By Rob Nagy
It has been more than three decades since Philadelphia guitar legend Rick DiFonzo first strapped on a guitar. Gaining local and national fame as the guitarist for the home grown A’s as well as a variety of music legends to follow, DiFonzo’s guitar prowess and imposing presence on stage only added to his notoriety. With an impressive track record of appearances on numerous recordings as well as TV and radio jingles, DiFonzo is opening up yet another chapter in his storied career as he independently releases his solo debut “Bright Shiny Pop”.
DiFonzo, a native of the Frankford section of Philadelphia, played in a variety of local bands before becoming a founding member of the A’s in 1977. It took two years for the A’s to hone their skills playing the bar scene throughout Philadelphia and South Jersey before landing a major record contract with Arista Records. Their self-titled debut garnered attention through-out the region as well as pockets around the U.S. Their follow-up and first full length album “Women’s Got the Power” had the songwriting and energy to back up this now emerging act but the record buying public did not agree as sales proved to be disappointing for the band and the label. Live shows proved otherwise as the A’s packed clubs and bars wherever they performed. While headlining their own shows, playing anywhere that would have them, they became a highly visible opening act for bands like U2, the Kinks, the Talking Heads and Cheap Trick. But while the A’s were building a following, a frustrated Arista Records, who had spent a small fortune recording and promoting the band, grew impatient with lackluster record sales dropping the band two years after signing them. Without the backing of a major label the A’s independently released their final album “Four Dances” in 1982. One year later the A’s called in quits. DiFonzo soon embarked on a new career recording and touring with Patty Smyth (Scandel), Roger Waters(Pink Floyd), Cy Curnin(The Fixx) Joan Osborne and Cyndi Lauper. DiFonzo also ventured into the world of TV writing for TV commercials. Having worked with Roger Waters on his “Amused to Death” album in 1990, Waters enlisted DiFonzo to play guitar at the legendary “Wall” concert in Berlin, Germany celebrating the dismantling of the actual wall that divided both East and West Berlin for more than forty years. This concert was the largest live concert production ever put on with DiFonzo front and center during Waters live performance of the classic Pink Floyd album “The Wall”. It was an experience DiFonzo will never forget. “It was the moment of a lifetime”, recalls DiFonzo. “The first solo “Comfortably Numb”, maybe three quarters of the way through the show, nobody realized there was a platform at the top of the wall and all of a sudden I had 40 seconds to get from my previous cue to get up there and plugged into the amp rig that was up there and stand there and wait for my cue. I was hit with spotlights from every direction and 500,000 people screamed. It was indescribable. I was really trying to do my best to stay calm. I will remember it until I’m 60.” By the early nineties DiFonzo had set-up a recording studio out of his North Jersey home continuing to write and record music with a variety of artists, as well as a stint in a New York studio handling the duties as a composer, producer and engineer. In 2000 founded Discrete Drums, an on-line source of a variety of drumming recordings, followed by the creation of DiFonzo Production Music Library and istudio.net, making drummers available via the internet to record whatever drumming styles a recording artist would require without having to go to the expense of producing in their own studio. DiFonzo was the first to launch such an original and unique concept which others have since followed suit. In November 2007 the A’s returned to the concert stage to play two sold out Thanksgiving week shows at the Electric Factory, along with the Hooters. This was an historic event on a local level with this being the first time the A’s played live since splitting up in 1983. “It was a special night”, recalls DiFonzo. “In a lot of ways it was more special than bigger shows I’ve done in bigger venues and with bigger bands. It wasn’t being a hired gun in a situation where I was sort of just singing and playing it was something I was a big part of and it was my guys. Guys I grew up with all my life. It was a lot more special doing something like that than almost everything else I’ve done.” It was on the heels of these shows that DiFonzo realized just how much he missed playing to an audience. “As soon as I got that call the wheels started to turn” says DiFonzo. “I already had some songs written but I thought ‘Maybe I’ll put a band together on my own’. It became more and more realistic. When we played the A’s shows I thought ‘Ya, I had to do this, we’re going to make this happen.’” In a matter of months DiFonzo assembled “The Rick DiFonzo Band” which includes Joe Horsey on guitar, Kevin Joy on Bass and his old A’s band mate and friend Mikey Snyder on drums. DiFonzo began rehearsals with his new band in March while he continued to write and record “Bright Shiny Pop”, an EP collection of five original compositions due to be released this week. In the end DiFonzo has come away with a solid body of work showcasing his songwriting abilities and great guitar work. Of the five tracks there is not a weak song on the CD which includes “Better Then Goodbye”, “When the Rain Comes”, “Long and Lonely Road”, “Hate and Love” and “Mr. Wonderful”. “This promotional EP is more heavily into the crunchy heavy power pop kind of things for radio” says DiFonzo. “There are a couple of folk rock songs and a couple real jangly British pop kinds of things. I’ve always loved the British jangly guitar sounds so you’ll hear a lot of different influences on this record.” In an effort to build on his creative momentum, DiFonzo and his band have already started work on their first full length CD entitled “instruMENTAL” due for a fall 2008 release. “This will be a guitar driven instrumental record” says DiFonzo, “consisting of very diverse and very musical pieces. Although there is a little flash here and there, the focus is on melody, mood and musicality.” While DiFonzo wants to create a buzz with his studio releases the bigger focus is on the live show and the message he wants to convey to his audience. “I want people to be energized. I want them to walk out and say ‘Wow’. Some of the stuff is generally pretty poppy but we finish really big. I want people to be happy, uplifted, energized, and in a mood to go download my music and definitely come see us again or say ‘Oh my god I have to see that band again.’”
The Rick DiFonzo band recently made their debut at Mojo in Wilmington, DE. Performing all the songs off “Bright Shiny Pop” as well cover songs and originals that did not make the CD. The band drew a respectable crowd of appreciative fans many of whom have followed DiFonzo since his days as a member of the A’s. Look for the band to return to the area on July 25 when they play the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. To purchase tickets go to www.tinangel.com For more info on Rick DiFonzo go to www.rickdifonzo.com or www.myspace.com/rickdifonzo
Photo by Rob Nagy
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