‘Supermom’ Sue Albano adds rock ‘n’ roll to her resume
Certain members of the media, self-help book authors, and talk show hosts have pondered the very existence of supermoms as if they were as mysterious as Bigfoot or the Lock Ness Monster. For the naysayer who thinks supermoms are too good to be true, meet Sue Albano. This dynamo is the wife of an executive, the mother of three, a health club owner, a jewelry designer, a massage therapist and now the lead singer in a band on the rise.
“By now Vince and our three children have become very used to me and they’re like: ‘Oh, God, here she goes again – what is she doing now,’” said Albano referring to her husband of 19 years, Vince Albano, who is the owner and CEO of Mary’s Pizza Shack, sons Anthony, 16, and Vinny, 13, and daughter Isabella, 8. “They are proud of the fact that I live my life and it’s great to watch them do the same.”
The Sue Albano and Mark Dennis Band was born last September when Dennis stopped by En-er-gy, the fitness studio Albano owns with Renee Wiggs, to inquire about teaching a yoga class. The two became friends when they both worked as massage therapists at the Sonoma Mission Inn a few decades ago. Dennis noticed the pink acoustic guitar, which Albano recently bought from Sonoma Valley Music, convinced her to sing a Norah Jones tune, and the rest is music history.
“Since than, Mark, who is a born teacher and very patient man, got me singing my head off and taught me how to play bass in practically an afternoon,” said Albano, who has named her bass Black Velvet and is writing a song about it. “As usual, when I get into something that I like, I go pedal to the metal and now I’m addicted to music more than ever before. I’m crazy about that bass of mine.”
“The amazing thing about Sue is what a fast learner she is, because with no formal musical training she learned to play the guitar in one day and then moved to the bass,” said Dennis, who has been performing for 30 years, most notably with local favorite the Gig Jung Band. “Sue has a natural groove and a great personality for fronting a band. We have great musical chemistry and are thrilled to be a part of the local live music scene that has really come to life.”
The band has played The Plaza Bistro, Mary’s Pizza Shack, winery functions, weddings, and various private parties. Sunday night September 27 they will perform at Steiners Tavern in Sonoma at 7 p.m. Steiners’ owner, Paul Spadero, asked them to return for what will be the band’s third set. The Sue Albano and Mark Dennis Band – Albano swears that they’re working on a new name – will also perform at The Vintage Festival on Sunday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m.
“Our selection of songs is pretty much an eclectic mix of mostly cover tunes by Carol King, Lucinda Williams, Percy Sledge, the Beatles, Otis Redding, Bob Dylan,” said Albano whose musical tastes favor southern rock and rhythm and blues. “We do a pretty sexy version of “Fever” and sweeten that up with a bluesy version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and throw in a little gospel here and there.”
Albano was born and raised, along with her eight siblings, in San Francisco. She started performing as a Betty May Dancer at the age of six and showed real talent for tap dancing. The clan moved to Sonoma in 1980. By the time she was a senior in high school, Albano was teaching tap to the Katherine Wheeler Dancers, a local troupe. After graduation, Albano decided to train to become a massage therapist. Despite everything now happening in her life, she still gives massages.
Aerobics has been a passion for Albano since she became a fan of Gail Lebeouf’s Jazzercise classes, which happened at the Veterans Building in Sonoma. She became an instructor after filling in for another teacher at the Sonoma Mission Inn. She met Wiggs, her future business partner, while teaching at Parkpoint Health Club. They both shared a dream to open a different kind of exercise place and start working for themselves.
“I parked my car behind the Mercado Shopping Center one day and saw the empty space, which now houses our studio,” said Albano. “I made a phone call, worked out a deal, got some paint and a killer sound system, ordered some weights, and we opened five weeks later. This was all during the busy Christmas season, but we were on a mission and we made it happen by New Years.”
En-er-gy opened in 2008 and now employs eight fitness professionals who teach its approximately 200 members body sculpting, dance, Pilates, step aerobics, and yoga. Along with exercise classes, En-er-gy hosts many workshops, including those exploring chiropractic health and nutrition. The studio is also home to Vox Populi, a rock ‘n’ roll choir created by Dennis.
When asked where she sees her musical career heading, Albano blurted, “To the moon! I hope we can get a little Bay Area tour on the books and we’ve been asked by fans for a CD, so we are currently in the process of recording one!”
En-er-gy is open daily at 450 First Street East, Suite J. For class schedules and times call: 707.799.5959, or visit: en-er-gy.com.
