Happy birthday John Schroder, he who is known far and wide as Elvis.

You know the bird: local color doesn’t get more colorful than Elvis. Schroder himself is a bearded, hulking street singer, who puts his heart and soul into interpreting the works of one Elvis Presley, usually at Saturday Market or some other warm-weather, open-air location. Physically there is no resemblance, but the dauntless Schroder has been belting out the King for more than a decade, occasionally getting a group together called Elvis’s Last Band to play at clubs.

Last Tuesday was the ersatz Elvis’s birthday, and Schroder’s dear friend (and mine, too) Jen Lane of BarFly magazine threw him a hopping little soiree at Dante’s, showering him with a battery of bands, a big plate of cupcakes, and party favors (the whoopie cushion will definitely come in handy). The festivities began with Schroder as a special guest on the Ed Forman Show, a live talk show hosted by local smart-ass Ed Forman, who commands the stage every Tuesday at Dante’s. Elvis appeared right after city councilwoman Amanda Fritz (who was rocking some glamorous shoes) and proceeded to slay the crowd with his amazing repertoire of Star Wars impressions. Note to Elvis: don’t ever do Jar Jar Binks again. Please.

Your humble narrator happened to be in two of the five bands on the bill so I got some commemorative snaps from this totally off-the-hook happening. Have a look—it’s almost like being there.