Frank Marzano: News

Michael Stanley once said, “If you ain’t sweatin’, than you ain’t rockin’!” Well, no one can accuse me of not rocking on July 4, when I played an outdoor gig at Presque Isle Coffee in 90-degree heat. My tongue was hanging out like a red necktie!

I love animals: beef, pork, poultry… But seriously, anyone who helps animals has an immediate claim on my friendship. Such was the case last week, when I played at Hog Heaven Rescue Farm in Cochranton. Check out the excellent work they do at

http://www.hogheavenrescue.org/

Classical guitarist David Allen Coester hosts an open mic Wednesday evenings at Webb’s Captain’s Table, a high-end restaurant/bar in Mayville, NY. I had written off trying to make it in western New York two years ago, when the Chautauqua Region Word gave my CD a scathing one-star review.

My singing was compared to Kermit the Frog (and not favorably, at that). However, the audiences at David’s open mic have been very receptive. There’s a lot of really good musicians and songwriters, too. With so much talent, it’s surprising that the Chautauqua area doesn’t have more of an acoustic music scene.

Closer to home, my buddy Jerry Gaff plays at the Casablanca restaurant in Erie every Friday evening, joined by either Mean Max of myself on bass. I’m a burger-and-fries man from way back, but their Middle Eastern cuisine is to die for!

But let’s get the focus back where it belongs… on me! There’s a new addition to my family: a dobro mandolin! It’s an ordinary mandolin, but it’s metal-bodied with a resonator cone inside. I bought it as a birthday present to myself.

I brought it to Charlie’s Pub in Edinboro, where Salmon Frank play every Saturday, because I wanted to show it to Ron Mumme, Salmon Frank’s excellent mandolin player. My unique instrument caught the eye of a couple of other patrons, who managed to get me on stage to play a couple of numbers with the band. I felt a little ill-at-ease, playing mandolin right next to one of the best mandolin players in northwest Pennsylvania!

When I’m not playing out, I’m usually recording. So far this summer I’ve recorded three more songs (“Humble Street”, “June”, “The Man I Can Be”) for my as-yet-untitled follow-up CD, with more on the way. I’ll definitely keep you posted.

Just two more chances to see me play live before the end of the summer: Sat. Aug. 7 at Eclectic Etceteras in Edinboro, and Sun. Aug. 8 at Presque Isle Coffee in Erie. I haven’t scheduled anything for the fall; however I will be doing another “senior tour” through the Meadville Council on the Arts.

Have a happy and safe rest of the summer!

It’s been a while since I last wrote, but I’ve had a lot of fun in the meantime. I did another round of assisted living/senior centers during the spring (as Borat would say, “great success”). I played gigs in Meadville and Cleveland. (A special shoutout to Rich who now holds the record for driving the farthest to hear me play – 93 miles!)

But mainly, I wrote a ton of new songs. At the moment I’m busy making 4-track cassette demos of ten new songs I wrote during the past year. The best songs will be recorded professionally and included on my upcoming CD.

Speaking of the upcoming CD, it’s coming along, slowly but… well, mainly slowly. I’ve got two songs from last year [“Huge Rock Star” and “Hit the Bricks” (the latter of which will be included on the upcoming WXCS compilation CD)], and I’ve since started work on a third song (“Humble Street”).

Ever wonder what one of my live performances sounds like? Me neither. But seriously, I’ve put up a few live recordings on the website:

“Ladies’ Night” – from BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME

“The Trouble with Love” – from my first CD, FOUL-WEATHER FRIEND

“Humble Street” – from my upcoming CD

“Alone” – a song that fell through the cracks and didn’t make it on to any CD

There are also some new pictures, from recent shows in Girard, Erie, Meadville, and open mic night at the Creekside Inn in Waterford.

Speaking of which, I’ve really had a blast playing at the weekly open mic nights at Creekside, every Sunday from 4 – 8. Some people do solo acoustic performances, but usually people bring bass and drums and some interesting full band jams get going (often with me playing electric lead guitar).

The latter led to a rather amusing interchange. After I got done backing up Tom Hitt playing lead guitar one day, a redneck in the audience offered me tips on how to improve my technique. “You gotta play from HERE, man”, he said, thumping his ample belly with his fist. “You gotta FEEL it!”

I let him expostulate for about five minutes, but when I invited him to take the stage and show me how it was done (it was, after all, an open mic), he became strangely demure. Talk is cheap!

This weekend I headed out to Cleveland to check out the Hessler Street Fair. Hessler Street (Cleveland’s first Historic District) is located in the heart of University Circle, and the fair features some of northeast Ohio’s top bands. In particular, I had a chance to check out Mifune (whom I opened for at the Barking Spider back in ’08).

Mifune plays an eclectic blend of jazz, funk, R&B, African rhythms, and electronica. I’ve seen live bands left, right, and center, but having seen Mifine twice I can say they are the best live band I have ever seen (and I include McCartney, the Who, and Pink Floyd in that statement).

The downside of this is that, while our redneck friend at the Creekside may not have had a valid criticism of my music, I do. These folks (Mifune) are creating an unprecedented, original sound; I’m basically making music the same way it was made 40 years ago. I’ve been told point blank that my singing stinks, I’ve been told point blank that my songs stink, but I never seriously questioned what I do until this weekend.

But it’ll take more than that to silence my guitar! Upcoming gigs I have include the following:

Sat. 6/5 – Eclectic Etceteras (Edinboro): 1 – 3
Sat. 6/12 – The Main Perk (Girard): 6 – 8
Sat. 7/3 – Barking Spider (Cleveland): 8 – 9:30
Sun. 7/4 – Presque Isle Coffee (Erie): 3 – 5

Finally, I hope everyone reading this gets out and enjoys some live music this summer, if not mine then someone else’s. You only get about 80 summers in a lifetime, so make each one count.

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.