Description

Following the success of their sold-out 1970s tribute show Back to the Garden, Rochester-area musicians Levi Gangi, Kelly Izzo Shapiro, & Mike Shapiro return to Cobblestone Arts Center for their next live tribute to a decade in music. 

Event Description:

If the 1970s were defined by a handful of visionary voices, the 1980s exploded into something far harder to contain. As the decade dawned, music splintered in every direction at once — folk, new wave, post-punk, synth-pop, and beyond — producing some of the most melodically irresistible, hook-driven songs ever written. These weren't just hits. They were anthems.

Naked 80s strips those anthemic songs down to their core — acoustic and electric guitar, piano, three voices, and some hand percussion — and finds out what's left when you peel back the production. The answer: everything that mattered in the first place.

Levi, Kelly, and Mike approach these songs not as pure nostalgia, but as the masterclass songwriting they’ve always been. No synths—just the songs themselves, lifted by Mike's clean electric guitar tone, rich vocal harmonies, and the trio's instinct for melody. Joined on select arrangements by guest percussionist Alex on hand drums, the group adds an organic, rhythmic pulse that drives the music forward while preserving the rawer, unplugged atmosphere. It's the perfect balance: preserving the energy, the hooks, and the sheer singalong joy that made these tracks iconic, presented in a fresh and intimate light.

Featuring the music of Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Queen, Kate Bush, The Police, Talking Heads, Genesis, Tom Petty, Guns N' Roses, Hall & Oates, U2, and more, Naked 80s moves through the full eclectic sweep of a decade that refused to stand still. Expect arrangements that breathe new life into familiar favorites while keeping everything that made you fall in love with them in the first place.

Come ready to sing along. You already know every word.

Performer Bio:

The artists behind Naked 80s are an acoustic powerhouse trio of accomplished Rochester-area singer-songwriters. Multi-instrumentalist Levi Gangi, recognized by Rochester CITY Magazine for his "mature musical intuition," brings a devotion to melody that has earned him nearly 500,000 Spotify streams across five studio albums. He is joined by husband-and-wife duo Kelly Izzo Shapiro and Mike Shapiro, who share the stage with an easy, authentic chemistry born from the local songwriter scene where they first met. Kelly, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the SUNY Purchase music conservatory and Woody Guthrie Songwriting Contest winner, is a remarkably prolific writer with over 4,000 songs and multiple musical theater productions to her name. Mike anchors the trio with honest lyrical storytelling, warmth, and melodic, introspective guitar playing rooted in the singer-songwriter tradition. Together, these three seasoned performers bring deep musical intuition and genuine collaborative spirit to every stage they share.

What Critics Are Saying:

• “Gangi brings emotional depth and feel-good energy to every performance.”  — Concerts at Point of the Bluff Vineyards

• “Listening to [Gangi's] music is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket.”  — Hannah Maier, WRUR Radio

• “[Izzo Shapiro] has the voice of an angel and writes great, original songs.”  — Bernunzio's Uptown Music