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06/16/2006

Arroyo steals show at benefit concert
Right-hander joins Aurilia, local band for charity
By William S. Hupp / MLB.com

COVINGTON, Ky. -- The hair. It's all about the hair: long, blonde, "rock-star sexy," as one admiring female put it.
It's that hair on Bronson Arroyo's head that had cameras flashing and girls screaming as the Reds pitcher took the stage in his inaugural concert in Cincinnati.

Arroyo, along with Raquel Aurilia and local band Screaming Mimes, rocked out at a benefit concert in front of 700 fans on Thursday night at the Madison Theatre.

The sold-out show benefited the Reds Community Fund.

"[It was] very cool," Arroyo said of the experience. "Great crowd ... I couldn't have asked for anything better."

Fans listened politely to the first two acts, the Screaming Mimes, and Aurilia, wife of Reds infielder Rich Aurilia, respectively.

The Mimes are comprised of four employees of the Reds video/audio production crew. Their music was all original pieces and reminded some of Bare Naked Ladies.

Raquel Aurilia flew in from L.A. to perform at the show, belting out some of her hits from her debut album, "Finding My Way."

But the spotlight shone brightest on Arroyo, literally and figuratively.

Teammates and fans alike were curious to hear his musical talents, and all eyes were on the headline act as he took the stage. Wearing a dark gray T-shirt and jeans, Arroyo bore the casual look of a veteran rocker.

He looked at ease in front of the frenzied throng, grabbed the mike, and showed the Cincinnati area exactly why this concert was so highly anticipated.

Arroyo, who played guitar and sang as the lead of the seven-piece ensemble, pleased the crowd with mostly hard-rock cover songs, such as "Black" from Pearl Jam, and "Wonderwall" by Oasis, and even combined with Raquel Aurilia for a song.

Arroyo's vocals had a soulful, harder quality to them. The use of a saxophone in most of the songs gave the rock music a jazzier quality.

Sometimes, the crowd sang along. When the music died down, whistles, cat-calls and screams of adoring women filled the air.

Overall, it was quite a reception for the new kid on the block.

"I had a blast," Arroyo said. "You never know what you're going to get coming to a new city, [but] it was a great experience."

As for his status as the new teen heartthrob in town, Arroyo just shook his head and laughed, refusing to take the bait.

His focus remains crystal clear. As Arroyo said, with a laugh: "I'm just trying to win ballgames."

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=cin

Friday, June 16, 2006

Arroyo a big hit in concert
TABARI MCCOY | CIN WEEKLY

Since arriving via trade this spring, pitcher Bronson Arroyo has proven to be surprisingly apt on the mound for the Cincinnati Reds.

Thursday, in front of a capacity crowd at the Madison Theater in Covington, Arroyo showed his other aptitude.

An emphatic pro-Reds crowd cheered all through the evening Thursday at "Perfect Pitch," a benefit concert for the Reds' Community Fund, which featured Arroyo performing his other love away from baseball: music.

Emceed by WXIX-TV (Channel 19) meteorologist Paul Horton, the show opened with a performance by local pop rock quartet the Screaming Mimes, all of whom are Reds' stadium employees by day.

Raquel Aurilia, wife of Reds infielder Rich Aurilia, followed a well-received 40 minute-plus set before turning the stage over to Arroyo.

Displaying a confident yet inviting swagger, Arroyo rocked the crowd with song after song from his 2005 debut CD "Covering the Bases." The set also featured an impromptu visit by Reds shortstop Felipe Lopez, who joined Arroyo for a brief sing-a-long before turning the spotlight back to the featured performer for the evening.

A number of Reds celebrities including George Foster, David Ross and Ryan Freel also appeared to rally the crowd, many of whom vocally confirmed they would be at Great American Ball Park this weekend.

Visibly exhausted as he prepared to sign autographs at the end of the night, Arroyo was satisfied with his performance and the crowd's overwhelmingly positive response to it.

"It was awesome, man, for the first time playing here in Cincinnati. You never know what to expect in a new town and the vibe was awesome and the crowd was into it singing along with the songs," Arroyo said.

"We might try to pull something like this off a couple more times toward the end of the season and as long as people keep digging it, I'll keep doing it."

http://cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...16001/-1/rsst1