Frank Marzano: News

One of the first things you learn as a musician is to give 100% all the time, because you never know who’s listening. This was certainly the case this past Monday, when I played at the Active Aging senior center in Meadville. In the audience was Cootie Harris.

Harris, who played with the Count Basie orchestra, is somewhat of an institution in northwest Pennsylvania, on account of his extensive mentoring of innumerable jazz musicians throughout Crawford County. I got to meet him after the show, and the digging was mutual. 87 years old, and still sharp as a tack.

On the national front, most have you have heard of the band Train, who won a Grammy in 2001 for their multiplatinum “Drops of Jupiter”. Their lead singer, Pat Monahan, is from Erie. Well, last month I was backing up Tom Hitt at Presque Isle Coffee House, and Monahan was in the audience. I didn’t get to meet him, but still… It’s not every day one gets to entertain a Grammy winner!

Later that week I played at the Barking Spider Tavern in Cleveland. I was getting over a doozy of a cold, so I was worried about my voice holding out for the two-hour gig. There are some things a singer with a cold can do (eg. avoid high notes, detune the guitar, insert more instrumental parts into songs), but for the most part, you just have to tough it out.

I eventually made it through, playing to about a dozen people. Two minutes after I was done, the place filled with customers! Turns out a band was playing at the Grog Shop (another live music venue in Cleveland). The band members were not allowed to drink at the Grog Shop. (I guess there had been an “incident” previously.) When they were done playing, they came to the Barking Spider and brought all their peeps with them.

I would have loved to play another half hour, but I had to save some of my voice; I had another gig that very next day!

(N.B. The man who opened for me, Ernest Elshaw, commented that I sang like Graham Nash. That’s like being told one writes like Shakespeare!)

Meanwhile, there have been numerous improvements to the website. I added a link to Tom Hitt’s homepage (www.janglepete.com), new photos from Charlie’s Pub and the Main Perk, and live sound clips of two songs (“Alone” and “Humble Street”).

Meanwhile, the live gig train keeps on rolling. In addition to my semi-annual tour of senior centers, I have the following bar and coffee house gigs coming up:

Sat. 3/13 – The Main Perk (Girard): 6 – 8
Fri. 4/2 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland): 8 – 9:30
Fri. 5/7 – The Creative Crust (Meadville): 6 – 8
Fri. 5/21 – Artists Cup Café (Meadville): 7 – 9
Sat. 7/3 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland): 8 – 9:30

I know exactly what you’re thinking: “Good God, is there no end to these newsletters?” But I wanted to keep you up to date with what’s going on with me.

In my last newsletter, I vowed to lay off live performing until I had written more songs. However, I agreed to play at an old folks’ home here, a Christmas party there, and before I knew it I was at full throttle again. Like Michael Corleone in The Godfather III, “Every time I try to get out, something pulls me back in!” On the plus side, I did manage to get a couple of new songs written.

So how about that earthquake in Haiti, eh? If you haven’t bought my CD yet, there’s never been a better time than now. For the rest of January, I am donating 100% of CD sales to relief efforts to help the victims:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/frankmarzano

I’ve got a new video up on YouTube, “Bleecker Street”. It’s a paean to Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village (my favorite part of New York City):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExKW24AJmgM

In addition to my own solo gigs (which average about 2–3 per month), I can also be seen pretty much any given weekend backing up Tom Hitt (who produced But Enough About Me) at various shows and open mics. Speaking of open mics, here are a few of my favorites:

1) Creekside Tavern (Waterford): Sundays, 4 – 8 pm

2) Eclectic Etceteras (Edinboro): Fridays 4 – 6 pm

3) Presque Isle Gallery Coffeehouse (Erie): Wednesdays, 6 – 8 pm

4) Bare Moose Bar and Grill (Meadville): Wednesdays, 6 – 9 pm

And now, what you’ve been waiting for… upcoming gigs!

Fri, 2/5 – Artists Cup Café (Meadville): 7 – 9 pm

Wed, 2/24 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland): 10 – 12 pm

Fri, 3/5 – Creative Crust (Meadville): 6 – 8 pm

Sat, 3/13 – Main Perk (Girard): 6 – 8 pm

Sat, 4/3 – Barking Spider Tavern (Cleveland): 8 – 9:30 pm

As usual, thanks for your support. Take care, and hope to see or hear from you soon.

