Frank Marzano: News

We look back on a very productive 2011: three radio interviews, a TV interview, the reuniting of my old band Childhood’s End, an average of 4-5 gigs a month, and, most recently, an interview in the Erie Times-News:

http://www.goerie.com/article/20111215/ENTERTAINMENT0301/312159961/5-questions-with-singer-songwriter-Frank-Marzano

That’s not to say there haven’t been any drawbacks. Last month, for example, I played a grueling 3-hour stint at a local restaurant. At the end of the night, I announced I had time for one last song - eliciting the only applause all night that I was directly the cause of.

Still, the restaurant gave me a free meal when I was finished. Some venues are very good to the musicians. Others – not so much.

Case in point: Every Monday night the Vermont Tavern in Erie has a singer-songwriter showcase. After playing one such showcase I headed to the bar for a beer. They had the nerve to charge me!

The next time I was there I spoke with the owner herself. Turns out musicians do drink for free – Bud and Bud Light!

Bad beer… small, disinterested audiences… It’s tempting to ask, “Why bother?” The answer is easy:

Music is the only thing that makes me feel special.

On a more positive note: the Meadville Council on the Arts is bringing back the Blue Planet Café! This is a bimonthly music series which takes place in the Gardner Theater upstairs in the historic Meadville Market House. Unlike bars (where customers are distracted by TV’s and pool tables) or coffeehouses (where performers are drowned out by cappuccino machines), the Blue Planet is set up specifically for music. They have shows scheduled for January, March, and May. (I myself will be playing May 12.)

Check out their website at

https://www.facebook.com/lists/178819682193227#!/meadvilleblueplanet

On tap for 2012: another tour of senior centers, another YouTube video, and a lot more restaurant and bar gigs, including

Fri. 12/30 – Casablanca Grill (Erie), 7 – 10 pm
Fri. 1/6 – Casablanca Grill (Erie), 7 – 10 pm
Fri. 1/20 – Creative Crust (Meadville), 6 – 8 pm
Wed. 1/25 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland), 8:30 – 9:30
Wed. 4/18 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland), 8:30 – 9:30
Wed. 8/1 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland), 8:30 – 9:30

Finally, I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a happy, prosperous 2012 to everyone reading this. I suppose I should say something politically correct like “Season’s Greetings”, but old habits are difficult to break. With this one, I’m not gonna try too hard.

I didn’t make much progress this summer with my own CD (it’s getting increasingly difficult to book studio time), but the season produced a bumper crop of excellent albums by other local artists.

Some CD’s I’m very comfortable recommending are:

1) Tony Kellogg – “The Backward Mirror”

http://tonykellogg.bandcamp.com/album/the-backward-mirror

2) Tommy Link – “Ready to Fall”

http://tommylinkmusic.com/2011/06/09/at-long-last/

3) Tom Hitt – “Scribe and Jester”

http://tomhitt.com/BUY_MUSIC.html

(Be sure to mention Frank sent you!)

At the current moment I’m in the second leg of “Senior Tour 2011”. One place made a mistake and double booked, and I got pre-empted for a demonstration on making maple syrup.

As I put my stuff away, I listened to the speaker, local historian Jan Woods, give a biography of Virginia Sorensen. Sorensen is known throughout northwest Pennsylvania as the author of Miracles on Maple Hill, which won the Newbery Medal in 1957 for outstanding children’s literature. Sorensen also wrote the book while she lived in Edinboro. What I didn’t know was, she lived in my house!

