Yellow Brick Road singer explores other roads

Brody Dolyniuk's band is called Yellow Brick Road. But the path to where he wants to be isn't as clear as the one laid out in front of Dorothy.

Countless Las Vegans know the live-wire frontman of the classic-rock covers band, for years a dependable source of fun in a locals casino.

Originally built around Dolyniuk's killer Elton John, the band's repertoire expanded as the singer realized he sounded as much like Ozzy, Diamond Dave and other '70s and '80s icons.

Working in the suburbs, Dolyniuk couldn't help but notice how Danny Gans and other impressionists weaved their mimicry into a one-man tour de force. "The Strip is the place where headliners live," he says.

There are a couple of ways to get there. And let's not be coy. One is to buy your way in. Lease a theater, put your name on the big sign and hope you catch on before you go broke.

But they say it's easier to get a job if you have one. "I already am playing Vegas in a sense and making a paycheck doing it," Dolyniuk notes. "I'm comfortable enough that I'm not going to take just any opportunity that comes along."

For a time, his path was aligned with the late Gans' manager, Chip Lightman. But he felt Lightman too literally wanted to make him the next Gans, by copying the old act. "It kept getting sucked back into Danny's world," he says.

More recently, Dolyniuk has self-financed a series of showcase performances, "throwing the line in the water" for any casinos, independent producers and agents who might bite.

He got nibbles, but "people get cold feet at the last minute for a lot of reasons. That's life, and you gotta keep trying. So I'm still trying."

He tried a new version last week, and the audience included Toby Keith's agent at Paradigm Talent Agency. "I was nervous, I won't lie to you," he says.

He spent his own money on the band and a video crew. "I was up until 5 a.m. the morning of the show, still putting pieces together." He slept until 11 a.m., then got up to sort out more details. "Anytime I do a showcase, it's usually a stressful event," he says, "right up to the minute I walk onstage."

But Dolyniuk wowed his regulars by imitating Gladys Knight and Jim Croce along with his usual slapstick rock. He showed them how he's updating the idiom for a new generation of people who are getting older; those who grew up in the '80s along with the 40-year-old.

Station Casinos is a big enough fan to make this showcase a monthly affair open to the public, which will give "Brody's World" still more chances to hone and improve.

"Believe me, the show I envision in my mind is a lot bigger and better than the one I did," he says.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.