begat the first few key core members. Multiple “Micks” came and went until a stroke of great fortune led them to Jim Becker, whose vocals are amazingly accurate to “Mr. Jagger” himself. Magic happened. “Ronnie Wood” numbers one through eight gave it their all, but it wasn’t until Terry Myers arrived as “Woody” that the band truly gelled. A decision then needed to be made – how do these mature gentlemen, who resembled their real life counterparts, pull this off? The answer was clear: by representing the Rolling Stones as they are now, not as an anachronism.
Along the way, the Ultimate Stones have performed at some of the most amazing events and venues. Tribute-paloozas three, four and five at Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas, The Las Vegas Hilton, The Grove of Anaheim, The House of Blues chain, and so many others. They are amongst the very first elite groups to be selected for the new national AXS TV concert series, “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands” (March, 2013), and the JACK-FM 101 Throwback at Dallas‘ Gexa Energy Pavilion (May 2013). They we also selected to perform for venerable L.A. radio station K-EARTH 101’s 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Gibson Amphitheater and became the focus of a news piece for FOX National News. The Ultimate Stones are now nationwide!
The atmosphere of an Ultimate Stones performance is very much like those great, energetic Rolling Stones extravaganzas. The crowd sings along to every song, dances and cheers wildly and leaves exhausted as the last note is played. Experience The Ultimate Stones for yourself and you’ll come to the conclusion that this band IS the ultimate Stones tribute show on the planet. If you see them coming to town, mark you calendar. Don’t miss your next opportunity to catch The Ultimate Stones!
This week's installment of the AXS TV show, The World's Greatest Tribute Bands brought us The Ultimate Stones, a Rolling Stones tribute band: examiner.com By Chelle Stipe
The show, hosted by the one and only Katie Daryl, is broadcast live from the Roxy on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles every Monday night at 8 p.m. PDT to an audience of approximately 38 million. AXS TV is available on all cable systems except Time-Warner, as well as to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers.
The Ultimate Stones are an eight/nine piece band that use their own talents and skills (and no backing tracks) to recreate the experience of attending a Rolling Stones concert. All of the members hail from Southern California, and have traveled far and wide to deliver the Stones experience.
Featuring…Rick Harchol as Keith Richards, …Bernard Yantz as bassist Bill Wyman, Terry Myers as guitarist Ronnie Wood, ...Bobby Campbell as saxophonist Bobby Keys and Albert Margolis as keyboardist Chuck Leavell, the Ultimate Stones made the packed Roxy house feel just like they were at an intimate Rolling Stones event.
...The entire night was a dream. I had not previously been a huge Stones' fan, but I left the show with a new found respect for their music. The concert included 10 classic Stones hits from their catalog of 492 songs.
…the entire band exuded the skills and confidence to convince me I was spending intimate time with the Stones.
The show, hosted by the one and only Katie Daryl, is broadcast live from the Roxy on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles every Monday night at 8 p.m. PDT to an audience of approximately 38 million. AXS TV is available on all cable systems except Time-Warner, as well as to DirecTV and Dish Network subscribers.
The Ultimate Stones are an eight/nine piece band that use their own talents and skills (and no backing tracks) to recreate the experience of attending a Rolling Stones concert. All of the members hail from Southern California, and have traveled far and wide to deliver the Stones experience.
Featuring…Rick Harchol as Keith Richards, …Bernard Yantz as bassist Bill Wyman, Terry Myers as guitarist Ronnie Wood, ...Bobby Campbell as saxophonist Bobby Keys and Albert Margolis as keyboardist Chuck Leavell, the Ultimate Stones made the packed Roxy house feel just like they were at an intimate Rolling Stones event.
...The entire night was a dream. I had not previously been a huge Stones' fan, but I left the show with a new found respect for their music. The concert included 10 classic Stones hits from their catalog of 492 songs.
…the entire band exuded the skills and confidence to convince me I was spending intimate time with the Stones.
