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Finding the groove

Rob Chidester calls it “dinner theater without the dinner,” but it’s gaining considerable crowds under the moniker “Drop the Needle.”

The monthly event Chidester hosts at Chelsea’s Cafe via his Royal Cyclops Productions pays homage to a different classic record each show by having local singer-songwriters offer up their own takes on the songs.

Since the series began in January, and with the aid of a stellar house band, the performers have tackled Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Carole King’s Tapestry, The Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies, Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska and in August, The Rolling Stones’ Beggar’s Banquet.

“We don’t do tributes, karaoke or mimicry,” Chidester says. “We go for theatrical interpretations of the songs that present them in a new and fresh way that is interesting to both the die-hard fans and newbies as well.”

The series is held in the smaller side bar at Chelsea’s. Chidester often selects the performers for each show and will occasionally take the stage himself to offer up other tunes from the same artist, creating a 90-minute mix tape of sorts honoring an album as well as the spirit of the artist’s music.

“I cast each record as if it were a play, building a stage show from there,” he says.

That stage show has been so well received that recent nights left barely any standing room in the venue. Chidester has been scouting for a new location, specifically a venue that maintains the intimate nature of the shows while accommodating its growing popularity.

Regardless of where the event lands further down the line, he still plans to continue hosting events at Chelsea’s on the fourth Thursday of the month (Drop the Needle’s regular date), as well as his weekly Wednesday Songwriters in the Round—where local musicians perform original material and collaboration is encouraged—in the same space.

No matter the event, in Chidester’s hands, expect one hell of a night of musical theatrics.

For the next Chelsea’s-based Drop the Needle, brothers Ben and Liam Catchings will direct performances of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars Sept. 26 starting at 7:30 p.m. chelseascafe.com