Medford’s April Jimenez has long been a performer at heart, since the days when she’d sing into her hairbrush, imagining her childhood dream come true.
"It's all I ever wanted. I definitely sang into my hairbrush. My daughter also sings," Jimenez told South Shore Press.
As co-lead singer for The Spinoffs, the almost-50-year-old Jimenez is ready to infuse that same passion on Sunday, April 19, into a pop and rock concert at Center Moriches Free Public Library. The show starts at 2 p.m. and is free to Suffolk County cardholders who register.
Jimenez promises to engage the crowd as she amps up the concert in typical Spinoffs’ style. “I’m the one that’s running around getting the audience going, and having a lot of fun,” she said. “We are super-interactive.”
The Spinoffs is a female-fronted band, not uncommon today on Long Island, but Jimenez recalls, “when I first started 25 years ago…I remember always being like the only girl in the crowd.”
Making her dream more special is those she shares the stage with, including co-lead singer and keyboard player Jaime Harrington, a teacher by day and the master of many instruments. Ironically, the keyboard was not initially among them, but she agreed to fill in and never left.
Other band members, ages 35 to 60s and mostly from Suffolk County, are lead guitarist Anna Guzman, rhythm guitarist Tommy Handler, 35, bass guitarist Sal Canzoneri and drummer Spencer Kornfeld. “It transcends age because we’re such good friends,” Jimenez said.
Their passion is Long Island, where “you know the people that are coming to see you.” Though the gigs are paid, it's a labor of love. Each member works a day job, Jimenez as marketing director in Wading River.
With an emphasis on the ‘90s and early 2000s, their music appeals most to Generation X and Millennials but extends also to the ‘70s and ‘80s with a modern twist.
For details, visit the website.