A hot tip leads to a magical night with a fabulous dinner and an outstanding musical experience with Paul and Simon’s Sounds Of Silents at Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille.
A Hot Tip Leads To Dinner and a Show with Paul and Simon
Our friend, Harold Remlinger, called and emailed about a show with Paul Bielatowicz and Simon Fitzpatrick (aka Paul and Simon Sounds of Silents tour) coming to Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille. He thought it might make for an interesting story. Harold, my friend, this story tip was pure gold!
Paul and Simon are both members of Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy band. For those not into progressive rock, ELP stands for Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, which formed in 1970. In the progressive rock arena, ELP is up there with other mythical rock bands such as King Crimson, Genesis, and Pink Floyd. Given the level of musicality in ELP music, both Paul and Simon are world-class musicians and composers.
Where In The Hell Is Harsens Island
My first question in planning our adventure was: Where the hell is Harsens Island? Turns out, Harsens Island is about 30 miles northeast of Detroit, right next to the border with Canada. The island is at the mouth of the St. Clair River and sits within Lake St. Clair.
Like me, you may be wondering, how in the world did two international touring musicians get to Harsens Island? Turns out Harold’s brother Rolf met the musicians when they were on tour with Carl Palmer back in 2013. They became friends, and Rolf has been active in either hosting the band when they are on tour or helping to book shows. Harold and Rolf’s family has a home on Harsens Island, where Harold is now living. This connection led to bringing progressive rock gold to the Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille.
Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille
In order to get to Harsens Island, you need to take a car ferry across the St. Clair River. Both Brenda and I felt as if we were truly on an epic adventure, given the river crossing. It is a short jaunt, but it definitely adds to the feeling that you were headed somewhere exotic. With our crossing complete, it was a short mile and a half to the Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille.
Built in 1934, the Schoolhouse is a stout little building in what feels like the middle of nowhere. It served as a two-room school until 2005. In 2009, owners Tony & Kristin Bane turned the historic building into a splendid gem of a restaurant. The lower level offers seating at a small bar and adjacent tables. The upstairs room serves as an event space. On our visit, this is where Paul and Simon would be performing.
As we entered, hoping for dinner before the show, our host asked if we had reservations. We did not, but thankfully, there were two open seats at the far end of the bar. One look at the menu (and the craft beer selection), you’ll notice a bit of a Hawaiian theme. The beer list sports a fine selection of Maui Brewing beers. The menu offers Hawaiian delights such as katsu fried chicken, Ahi tuna poke bowl, and my favorite: Loco Moco (a hamburger with a fried egg, gravy, and mashed potatoes – total comfort)!!
Brenda ordered the fried chicken, and I, of course, got the loco moco. Both of these dishes were absolutely delicious. Everyone working at the Schoolhouse Grille was warm and friendly, making our meal that much more enjoyable. The Schoolhouse Grille is a phenomenal place and definitely worth the drive. Little did we realize our evening was about to get even more awesome.
Paul and Simon – Perfecto!
After a lovely introduction by Schoolhouse Grille owner Kristin Bane, one of them—Paul, or maybe it was Simon—joked that this show at the Schoolhouse was sure to be their best yet, drawing lots of laughter from the packed upstairs room. The stage was set with a few lights and a video screen at its center, flanked by Paul and Simon.
We were off and running with “Flight Of The Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov. Immediately, you knew this performance was way beyond the ordinary. Paul’s Facebook page intro says it all: “Classical pianist trapped inside a rock guitarist’s body!” Both Paul and Simon are enormously talented musicians. They transcend their respective instruments by brilliantly bridging the gap between rock, classical, and jazz. One song in and I was transfixed for the next two solid hours.
The duo called their tour “Sounds of Silents”. They had ingeniously grafted original scores as well as other well-known classical compositions to early silent films. The first in this series was the 1928 Steamboat Willie cartoon by Walt Disney, with a composition created by Simon. Each action on the screen was paired with his intriguing soundtrack.
Weirdly Wondrous
It should be noted that these earlier silent films are super weird and goofy. Paul and Simon combined the music of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.14 (“Moonlight Sonata”) with the 1902 silent film Trip To The Moon by Georges Méliès. With “Arabesque” and “Clair de Lune” by Debussy, the duo expertly synchronized these evocative pieces with another Méliès film called The Eclipse.
Both of these films make you wonder if Méliès was dropping acid. The anthropomorphic moon and sun, the wild juxtapositions of characters, and the comical nature within each film are so damn weirdly wonderful. Having them set to music was a treat.
Jamming with Carl and Crafty Covers
Paul and Simon also brought Carl Palmer along with them. Well, he was on the video screen playing drums. If you weren’t looking, you’d swear Carl was in the room. Together they played “Trilogy” and “Pictures At An Exhibition”. The bass and guitars handled all the complexity of ELP’s melodies and harmonies. I was particularly struck by how well they conveyed the exquisite keyboard arrangements by Keith Emerson. Hopefully, no one noticed me staring mouth agape in silent astonishment.
In addition to ELP, Paul did a solo recital of Chopin, which was stellar. Not to be outdone, Simon threw in a couple of solo covers with “Rosanna” by Toto and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Let me tell you, this was next-level awesome as Simon simultaneously evoked the rhythmic and melodic details within these classic rock tunes. It was super fun.
Nosferatu and the Magic Movie Theater
In 2025, Paul composed an original soundtrack to the 1922 film Nosferatu by F. W. Murnau. Paul mentioned that he’d originally performed this on a solo tour with bass and keyboard players, with the music and film running at about 90 minutes. This time around, Paul also noted they would be doing an abridged 22-minute version. With a smile, Paul added that his friend Simon would be covering both bass and keyboards on the Chapman stick (a twelve-string fretted electric instrument).
I seriously am at a loss for words to adequately convey the gripping quality of the music and the performance by these two musicians. Just when you thought they could not possibly do more, they flip the script, and you are left in wide-eyed wonderment.
Paul and Simon wrapped up their show with an original they called “The Magic Movie Theater”. The “movie” is a series of clips from classic films such as North by Northwest and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, with Paul and Simon superimposed as characters in the films. It is hilarious, and the music is super duper. A most excellent way to wrap up this awesome adventure to Harsens Island.
Photos
We’ve got a few more photos in our gallery from our adventure to experience Paul and Simon at Harsens Island Schoolhouse Grille.
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