Retired Hickory Hills cop mixes classic rock and Hollywood memories at May 31 show

Scott Sodaro once cued lines for Jerry Stiller backstage. Years later, he was writing traffic tickets. Now, he’s chasing a different rhythm—playing lead guitar in a classic rock band.

Sodaro, a retired Hickory Hills police officer, now fronts Ambidextrous, a rock cover group that plays the hits the way people remember them. On May 31, the band headlines a throwback concert at the Moonlight Theatre in St. Charles, joined by Chicago rock legend Ray Graffia Jr. and renowned Elvis tribute artist Rick “Elvis” Saucedo.

“I always liked acting,” said Sodaro, who lives in Orland Park. “But when I met musicians or singers from famous bands, I’d think, now that’s impressive.”

His love for music runs deep. “When the Beatles hit, I told my mom, you’ve got to get me a guitar.”

She got him one—a right-handed model. “Back then, left-handed guitars were almost impossible to find,” he said. “So I flipped it upside down like McCartney on Ed Sullivan—but I couldn’t play a thing. I gave up.”

Years later, inspired again, Sodaro made a deal with himself. “I didn’t want an excuse to fail,” he said. “So, I bought a left-handed Gibson Les Paul and a Marshall amp. If I wasn’t hearing what I wanted, it meant I had to get better.”

That mindset led to Ambidextrous, the band he formed 11 years ago with a longtime friend. The name nods to Sodaro’s quirks: “I throw left-handed, write right-handed, and had to figure guitar out on my own. Technically, I’m ambidextrous.”

Ambidextrous doesn’t just cover rock standards—they aim to replicate the originals. “I got tired of bands playing songs wrong just to show off,” Sodaro said. “It’s not about you. It’s about giving the audience what they remember.”

He still recalls playing Heart Full of Soul by the Yardbirds at a VFW show. “This guy in front snapped his head around,” Sodaro said. “After the song, he came up and said, ‘I’ve loved that since the ’60s, and I’ve never heard anyone play it like the original—until now.’ That’s why we do it.”

The May 31 show will be a three-hour rock showcase at the Moonlight Theatre. Saucedo will perform an hourlong Elvis set, then join Ambidextrous for a few songs. Graffia Jr., co-founder of the New Colony Six, will close the night with hits from the band’s 1960s heyday.

“Rick was doing Elvis while Elvis was still alive—and he nailed it,” Sodaro said. “It’s not just music. It’s the stories behind the songs. You’re getting a little rock history.”

Tickets are $25 and available at moonlighttheatre.com.

Sodaro’s love for performing started onstage. He trained at Second City and worked regional theater before landing an internship at the Pheasant Run Playhouse. That’s where he ended up helping Jerry Stiller memorize lines.

“I was 18. They said, ‘You’re going to help Jerry Stiller learn his lines,’” Sodaro said. “We were supposed to work eight hours, but we’d go 12. He said, ‘I like working with you. I don’t want anyone else.’”

Stiller even paid him out of pocket. “He said, ‘You’re not doing this for free—no way.’”

Another connection came at a Star Trek convention. “I met Leonard Nimoy before I even had a driver’s license,” he said. “We talked backstage, and he said, ‘Come back tomorrow.’ I did. Years later, I’d call his secretary and he’d still remember me.”

He also shares a story once told to him by actor Richard Egan, who worked with a young Elvis on Love Me Tender. “Elvis was just a kid—19—but he knew everyone’s lines,” Sodaro said. “One night after filming, Egan heard Elvis quietly mumble ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ He asked, ‘Is that what all the fuss is about?’ Elvis just shrugged and said, ‘That’s it, Deek.’”

Sodaro’s approach to creativity hasn’t changed: no shortcuts, no excuses.

“People say, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to like it, so I’ll get a cheap guitar.’ No. You’re already giving yourself an excuse to fail. Invest in yourself.”

He added, “When you remove the excuses, it’s all on you. You either put in the work, or you don’t. That’s how you get better.”

On May 31, Sodaro will walk onstage, sling his left-handed Les Paul, and hit the opening chords. No shortcuts. No solos that don’t belong. Just the songs as they were meant to be played.