Stefano Frollano - acoustic and electric guitars, lap steel guitar, harmonica & vocals
Influences
Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, West Coast Sound, Americana, British Pop-Rock, Jackson Browne, Eagles, Andrew Gold, America, Marshall Tucker Band, Allman Brothers Band, Billy Gibbons, Roy Buchanan, Nils Lofgren, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, David Sylvian, David Bowie, Mike Bloomfield, Poco, Bruce Springsteen, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, This Mortal Coil, Tom Petty, Dan Fogelberg, Rolling Stones, Beatles, The Hollies, Japan, The Smiths, Joy Division, Gene Clark, Jeff Buckley.
STEFANO FROLLANO was born in Rome on 26th July 1962. He began playing classical guitar at the age of 13 and after two years left school to devote his time to rock music. He first performed in public on 24th April 1978.
Following his first teenage band called Simbiosi, in 1983 he started playing at the same time with both Karma, a Roman Sixties Revival Group as well as a rock-cover blues group Skydog (Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, SRV,R.Cray, Dire Straits, N.Young etc.).
With Karma concerts were mainly staged in the summer, peaking between 1989 and 1993 with more than 250 dates. This group then had three tracks included in a Kyan Records compilation called "Sotto La Cresta dell'Onda" issued in 1992.
With Skydog he has a CD of the same name under his belt which came out in 1996 with one of its tracks included in a Sony Music anthology dedicated to the blues in Italy. A track written also by Frollano, "Drifting Mine", in 1997 became the opening signature tune for the tv programme "Medicina non solo".
Frollano has to his credit played with other Italian musicians including vocalist Andrea Satta and pianist Angelo Pelini (who founded the Tetes de Bois in the early 90s) in the group called Charleston; moreover he was the opening act for concerts of U.S. Singer-songwriters (Joe Henry) and sang and played live with Crosby, Stills and Nash in 1992.
His love for West Coast music led him in the mid 80s to found the Blue Flares, a group in which, among others, also played Joe Slomp (vocalist and keyboard), Marco Martella (vocalist and writer of lyrics for some of Frollanos songs) and Francesco Lucarelli (guitar and vocalist). With Lucarelli, he performed on a host of occasions in Rome clubs.
After having left Skydog and Karma in 1997, Frollano founded The Wave together with Romanian drummer Sorin Piciorea, guitarist Roberto Pezzuoli (ex-Redwood) and Pino Casale on bass (ex-Skydog). The four-man band after having cut a demo-tape, found success in Romania, where they feature weekly in various national newspapers. Their music is also regularily broadcast on Romanian National Radio.
Following also the break-up of The Wave, along with Roberto Pezzuoli and Francesca Fagioli, in 1999 he set up The Merli Rossi, an all-acoustic cover band. He moreover worked, together with composer and producer Tony Carnevale, with psychiatric Massimo Fagioli to cut a number of tracks which are to be included in some videos and in the 2002 DVD Film "La psichiatria esiste?".
Furthermore, along with the actress Emma Marconcini, a product of the Gigi Proietti workshop, he has played in a series of theatres, presenting Giuseppe Lago's book "Sogni da Navigare". He is also working, once again with Marconcini, following a string of successful performances in cultural circles, on putting a soundtrack to Nazim Hikmet's poems, which are recited by the actress herself.
As well as actually playing music, Frollano has also worked for some private radio stations in Rome (Radio Macondo, Radio Blu, Radio Centro Musica and TRC); written numerous articles and reports for the musical press (Jam, Raro, Ciao 2001, Satisfaction, Mucchio Selvaggio). He penned for the Arcana Publishing House an essay on Neil Young and for Gopher Publications, a Dutch publisher, he printed a three-volume encylopaedia on Crosby Stills Nash and Young in September 2002.
In 2002, with the Capital Soul Band, along with his old friends Joe Slomp and Giulio De Iacovo, he embarked on another musical soul-funky adventure, becoming the guitarist for one the rare tribute-bands in the world of Tower Of Power, a legendary horn-driven funk outfit.
At the same time he also continued to pursue his musical career through 2003. Young & Old was in fact the other group set up together with Pezzuoli. It is the Italian Neil Young tribute band.
Meanwhile in Romania , two tracks by the old 1998 Group The Wave are released by a local label as part of an anthology dedicated to the old Romanian Band Trafic.
Frollano also played the electric guitar and lap steel guitar on solo artist Andrea Luciani's debut disc.
From March 2005 he then started performing with the band Déjà Vu, playing David Crosbys music.
Frollano organised and starred in Neil Young Day, which was held in Jailbreak in Rome on November 20th, 2005. He has played with Young & Old band and played lap steel guitar on several of Billy Talbot's numbers, the celebrated Crazy Horse bassist, who was the evening's special guest. Young & Old will tour clubs on next season.
Frollano has just released (but no label - it's a do it yourself production) his own first solo cd. He 's looking for a label. Among those who have so far played in the recordings, which were made in both Italy and the United States, are Jeff Pevar (guitar, lap steel, mandolin, currently with CPR and previously with Ray Charles, Rickie Lee Jones, Crosby and Nash, Joe Cocker, Marc Cohn, CSN and several others), James Raymond from CPR and CSN bands ..boards, while Italian guests include Ada Montellanico (unique jazz singer/song writer), Marco Vannozzi (former bass guitar player with Strada Aperta and Antonello Venditti), Marco Campanari (bass player with Latte e I Suoi Derivati), Stefano Baldasseroni (former drummer on a several italian artists), Ruggero Artale from World Percussion (percussionist), Francesco Lo Cascio on vibraphone, Walter Detond on drums from Roberto Ciotti Blues Band. Other female singers appearing on these tracks are Gabriella Paravati (outstanding performer of a number of Italian singer/songwriter works, live and in the studio) Francesca Mora who today plays ..board and sings with Waterfall, an Italian West Coast music cover group and Francesca Fagioli with her own celestial voice.
Moreover, Stefano has just released on October 2006 a new book on Neil Young with Coniglio Editore and on February 2007 released a book about Crosby Stills and Nash co-wrote with Salvatore Esposito. For info write to : sf@stefanofrollano.com
Stefano started to record the new album at the end of April 2008: unreleased nine new songs and a cover.
The brand new song "Your Eyes" written by Stefano has been released on the new dvd "Uomo-Donna è Verità Umana" and produced by Amore e Psiche bookshop.
MERCOLEDI24SETT.h17.30IN PALAZZO PRIMAVERA(via giordano bruno,terni)INAUGURAZIONE FESTIVAL TEATRO CONTEMPORANEO CON PERFORMANCE LIVE DEGLI 'OSSI DI SEPPIA'. buona giornata,mitico!
CIAO STEVE...COME VAI??? TI STAI SFIZIANDO CON LA NEW ENTRY SCOMMETTO!!! IO STO CERCANDO DI SPINGERE UN CONCERTO IN ONORE DEI NOSTRI AMATI CSNY... VEDRAI CHE LA SPUNTO COME DICE IL PROVERBIO TWO FIREBIRD IS MEGL CHE ONE :) MI FARO' SENTIRE IL PRIMA POSSIBILE!!! UN ABBRACCIO!!!
Hi Grande!!!! graces x honorable add to have you among my friends I hope that my music both of your pleasure that I/you/he/she think 6 of it it is affectionately a remix 1982 Roberto