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

Well, the second leg of “Senior Tour 2009” has come to a close. I spent the last eight weeks playing once (sometimes twice) a week at various senior centers throughout Erie Crawford Counties, arranged by the Meadville Council for the Arts. It was an incredibly rewarding endeavor, although sometimes the generation gap manifested itself:

Senior Citizen: Where did you say you were from?

FJM: Edinboro.

Senior Citizen: Ain’t you got any barbers up there?

Another way I’ve been keeping in shape is by participating in the open mic Sundays at the Creekside Grill in Waterford (hosted by my buddy Rowland Proper). Usually people play guitars, but more recently people have been bringing bass and drums, resulting in some very enjoyable band jams.

I’d forgotten what it’s like playing in a band. It’s a lot different from playing solo. You have to have the other person’s back (and trust them to have yours).

Of course, with all this playing live (I’ve been averaging 3 gigs a month for the last couple of years) and rehearsing, it’s hard to find time to write songs. Over the last several months, I’ve been dismayed to notice a steady decline in both the quantity and quality of songs I’ve been writing. Those of you who know me well know that such a situation is unacceptable to me. Consequently, I’m going to take some time off from live performing to concentrate on songwriting for a while.

Tom Hitt (who produced my CD But Enough About Me) has put out an excellent CD of his own material under the moniker Jangle Pete. If you like clever lyrics, quirky chord changes, and heavenly harmonies, then check out http://janglepete.com/.

Finally, I hope that everyone reading this has a happy, healthy, and blessed holiday season. And by all means, keep in touch.

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

Back in May, I played at the Active Aging senior center in Meadville. The performance was videotaped by Armstrong Cable and broadcast on the public access channel. For several months afterwards, whenever I went to Meadville people recognized me and complimented me on my performance. One person even went to Armstrong Cable to request a DVD of the show!

Okay… that person was me. Armstrong was nice enough to give me a DVD, from which I took a song and posted it to YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsVIz6OxWls

Not sure who wrote the song; I do know that Tony Bennett did a version. Check it out and let me know what you think.

What a summer it was! I had 3 – 4 gigs every month. In addition to that, I played at several open mics throughout the tri-state region:

1) My buddy Rowland Proper hosts an open mic every Sunday at the Creekside Grill in Waterford, from 4 – 8 pm.

2) Rowland also did an open mic at the Corner Tavern in Venango on Fridays, from 5 – 7 pm.

3) The Artists Cup Café in Meadville has an open mic on Saturdays, starting at 8pm.

4) Classical guitarist David Allen Coester hosted an open mic every Wednesday over the summer at Webb’s Captain’s Table in Mayville, NY (right on Lake Chautauqua). Check out David’s own website at www.meantone.com.

I always used to discount open mic nights - why travel all that way just for 3 or 4 songs? – but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Seriously. One open mic is worth a whole week of rehearsal.

Gigwise, I’ve just begun the second leg of “Senior Tour 2009” which will take me through November. Meanwhile, I still play at Tellers Row Coffee Bar the second Saturday of every month.

Also, recording on the new CD has finally begun! It’ll be a while before it’s finished, but then all good things take time.

Hi, everybody! Well, we’ve reached the high point of the summer: Frank Marzano Day!

Throughout the spring I played at several old folks homes throughout Crawford and Erie counties (as part of the Meadville Council of the Arts “Taste of the Arts” program). On April 27, I was to play at Active Aging in Meadville. Armstrong Cable was going to videotape it. Unfortunately, I came down with a cold that rendered me virtually mute, and I had to cancel. So much for my TV singing debut!

Luckily, I was able to reschedule for June (with Armstrong Cable also in attendance). The performance has since been broadcast on the public access channel. I’ve actually gotten quite a few compliments on it. Really. I’ll be sitting in a restaurant or coffeeshop in Meadville, and someone will approach me and tell me how much they enjoyed my performance. On my flyers I’m going to have to start including the phrase, “As Seen on TV!”