Jan owns and operates Hurry Hill Farm, dedicated to promoting Miracles on Maple Hill and preserving the art of making maple syrup:

http://hurryhillfarm.org/

Last month I did a taping for the “Dirty Dog Live Music Show”. This program, which spotlights some of the tri-state area’s finest musicians (and me), airs on Armstrong cable every Sunday at 9pm in five different states. Not yet certain when my episode will air, but it’ll most likely be posted on the Dirty Dog Live website:

http://www.dirtydoglive.com/ddlmusic2.html

Got a couple of local gigs coming up:

10/31 - Vermont Tavern (Erie)
12/3 - Eclectic Etceteras (Edinboro)

After that, it’s time to take this show back on the road! I’m in the process of booking some gigs farther away, including:

11/2 – Barking Spider Tavern (Clevelend, OH)
12/16 – Avenue 209 Coffee (Lock Haven, PA)

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

This summer has been a whirlwind of gigs, recording, and interviews. The high point was definitely in July, when Childhood’s End (the band I played with when I lived in the Chicago area) reunited for a gig at Eclectic Etceteras Coffee House in Edinboro. Special thanks to WXCS (for airing the commercial I made) and to Renee Thayer-Allison (who was nice enough to book us, sight unseen).

You can see a clip from this historic occasion at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvDaffRQmA

Speaking of videos, classical guitarist David Allen Coester has been hosting an open mic this summer every Wednesday at Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville, NY. I’ve posted a number of videos of myself playing at Webb’s on YouTube (as well as frankmarzano.com).

The high caliber of entertainment proffered (myself excepted!), as well as Webb’s delightful cuisine and atmosphere make it well worth the drive.

There’s only a couple more Wednesdays remaining this summer (don’t remind me); however there’s talk of continuing the open mic on the first Saturday of every month (as was the case earlier this year). I’ll keep you posted.

Also on the subject of video, I’m going to be on the Dirty Dog Live TV show on Sept. 14. Dirty Dog Live is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the northwest Pennsylvania music scene, with information on bands, venues, and special events. The TV show is filmed at the historic Academy Theater in downtown Meadville, and airs every Sunday on Armstrong Cable at 9pm.

Check out the Dirty Dog Live website at:

www.dirtydoglive.com

Finally, on a personal note, many years ago I wrote a song called “An American Soldier in Iraq” and posted a video for it on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT-X0K6Z_5k

Just last month, “amurdag1” posted the following comment:

“From a former student of yours at Edinboro, to a 19-year-old getting deployed before my sophomore year starts, thank you Dr. Marzano.”

As flattered as I am by that statement, I deserve none of the credit. I write songs and strum a guitar; amurdag1 and the rest of the military risk their lives to protect my freedom. If I can provide them with even the smallest amount of entertainment, I am grateful.

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

In the last few months, I’ve graduated (?) from bars and coffee shops to restaurants. As you might guess, playing in a restaurant is substantially different from a bar or a coffee house. For one thing, customers aren’t there to hear music; the music is just a complement to the dining experience. At one gig, I went the entire night without hearing any applause. However, as I was packing up, I heard a number of positive comments about my music (and had earned some substantial tips as well).

One woman, after I told her that I wrote “Dawn in the Delta”, exclaimed, “You wrote that? I thought it was a real song!”

Other restaurant gigs I have coming up include:

Fri. 5/13 – Casablanca Grill (7 – 10 pm)
Sat. 5/28 – Casablanca Grill (7 – 10 pm)

As you might have guessed from my previous letters, I’ve been struggling with the whole “originals vs. covers” paradigm. I’ve played recent cover-heavy shows and received generous applause (and a nice full tip jar), yet went away unfulfilled.

This past Saturday I played at the Pie in the Sky restaurant in Erie. I played all originals, except for the last song (“The Masochism Tango”, by Tom Lehrer). I felt somewhat guilty milking the audience for laughs with someone else’s tune, but I had just served them three hours of depressing songs about breakups. This was dessert.

Other “originals-only” shows I have coming up in the future include:

Sat. 5/21 – Roff School Tavern (Meadville), 9:30 – 11:30
Mon. 5/23 – Vermont Tavern (Erie), 8 pm - ?
Sat. 7/2 – Eclectic Etceteras (Edinboro), 1 – 3 pm

I’ve added a couple more videos to YouTube:

1) “She’s at the Beach”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iKFiXcy9bg

2) “Ladies’ Night”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ-bS6MZJQI&feature=related

Both songs were performed live at the Open Mic Night at Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville, NY (Thanks, David!)

