Guitarist/vocalist David Sarkis has gained quite a local following with his signature blues-rock sound, and this “Jersey Boy” has only just begun.

By Marla Pendergrast

Some  people  realize  their  vision  at  a  young  age. David Sarkis certainly did. “I always had the intention of playing music for a living,” he said.

After his sophomore year of college, he bought a guitar and spent the summer learning how to play a repertoire of songs. Then came the bartending gigs in Green Bay where he worked six nights a week and played on the seventh night.

Going With the Flow
Playing solo guitar and singing is where Sarkis thrives. Sure, he tried being with a band for a short while. “But that was a mess,” he recalled. “I have been out playing solo for 18 years.”

Playing locally from Green Bay to Crystal Lake, David entertains and wows audiences with his expressive vocals, fluid guitar playing and fun audience interaction.

Sarkis plays local clubs/solo acts in Lake Geneva and locally in Crystal Lake among many others towns. “I like to play a two- to four-hour show and not take any breaks,” he said. “You get a flow going and you don’t stop. There’s nothing I would rather be doing.”

Community Connection
Sarkis supplemented his solo career for five years as the audio engineer at The Raue Center for the Arts. It is there he realized how vital community programs are that bring performing arts into schools and directly to children.

“The interaction with the kids was inspiring,” he said. “We saw, for example, kids go from a riled group in gymnasium to a silent, focused group where we could hear a pin drop. To interact with them was awesome. The kids provided me with one of the most profound musical experiences of my entire life.”

One of the ‘Boys’
It then came time for Sarkis to take a leap from his comfort zone of playing solo to where he is today as a musician with the Chicago cast of “Jersey Boys.” The show was looking for a multi-instrumentalist so he applied. “There were four or five guys in the Chicago area who were in the running for this part,” he said. “I was the right fit.”

David is proud to be part of such a stunning show. “‘Jersey Boys’ is not your typical  Broadway  show,”  he  said.  “It  is  a true story about talented people who risked their lives. There is no other show like that can compare.

“The musical biography of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the story line, dialogue and songs fit so perfectly together,” Sarkis explained. “The story is real; there is something special about the fact that Frankie Valli is still alive. It is their lives we are supposed to be channeling. There is a certain reverence involved.”

Playing in “Jersey Boys” is not something Sarkis actively sought out. He has always been happy playing live music. “When ‘Jersey Boys’ is over in January, I will just go back to doing what I was doing … and love it,” he said.

When “Jersey Boys” ends, Sarkis feels he will come out more creative and energized. “This gig pulled me out of performing solo and threw me into an arena where I am challenged,” he said. “I am with musicians and artists who are much more educated and experienced than myself. So I’m learning all the time.”

Future Endeavors
Having compiled experience and creativity from different venues, Sarkis has ideas for the future.

“I’m in the works now with some musicians from ‘Jersey Boys’ putting together a project with an educational component,” he said. “This project allows the artists to come out and tell a little bit about their break into show business and how they got interested in performing arts. We combine music with an educational component.”

Locally, you can regularly find Sarkis at Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen in Crystal Lake (10 N Main St.). Check out his Facebook for other gigs in and around Lake  va, Beloit, Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wis., as well as Chicago and the Quad Cities.