Yacht Rock Revue believes in reminiscing

The show will not only feature Atlanta’s seven-piece Yacht Rock Revue, but sets by Ambrosia (“Biggest Part of Me”) and Little River Band (“Reminiscing”), plus guest appearances by Peter Beckett of Player (“Baby Come Back”), Walter Egan (“Magnet and Steel”) and members of Starbuck (“Moonlight Feels Right”).

It might not be a surprise to learn that Yacht Rock Revue started as a joke about three years ago. Three of its current members, Nicholas Niespodziani (vocals), Peter Olson (vocals) and Mark Cobb (drums, vocals and wind chimes), had played for years in the indie rock band Y-O-U. The group attained relative success, even being named by Rolling Stone as one of the top 25 bands on MySpace in 2006.

But one day, on a humorous whim, Cobb and Niespodziani, then co-workers at an insurance company, decided to take the “dentist office music” they played in their cubicles to the stage.

The show went so well that now, “We’re a living version of those Time Life infomercials,” said Niespodziani.

The pair eventually also got fired the same day for doing too much band PR while working.

So now Y-O-U is a memory, and its former members, along with Mark Bencuya (keyboards, vocals), Mark Dannells (guitar, vocals), David Freeman (saxophone, keyboards) and Greg Lee (bass, vocals), devote themselves full time to a genre thriving among the pop-culturally hip.

Although it’s obvious to longtime music fans what constitutes “yacht rock” -- the breezy overtones, the windswept romantic lyrics, the swirly keyboards -- Niespodziani offered a few other tips to identify whether a song is appropriately yacht-y.

“The wind chimes, definitely. And there is a specific BPM [beats per minute] of 90. You have to be able to do the side step and you can’t rock too hard, that’s very important,” he said. “It’s mainly the music of the overprivileged. It has to appeal to someone who has more money than they know how to spend.”

Along with the Web spoofs and club nights around the nation devoted to “yacht rock,” late night talker Jimmy Fallon showcases a regular segment with live performances from some of the most recognizable names in the musical category.

“He does a great job pulling these guys like Robbie Dupree out of the woodwork,” Olson said. “Props to him. We want to be the guest on the next ‘yacht rock’ show. We’ve reached out to him and are going to keep pressing. We’re kindred spirits.”

While the Yacht Rock guys are thrilled with the artists who agreed to join them for Saturday’s blowout, there are a few acts they’re hoping to snag for future festivals.

“We had Pablo Cruise, but they made the choice to play a gig they had already booked. And we did reach out to Toto, but they didn’t return our email,” Olson said. “We’d love Christopher Cross, but our budget is limited.”

Yacht Rock Revue has become successful enough to book numerous corporate events, tour the East Coast, spawn a hand-chosen spinoff band (called Yacht Rock Schooner) and join the Weezer Cruise, produced by Atlanta-based Sixthman company, in January.

“People really love yacht rock,” Niespodziani said. “It doesn’t matter how red your neck is -- there’s just something about Michael McDonald’s voice.”

Especially when it’s complemented by a captain’s hat.