Speaking of video, I’m going to be a guest on the Dirty Dog Live Music Show in September. This program - which spotlights some of the tri-state area’s finest musicians (and me) - airs on Armstrong cable every Sunday at 9pm, and is broadcast in five different states. (Thanks, Lisa!)

In the more immediate future, this Thursday (5/12) I’ll be interviewed on “The Backstage Pass”, a biweekly radio show airing Thursdays 7 – 9 pm on WMVL (aka “Cool 101.7”).

You can stream WMVL online here:

http://www.cool1017online.com/

I’ve written a number of new songs this past year; consequently, I’ve booked a number of gigs to showcase them. In addition to the dates mentioned earlier in this newsletter, upcoming shows include:

Sun. 5/15 – Presque Isle Coffee Shop (Erie), 3 – 5 pm
Fri. 6/3 – The Creative Crust (Meadville), 6 – 8 pm
Sat. 6/11 – The Market House (Meadville), 11 – 1 pm
Fri. 8/12 – Midway State Park (Maple Springs, NY), 12:30 – 1:30

Also this summer, I’ll be back in the studio – to work on my own stuff and to play guitar and mandolin on Tom Hitt’s upcoming CD. Tom is acquainted with any number of excellent musicians, so the fact that he wants me to play on his songs is quite flattering.

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

One would be hard-pressed to think of a major artist who hasn’t dedicated a song (if not an entire album) to Christmas. My own contribution to the genre is a song I wrote in 2001 called “My Christmas Wish” (which appears on my CD “But Enough About Me”).

Well, every Saturday from 9 – 11 (Pacific time), 91.3 FM in Sonoma Valley, CA has a radio show called “All Kindsa Girls”, which features power pop from the past and present. On December 11, 2010, they had a Christmas-themed show, where “My Christmas Wish” was included, along with holiday gems from the Smithereens, Blondie, and Cheap Trick.

You can stream “Sonoma Sun FM” online at:

http://sonomasunfm.com/

and see recent “All Kindsa Girls” playlists here:

http://allkindsagirls.blogspot.com/2011/01/show-47-december-11-2010.html

Speaking of independent radio stations, there’s a lot happening right here in northwest Pennsylvania, too. WXCS 92.9 FM hosts an open mic every Wednesday night at the Villa in Cambridge Springs, and puts out a compilation CD every year featuring the best local music in northwest PA. (A song of mine, “Hit the Bricks”, was included on the 2010 CD.)

Farther south, WMVL (“Cool 101.7”) frequently interviews local artists: on Thursday mornings (when Dirty Dog Live’s Lisa Bower brings in local musicians for her “what’s happening this weekend” segment), and on “The Backstage Pass”, a biweekly show featuring in-depth interviews with local bands and songwriters.

Here are the Facebook pages for WXCS:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WXCS-929-FM/407686965069?filter=1

and “The Backstage Pass”:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Backstage-Pass-on-COOL/132044870174457

I’ve also been inching my way back into the western New York music scene. My buddy David Allen Coester hosts an open mic night the first Saturday of every month at Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville (a high-end restaurant/bar in the Chautauqua region). The high caliber of musicians (myself excepted!) and early starting time (5 – 8 pm) make it well worth the drive.

Webb’s open mic night has its own Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Open-Mic-Night-Hosted-by-David-Allen-Coester/75744559196

Speaking of Facebook, I’ve finally joined the 21st century and gotten in on the act myself. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it’s also an incredible networking opportunity.

You can check out MY Facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Frank-Marzano/100001955883538

Well, that’s about it for now. I’ve got no bar/coffeehouse gigs lined up in the immediate future (though I suppose I should line up something for May so I have something to promote when I’m interviewed on “The Backstage Pass” on May 12).

Rock long and prosper,

Frank