Just for fun, I decided to keep a tally of all the money I spent playing music (overnight hotel stays, instrument purchases, gas, strings, the website, etc.), and all the money I made (tips, CD sales, downloads, etc.) for the year 2008:

Income: $730.25
Expenditure: $2713.59

Of course, 2008 was an exceptional year. For one thing, I bought two guitars (something I’m probably not going to do every year). My initial idea was to treat my music as a “business” (for tax purposes), but I’m told you have to make a profit every so often to make that a reality. I don’t think that’s going to happen!

Playing far away (e.g. Cleveland, western New York) is great fun, but it’s also very expensive and time-consuming. For the rest of the year, I plan to keep it local. I have a sort of “residency” at Teller’s Row Coffee Bar in Meadville: the second Saturday of every month, from noon to 2pm.

Other gigs I have coming up include:

Fri. 8/7 – Creative Crust: noon – 2 pm
Sat. 8/15 – Creative Crust: 2 – 4 pm
Fri. 9/4 – Artists Cup Café: 8 – 10 pm
Sat. 9/19 – Eclectic Etceteras: 1 – 3 pm

Plus I’ll be doing another tour of old folks’ homes sometime in the fall.

Finally, I hope everyone reading this is having a great summer. Remember, you only get about 80 summers in a lifetime, so make each one count.

Rock long and prosper,

Frank

Hi, everyone! Can you believe it’s been over two months since the last newsletter? How time flies!

Since I don’t have to work on Thursdays this semester (I teach math), I’ve been playing at a different old folks’ home each week, all over Erie and Crawford County. Let me tell you, this has been an experience in itself. It’s incredibly rewarding, and every now and then something genuinely amusing happens:

Elderly lady # 1: You didn’t enjoy that at all, did you?

Elderly lady # 2 [angrily]: I enjoyed it very much! What makes you think I didn’t?

#1: Well… the look on your face…

#2: You read me wrong!

#1: You made a face like this. [Opens her mouth and rolls her eyes back into her head]

#2: I was having trouble breathing!

I’m getting some recognition outside of northwest Pennsylvania, too. Last month, I stayed at the Glidden House hotel in Cleveland (which is also where I stay when I play at the Barking Spider Tavern).

The concierge commented on the fedora I was wearing, and mentioned that he had one of his own for entertainment purposes (stage and theater).

I mentioned that I write songs and play guitar. When I told him my name, he replied, “I’ve heard of you! You’re getting quite a good reputation around Cleveland.”

I questioned the truth of this statement, but he added, “I’ve been to your website. You played at the Barking Spider last week, didn’t you?” [This was absolutely true.]

If that wasn’t enough of an ego boost, this past weekend I played at the Spring Fever Folk Festival in Cambridge Springs, PA. This is a three-day event featuring music of all styles and genres.

My performance went very well (although I was nervous and a couple of the high notes got away from me). As the next act, a reggae band called “I and I” was setting up, I noticed they looked familiar. Turns out I was right; they used to be known as “Rebel Music”. They changed their name because they got tired of rednecks showing up to their gigs expecting Southern Rock covers!

I didn’t stick around for their set (it was such a nice day that I strolled around outside for awhile), but I saw them leave dejectedly when their set was finished. I heard one say to the other, “Well… that was a hard act to follow.” That made me feel good!

The CD (“But Enough About Me”) has been selling well (some guy in Denmark bought one!), but I’m much happier “making” music than “having made” music. The upshot is that, once school lets out for the summer, I’ll be going back into the studio for more recording!

And now (the part you’ve been waiting for)… upcoming gigs!

Sat. 5/16 – Teller’s Row Coffee (Meadville) noon – 2pm

Wed. 5/27 – Barking Spider (Cleveland) 10pm – 12:30am

Sat. 6/6 – Presque Isle Coffee Shop (Erie, PA) 3 – 5pm

Sat. 6/13 – Teller’s Row Coffee (Meadville) noon – 2pm

(As usual, check the website for directions, etc.)

Thanks to all of you for your continued support. I apologize for the length of this newsletter; I hope you found it worth the effort.

Remember, you only get about 80 summers in a lifetime. Make each one count!

Rock long and prosper,

Frank