The Ultimate Stones Band - Written by Bruce Forrest in Gigs / Tours / Events, Live Reviews:
allaccessmagazine.com
Typically, I wouldn’t bother writing a live review, regarding a “tribute band” (especially, one playing at an outdoor swap meet). ...Easily, any musician can replicate a bands music, but, can they preserve the true heart and soul of the music? When it comes to delivering an impressive display of true tribute, most fall on their faces. The two most blatant errors that are made, are 1) failing to faithfully reproduce that particular bands sound, and/or musical identity and 2) not looking anything like the actual band. This 2nd point is emphasized more, when the band is recognizable, ala The Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin. Apparently, most of these “tribute bands” just wanna jump on the bandwagon, satisfy drunken patrons, and feel it is justifiable.
And then we have The Ultimate Stones, who apparently know what it takes to be effective, and do it on such a superior, professional level, it makes the rest of the “tribute bands” look all the more inferior. It is apparent, they love The Rolling Stones (the greatest band ever) and the music is the driving force behind this 8-piece group.
…The Ultimate Stones (formerly Rolling the Stones) …found facsimiles in the very charismatic, larger-than-life persona’s of The Rolling Stones, …musicians that are several notches above decent (read: impressive), and can faithfully recreate the sound, and the moves of the actual band. This is all the more important when you’re dealing with such a beloved band, like The Stones. Die-hard fans are going to be looking at you a tad more meticulously, and there is no room for error. Luckily, there are no weak links here. That’s what makes The Ultimate Stones one of the best (if not the best) “tribute bands” out there (hell, even that term seems to undermine their professionalism).
The Rolling Stones haven’t been on the road for quite some time now (their last performance was August, 2007, in London), and it doesn’t appear as if we are getting that 50th anniversary tour, we all so eagerly awaited (for those that could afford the tickets, of course), so this is the closest we can get. Honestly, The Ultimate Stones are so damned good, that’s just fine with me.
Performing 2 separate sets, both running at an hour-plus, and a 15 minute encore, fans were treated to an array of songs that covered all eras of the Stones. The Ultimate Stones kicked off the first set with Street Fighting Man, and covered early material, such as Get Off Of My Cloud (from 1965′s December Children). They went on to run the Stone’s musical gauntlet, from the down-and-dirty Exile on Main Street (Tumbling Dice, Rocks Off, All Down the Line, Happy), Goat’s Head Soup (Angie, Bitch, Wild Horses, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking), and even 1994′s Voodoo Lounge (You Got Me Rockin’). The Ultimate Stones even ambitiously tackled You Can’t Always Get What You Want. That’s a risky selection to meet head-on, but with their spit-polish, near perfect rendition, all 8-members made it look effortless. Actually, this proved to be true, regardless of whatever song they performed. The beauty of it all was, the band delivered every song right-on-the-money, never swaying from the faithfulness of the actual recorded versions.
…Rick Harchol is the band’s Keith Richards, with all the rock-star charisma and couldnt-care-less ‘tude…Keeping in check, he also provided the lead vocals, on Happy.
Bernard Yantz, keeping “in character” as Bill Wyman, stood off to the back, never missing a note, and looking as if he was totally unaware of his own amazing 4-string skills. You know, exactly like Wyman. Terry Myers, as Ron Wood, has that same mischievous, up-to-no-good grin on his face, with ciggy in mouth. Myers often stepped ever-so-slightly away from Wood’s style of playing, hinting at his own, personal, blues-influenced talent, but never wandering out of the Stone’s musical boundaries. Bobby Campbell, as Bobby Keyes, was simply amazing on sax, as was Albert Margolis, banging out honky-tonk-bluesy melodies on keyboards.
