Courtesy
Travis Cloer
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Singer and songwriter Travis Cloer has called Las Vegas his home since “Jersey Boys” first brought him here in 2008. Since he wrapped his iconic role as Frankie Valli in that beloved production, Cloer has established himself as one of the city’s most popular and prominent voices, and he’s discussing the entertainment community’s recovery from the pandemic and his stylish new musical production on this week’s Sun on the Strip.
“Something that separated us also brought us together in this weird, band-of-brothers, going-through-the-trenches kind of thing,” Cloer says of the entertainment industry struggles through the last 16 months. “The entertainment scene was hit so hard and it’s still going through a lot. We’re all going to deal with it for quite a while but the cool thing is we’re going through it all together, feeling the ups and the downs and the highs and the pains of it all and we can relate to each other.”
For Cloer, who has performed in several productions in Las Vegas and on and off Broadway and was used to touring steadily while picking up gigs around town, the quiet time allowed for some new musical exploration. He’d been focused on creating original material in recent years and going months without performing live was a mixed bag.
“It’s been a good time to sit and write and record new music and work on new projects, and through the course of the last year I’ve released two singles that have done pretty well,” he says. “It’s been a good time to be creative, but also a hard time to be creative because you feel the weight of everything. But the other side is that outlet has alleviated a lot of that weight and been helpful in dealing with the stress.”
Most recently Cloer has teamed with friend and fellow Las Vegas musician Chris Lash to create a new show that will hit the stage at the Space next week on August 6. The diverse sound and style of their show capitalizes on the current popularity of blending classic and modern music.
“This act I think is bringing some class and some style back. There’s a seven-piece band and we’re doing straight-up jazz, classic standards, some pop favorites and some smoking hot original material, too,” Cloer says. “It runs the gamut from funk to jazz to disco, with a little bit of everything, all under the guise of keeping it classy and presenting a really polished picture.”
Find this week’s Vegas entertainment news, interviews and more every Wednesday with the Sun on the Strip.
