Tony’s Wine Cellar celebrates 10th anniversary of open mic night

PITTSTON — In Northeast Pennsylvania, a number of bars host an open mic night, which is to say they invite local, amateur musicians to perform in front of a crowd. The amateur nature of these open mic nights are filled with surprises, both good and bad.

The open mic night at Tony’s Pizzeria and Wine Cellar in Jenkins Twp. is a little bit different.

Hosted by local musician Eddie Appnel, the open mic night at Tony’s celebrated its 10th anniversary on Wednesday evening.

What makes the open mic night at Tony’s so special is the decidedly non-amateurish atmosphere. Frequent guests include Appnel, the well-known former member of Mere Mortals, and Bret Alexander of the Badlees. Even younger musicians from the area, like Rob and Tim Husty and Dustin Douglas, have become regular guests at the open mic.

The key to making the open mic a success for the past decade is Victor Giuliano, the owner of Tony’s Pizzeria and Wine Cellar. Giuliano has kept his finger on the pulse of the local music world for years and is a drummer himself.

“I saw Eddie Appnel doing a jam night in Plains,” Giuliano said of the open mic’s origin. “I thought it was great, and I asked him to come do it on Thursday night at my place.”

The day of the week for the open mic night at Tony’s has changed from Thursday to Wednesday, but the core of the experience has remained the same. The original ensemble included Appnel, Alexander and Giuliano, all of whom were at Tony’s for the 10th anniversary jam.

In the beginning, the jam struggled to find an audience, but it eventually became a draw. Victor attributed this to the elite talent of the artists who have shared their skills in an intimate, live format.

“I have a passion for keeping live music popular,” Giuliano said, before turning his attention to the amateur musicians who have come in over the years. “[Amateurs] get to play with these seasoned veterans”

“Seasoned veterans” might be putting it lightly in some cases. National artists like Danny Seraphine of Chicago and Bill Kelly of the Buoys have stopped in Tony’s to jam with the usual house band. Even members of the house band, specifically Alexander, have had successful touring and recording careers for decades.

“You couldn’t find a better bunch of guys,” Giuliano said of his musical collaborators. “They’re very humble, all of them, and they’re very accepting.”

As far as the crowd is concerned, Giuliano has recognized a lot of the same faces over the years and appreciates their consistent support.

“We look at it more like a family. I can tell you who’s going to be in that seat, who’s going to be in that seat,” Giuliano said as he pointed to different areas of the jam room.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Giuliano had to close down his bar, and the open mic night was in flux. It was shut down for over a year, and the response to the open mic’s return was not a guaranteed success.

However, the pent up desire for live music that was built during that year or so seemed to reinvigorate the crowd at Tony’s.

“We pulled [COVID-19 restrictions] back, and [the crowd] came stronger than ever. It was missed,” said Giuliano. “I haven’t taken a week off since then.”

As for the 10th anniversary jam, Giuliano directed attention back to the musicians who have helped establish Tony’s Pizzeria and Wine Cellar as a hub of musical creativity and expression over the past decade.

“The foundation of this whole thing was Bret, Eddie and Rob [Husty]. They’ll play with anybody and make them sound fabulous.”