...The day’s performance finished off with Satisfaction (natch), Brown Sugar, and an encore of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Bitch, and Rough Justice (from the under-rated A Bigger Bang). Simply put, the crowd was blown away, and loved every damned minute of both sets/encore. The blazing sun may have zapped the fans a bit, but it seemed to be ineffective on the band, and their performance. In closing, more power to all the tribute bands out there, but they need to witness The Ultimate Stones, and pick up (more than) a few pointers. Until then, The Ultimate Stones will continue being many cuts above the rest.
allaccessmagazine.com
Typically, I wouldn’t bother writing a live review, regarding a “tribute band” (especially, one playing at an outdoor swap meet). ...Easily, any musician can replicate a bands music, but, can they preserve the true heart and soul of the music? When it comes to delivering an impressive display of true tribute, most fall on their faces. The two most blatant errors that are made, are 1) failing to faithfully reproduce that particular bands sound, and/or musical identity and 2) not looking anything like the actual band. This 2nd point is emphasized more, when the band is recognizable, ala The Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin. Apparently, most of these “tribute bands” just wanna jump on the bandwagon, satisfy drunken patrons, and feel it is justifiable.
And then we have The Ultimate Stones, who apparently know what it takes to be effective, and do it on such a superior, professional level, it makes the rest of the “tribute bands” look all the more inferior. It is apparent, they love The Rolling Stones (the greatest band ever) and the music is the driving force behind this 8-piece group.
…The Ultimate Stones (formerly Rolling the Stones) …found facsimiles in the very charismatic, larger-than-life persona’s of The Rolling Stones, …musicians that are several notches above decent (read: impressive), and can faithfully recreate the sound, and the moves of the actual band. This is all the more important when you’re dealing with such a beloved band, like The Stones. Die-hard fans are going to be looking at you a tad more meticulously, and there is no room for error. Luckily, there are no weak links here. That’s what makes The Ultimate Stones one of the best (if not the best) “tribute bands” out there (hell, even that term seems to undermine their professionalism).
The Rolling Stones haven’t been on the road for quite some time now (their last performance was August, 2007, in London), and it doesn’t appear as if we are getting that 50th anniversary tour, we all so eagerly awaited (for those that could afford the tickets, of course), so this is the closest we can get. Honestly, The Ultimate Stones are so damned good, that’s just fine with me.
Performing 2 separate sets, both running at an hour-plus, and a 15 minute encore, fans were treated to an array of songs that covered all eras of the Stones. The Ultimate Stones kicked off the first set with Street Fighting Man, and covered early material, such as Get Off Of My Cloud (from 1965′s December Children). They went on to run the Stone’s musical gauntlet, from the down-and-dirty Exile on Main Street (Tumbling Dice, Rocks Off, All Down the Line, Happy), Goat’s Head Soup (Angie, Bitch, Wild Horses, Can’t You Hear Me Knocking), and even 1994′s Voodoo Lounge (You Got Me Rockin’). The Ultimate Stones even ambitiously tackled You Can’t Always Get What You Want. That’s a risky selection to meet head-on, but with their spit-polish, near perfect rendition, all 8-members made it look effortless. Actually, this proved to be true, regardless of whatever song they performed. The beauty of it all was, the band delivered every song right-on-the-money, never swaying from the faithfulness of the actual recorded versions.
…Rick Harchol is the band’s Keith Richards, with all the rock-star charisma and couldnt-care-less ‘tude…Keeping in check, he also provided the lead vocals, on Happy.
Bernard Yantz, keeping “in character” as Bill Wyman, stood off to the back, never missing a note, and looking as if he was totally unaware of his own amazing 4-string skills. You know, exactly like Wyman. Terry Myers, as Ron Wood, has that same mischievous, up-to-no-good grin on his face, with ciggy in mouth. Myers often stepped ever-so-slightly away from Wood’s style of playing, hinting at his own, personal, blues-influenced talent, but never wandering out of the Stone’s musical boundaries. Bobby Campbell, as Bobby Keyes, was simply amazing on sax, as was Albert Margolis, banging out honky-tonk-bluesy melodies on keyboards.
...The day’s performance finished off with Satisfaction (natch), Brown Sugar, and an encore of Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Bitch, and Rough Justice (from the under-rated A Bigger Bang). Simply put, the crowd was blown away, and loved every damned minute of both sets/encore. The blazing sun may have zapped the fans a bit, but it seemed to be ineffective on the band, and their performance. In closing, more power to all the tribute bands out there, but they need to witness The Ultimate Stones, and pick up (more than) a few pointers. Until then, The Ultimate Stones will continue being many cuts above the rest.