PRHMUSIC & ART
FAT CITY REPRISE
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ by BOB WAGNER
P
hiladelphia has a rich and well-documented musical heritage that has played a prominent role in developing popular music through the years. Casual music lovers tend to focus solely on the eras of American Bandstand and Philly International as the high points of the Philadelphia music scene. On the surface, it’s easy to agree with that assessment. However, there is a simple formula for Philadelphia’s musical influence on the world. It always has and always will come down to the talent that this diverse city has brought forth. The latest of these talented Philly citizens making a name for themselves in the music business is the group Fat City Reprise. They recently sat down with PRH to discuss their memories, career and dreams. PRH) How long has the band been together? FCR) This current line-up has been playing together for almost four years. There were a few incarnations of the band prior to this but we didn’t really hit our stride until our current line-up.
PRH) Who are the current members? FCR) Frankie Pedano: Lead Vocals, Keys; Nick Anastasi: Guitars; Mike Vivas: Bass, Background Vocals and Jay Miraglia: Drums PRH) When did the band move out to L.A.? Mike) We moved to Los Angeles last September (2008) after our February 2008 West Coast tour turned out to be successful. Frankie) We were received really well at every place that we played. After that tour,
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we spent April - August 2008 recording for our upcoming release ‘Pirate Radio’ and then made our move. PRH) How has the move benefited your career? Jay) Out here, we are exposed to a world of opportunities that are exclusive to Los Angeles. We’ve played shows to audiences that have included Dave Grohl and Mike Inez. Business is more personal out here. The industry people are more open to give you a chance and listen to your band. Nick) Being in the epicenter of the entertainment industry can’t be a bad thing. There are a million licensing, publishing and tour support opportunities in every venue. PRH) What is the biggest difference between the L.A. and Philly Music scenes? Mike: Out here, there are a thousand rock clubs. In just one block, you can find the Roxy, the Rainbow, the Whisky A Go-Go, the Viper Room, Key Club and the Cat Club. The House of Blues is right down the street. Jay: Also, the huge number of bands and musicians migrating to LA every day creates a really competitive environment. It’s less like the Philly scene where all of the musicians are part of a huge unspoken family that includes all of the Philly music scenes. PRH) What is the band’s most memorable gig? Frankie) We opened for the Flaming Lips who are one of my favorite bands. Wayne Coyne is a big inspiration and to open for them was a dream come true. Jay) We played after a Phantoms game at the Spectrum awhile ago and they brought
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us out on the back of a truck to do the show from center ice. While the crew was setting up, we got to stand on the blue line where the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup and also beat the Russians. It was just awesome. Mike) I’ll go with the time that we opened for the Roots at their pre-Grammy party at the Key Club in LA. We shared the stage with the Roots, Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Seal, Travis Barker and a bunch of other people. The Roots tore the stage up and we had all access passes so we were backstage talking to everyone. PRH) What is the band working on now? Mike) We’ve been doing a lot of writing. We just got done mixing and mastering our upcoming album ‘Pirate Radio’ and are getting ready for the tour to support the album. Nick: We wrote some music for the serialized web comic Black Cherry Bombshells recently. We also recorded reggae versions of some Black Sabbath songs with Chuck Treece for a project of his called Dub Sabbath. We’ve been working with Skate Sauce, JSLV and SK8MAFIA, three awesome skate companies that we have apparel sponsorships with. PRH) What does the future hold for Fat City? Frankie) The new album is coming soon. We will be spending a lot of 2010 touring and then we’ll be back in the studio so we can get back out on the road again in 2011. Nick) In the words of the Wu-Tang, we’re trying to make a business out of this. We’re not trying to hop in and hop out. Our goal is longevity. 6