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The sheetrock is up. The bathrooms are taking shape. Flooring is down, tiles are on the walls, and paint is next.
At 602 Smithtown Bypass, a long-held dream is steadily coming to life.
Very soon, the walls inside the building won’t just talk — they’ll sing.
They’ll sing the original music of up-and-coming artists at “Live on the Porch,” an intimate 4,000-square-foot venue nearly a decade in the making for Long Island musician Mike DelGuidice.
Still under construction, the four-year journey from concept to creation is approaching the red zone — but DelGuidice says the finish line has shifted more than once.
“The goal posts are moving a lot,” DelGuidice told Greater Long Island in a phone interview. “This was originally going to be the fall and now it’s spring, at least. We’re getting there. The process has been long, longer than we had hoped, but the more it comes together the more excited I’m getting. The more I see it start to come to fruition, I’m getting more and more excited about it.”
A name born during the pandemic
The venue’s name carries special meaning.
During the pandemic, DelGuidice launched a Facebook Live series called “Live on the Porch,” performing from his home while connecting with fans in real time through live chat and song requests. The series struck a chord and ultimately inspired the venue’s identity.
“It took on a deep meaning for a lot of people,” said DelGuidice. “We had years of doing it through TV screens and to have a place that embodies the feeling and the emotion and the vibe of that time period is something that I was all about creating here. I want this to be that feeling that when you come here, you’re in my living room again.”
From Big Shot to the big stage
Embed from Getty ImagesDelGuidice first made a name for himself fronting the Billy Joel tribute band Big Shot. That notoriety eventually caught the attention of Joel himself, who invited DelGuidice to join his band in 2013.
Since then, DelGuidice has toured the world with Joel while continuing to perform his own shows with Big Shot, including at The Paramount and Mulcahy’s on Long Island.
But throughout the success, he says there was always something missing, a place for original music in the Smithtown area.
“I could never really find a place that I felt comfortable doing my own stuff…where I really felt was like the perfect spot to do original music and do your own singer/songwriter-based kind of stuff,” said DelGuidice. “I think I molded it around what I would love as a venue doing what I do. I knew that would end up being exactly what other people who do what I do would love to be a part of also and to have a space like this to perform in.”
Live on the Porch aims to fill that void.
An intimate, fan-friendly experience
The venue will feature just 127 seats, designed to create an up-close, immersive setting. The building was gutted and its roof raised 35 feet to accommodate a mezzanine overlooking the stage.
An L-shaped bar will wrap around part of the space and include a secondary stage. For larger shows, door closures will conceal the inner room.
“There’s not going to be a bad seat,” said DelGuidice. “That’s the exciting thing. It’s so small that it’s going to be a really nice place for singer/songwriters and even national artists who want to come in and do their thing in a smaller fashion. I think it’s going to be a really great spot. It’s exciting to see it happen. I really love the inner room of this place and the whole mezzanine.”
The mezzanine will include two staircases — one for the public and one designated for VIP guests and band members.
Just how close are those seats?
“They’re literally right on top of the stage,” DelGuidice said.
Which raises an intriguing possibility.
What if Billy Joel shows up?
“Especially here it would be intimidating because he’ll be really close,” said DelGuidice. “No matter where you are in this place, it’s really close. If he’s sitting in the corner up in the mezzanine, it’s ten feet from the stage if that.”
DelGuidice says he has not discussed the project with Joel during construction because he didn’t want it to appear he was asking for a favor.
“A guy like him…everybody is coming to him for help usually and I didn’t want him to think I was coming to him and asking him for anything,” said DelGuidice. “I really want to present this to him when it’s all done and say hey opening night is such and such…it would really be sweet if one of the opening nights if you made an appearance, not to play even, but to show your face and sit down and watch a little bit of a show.”
Original music takes center stage
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile DelGuidice built much of his career performing cover songs, Live on the Porch will focus primarily on original music.
“We will have that,” he said of cover acts. “It’s not like we’re not going to have people doing cover stuff in here, but the ratio is going to be way more geared to original music. How it ends up turning out in the long run is going to be based on the public and how they receive new music. The idea is hopefully to get the community involved in opening and expanding their horizons to want to hear new music.”
The projected original-to-cover ratio is about 70-30 or 65-35, though DelGuidice says audience response will ultimately shape the programming.
Plans also include:
- Rock concert nights utilizing the venue’s high ceilings and large projector wall
- A “Porch Idol” competition series to spotlight and recruit emerging artists
- A comedy show during opening week
For opening week, DelGuidice plans to perform four shows himself — three of which will highlight original material.
“I’ve made my whole living on playing cover music and I’m so grateful for it and I’ll still be doing it until the cows come home,” he said. “But at the same token a lot of that is because there’s a fear of doing your own music in other places where the demand is for cover music. This hopefully will create an aura and setting the stage where people know they’re coming into more of an artsy kind of thing where they’re going to hear new things.”
Music memorabilia will line the walls, reinforcing the artistic atmosphere.
And when DelGuidice finally steps onto the stage on opening night, the choice of first song is already clear.
Will it be Billy Joel?
Or one of his own?
“It will be an original for sure,” said DelGuidice. “There’s no doubt. I’ve got to set the stage.”
After nearly a decade of dreaming — and four years of development — he’ll finally get to do exactly that.
Check back with greaterlongisland.com for an update on the opening of Live on the Porch. And be sure to sign up for the GLI newsletter to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.
Top: Courtesy photo of Mike DelGuidice and Live on the Porch supplied to Greater Long Island for this article.
