[Harp-L] Starting my own band

[Mike Fugazzi <mfugazzi67@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hey Guys,

In the last year, my music career has taken a lot of twists and turns.  It has had very high highs and very low lows.  I am by no means a full-time musician, but I have been able to average 4-8 gigs a month mostly playing what I am really into.  A lot of them have been on sweet stages with great crowd reaction...but quite a few were crumby bar gigs too...lol.

I've been a part of a group called NiteRail for four years now.  We where on about a nine month hiatus and then came back with a different setlist and a booker/manager who is a "big deal" in the area.  Well, recently it has gone south and I've grown tired of fighting the fight.  We love playing together, but the business end has been very complicated.

So I've decided to do my own solo project.  It sounds like the bass and drums from NR are going to back me and I have a few guitar players to audition (one I can use for sure), but it'll be "my" band.  I think in this instance a dictatorship will work better than a democracy (a nice dictatorship).  Here's a set of stuff we're doing.  These are all songs we'll play as a full band and as a duo (hence some of them being acoustic/duo friendly).

I Wish I Knew – Derek Trucks Band
Chevrolet – Taj Mahal
Death Letter – Son House
It Hurts Me Too – Trad.
Soul of a Man – Derek Trucks Band version
Help Me – NiteRail version
They Wore Blue – Otis Taylor
Melissa – Allman Brothers
I am Yours – Derek and the Dominos
Layla – Derek and the Dominos
The Joker - The Steve Miller Band
Revival – the Allman Brothers
Under My Thumb – Rolling Stones
All Along The Watchtower – Bob Dylan

This first group of songs is pretty blues heavy and mellow by my standards, but the plan is to turn it into more of a throw back band incluenced by Clapton, the Allmans, Stones, etc.  I also have stuff by younger bands like the Black Crowes and John Mayer.  Three of us are under 30 and we want to put on a "music first" show for the 21-35 crowd.  I think having the harmonica in the lead role playing the role of lead guitar will be pretty cool.  Kinda like Blues Traveler without so many notes!  It will also be important for us to rock extra hard.  I know a few from this list personally and they know that while I can do the blues thing, I like to stretch out quite a bit (Derek Trucks is my harmonica king for example).

I have experience from NR doing all the business end, but this time the only person I'll need to answer to is myself.  I won't make a lot of money, or probably get back up to 8 gigs a month, but hopefully I can get out there and turn some heads.  People need to learn that harmonica isn't a toy!!!

In terms of harp, I am hoping to get into a lot more playing outside of 2nd and 3rd position.  There are a lot of blues harp players in really great bands around here, but nobody doing the rock thing.  The material on Harp-l has been absolutely insturmental to my progress as a musician.  Thank you guys so much.  I am a little nervous about having to sell my name to clubs, but I think I'll be alright.

Keep the great recordings and vids coming.  They have been very inspirational.  I also love that people will actually talk theory on this board.  That has been very helpful.  The gear talk is always fun too.



Mike Fugazzi

Harmonica/Vocals

http://www.myspace.com/niterailband

http://www.myspace.com/mikefugazzi





"Music should be healing; music should uplift the soul; music should inspire. There is no better way of getting closer to God, of rising higher towards the spirit, of attaining spiritual perfection than music, if only it is rightly understood."

-Hazrat Inayat Khan