Elton John Band Members to Appear at Elton Expo 2013 in Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Sept. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Elton John fans attending the upcoming Elton Expo 2013, October 4-6, will have a rare opportunity to get up close with some of the legendary rocker's closest associates. EJ band members Davey Johnstone (lead guitar), Nigel Olsson (drums), Kim Bullard (keyboards), Matt Bissonette (bass), John Mahon (percussion) and others will take part in a panel discussion and mingle with attendees at the Tuscany Suites Hotel.

“Fans from outside the USA have way different musical tastes, and Elton songs that are popular in America are not necessarily hits in other parts of the world,” Mahon said. “Someone might ask me specifics about a percussion instrument that I'm playing on a particular song. I didn't know they were listening that close!”

In addition to answering questions from attendees, Mahon and Johnstone plan to sit in with singer/songwriter Ben Babylon, when Babylon performs with his own band, the Ben Babylon Band. Babylon, the teenage son of Elton's late keyboard player and arranger Guy Babylon, is scheduled to perform two concerts at the Expo. He has been working on an album of his own songs, with help from the Elton John Band. One single, “Contradiction,” is already available on iTunes. Babylon, an award-winning pianist, plans to release an EP version of his album exclusively to fans at the Expo.

“My dad left a tremendous mark in the history of Elton John,” Babylon said. “It is exciting and also a little nerve-racking, to be following in his footsteps. He was close to Davey and John. I grew up watching them play and admiring them. I am excited that they appear on my record, and it’s surreal to think that they have agreed to perform with me.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ilkcjbHgk



Elton Expo 2013 is being promoted by East End Lights, an Elton John fan magazine. Editor Kevin Bell said the upcoming expo is the most ambitious one, to date.

“The thing I enjoy most about Elton Expo is meeting other fans who are as passionate as I am about the man and the music,” Bell said. “These are people who know every detail about Elton, (lyricist) Bernie Taupin and the band. Elton and Bernie have written the soundtracks of their lives, and the fans want to know more about them.”

A silent auction will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In addition to Ben Babylon and members of the Elton John Band, other special guests will include record producer Matt Still (“Peachtree Road,” “The Captain and the Kid”), author Keith Hayward (“Tin Pan Alley-The Rise of Elton John”) and a concert and after-party at Hard Rock Café, featuring the acclaimed tribute band Elton Rohn.

“Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s music shaped me for so many years of my life,” says singer Ron Camilleri, who has been impersonating Elton John throughout the U.S. and Canada for seven years. “To go out on state and get a glimpse of what it must be like to be Elton is a dream job.”

The Elton Expo will take place October 4-6, 2013, at the Tuscany Suites Hotel, 255 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169. Registration for the event is $160 per person, not including hotel. For reservations, call 877-887-2263 or 702-947-5925. For information, email EastEndLights0@gmail.com or visit www.EastEndLightsMagazine.com.

For more information about Ben Babylon, visit www.BabylonMusic.biz. For information about Elton Rohn, visit www.EltonRohn.com.