THE BAND
THE BRAIN TRUST
I have always considered myself a singer songwriter in search of a great rock and roll band. I wrote the songs then sent the demos to Rob and to Nick. We are a great team with a common faith and a common goal to create music that moves you, speaks to your heart and gets your feet moving; all at the same time.
THE HEART AND SOUL
So if you're going to put a band together to record an album...for me, it starts with the heartbeat. The rhythm section. You can't do better than Kenny Aronoff on drums. KENNY ARONOFF! Pair Kenny with the rock solid bass playing of Derek Brands and you have your pulse. Add Nick Tremulis, the Musical Mayor of Chicago, and you've got all the soul could you ask for... Nick is a musical genius who is loved and respected by all the great players in Chi-town. I asked him to invite them; horns, strings, choir, percussion, accordion, pedal steel...they all showed up; in a big way!
QUOTES:
“Man.. great f****g sounds, feel, parts playing, singing and the mixes are stellar.. Good God.. wow.. Thanks for including me.. This is the best thing I have heard and felt in a long time. The spirit and feel of this record is f****g great.. AUTHENTIC and real.. Amazing.” Kenny Aronoff
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“American Son is a vital record that speaks with real feeling and emotion. Finally some meaningful lyrical content, it gets better the more often one listens. There are few records released today that are this kind of gift. From the songs to the musicians’ passionate performances this is as good as it gets.” Rob Fraboni
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"...it’s such a pleasure to hear the finished record; all the passion and lived experience that you put into it shines through. Heartfelt songwriting and performances from everyone involved make the the music come alive. Powerful performances beautifully captured.
Looking forward to more great things".
Paul Mertens: Brian Wilson Band Arranger
THE PLAYERS
THE STORY
FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE
And then one day you say, "I've got to do this.
I don't care what the odds are".
I had worked on a record with Rob Fraboni over 20 years ago. Back then, I had just completed 18 months of crab fishing in the Bering Sea when I first met him. Wrote most of the record out at sea and had grandiose ambitions. Recorded in Austin; had fabulous players involved and was getting ready to mix the record, when my life took a turn. A big turn. But that’s a story for another day.
The next 20 years reshaped my faith, my character and my determination. As fate would have it, Rob and I were randomly scheduled to be in Chicago at the same time in December of 2020. I was blessed to meet up with him at Rax Trax studio; he and Nick Tremulis were recording Nick's fabulous record "Rarified World".
I was inspired. Started writing. Started praying. Started to think big. I would need a great band for the record I was hearing in my head; and man, did they show up!! A wonderful bunch of merry minstrels...we hit the studio at the end of January of 2022. Then Rob and I went out to L.A. to get Blondie on the record. How fun was that?! Now one last stop in Chicago for the finishing touches... including adding Ivan Neville's rockin' magic.
RELEASED JANUARY 30th, 2023!