Alice Cooper, The Sweet, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, MC5, Silverhead, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, Mott the Hoople, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick, Sex Pistols, Gary Glitter, Screaming Lord Sutch, Alice Cooper, Arthur Brown, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, Silverhead, Tommy James, Led Zeppelin, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, Tommy Roe, Grand Funk Railroad, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick, the Clash, Alice Cooper, the Who, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, Silverhead, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick,Alice Cooper, Little Richard, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, Silverhead, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Stooges, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, Lords of the New Church, Silverhead, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick,Alice Cooper, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, the Scorpions, Silverhead, Jimi Hendrix, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, The Beatles, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Ramones, David Bowie & Mick Ronson, Dead Boys, Silverhead, Tommy James, Bon Scott & AC/DC, Stooges, Johnny Thunders, Cheap Trick...
The Sandbar in Jefferson Valley came alive Saturday June 13 as local madman Dino Fregosi, backed by the Philly boys known as the Missiles, kicked out the jams!
Fregosi made a name for himself fronting a number of successful rock & punk bands in the eighties, which wasn’t so easy. Back then there were plenty of rock clubs to play, but also plenty of competition. Almost any night of the week you could get out and see blistering hot bands like St. John, D.C. Star, T.T. Quick, White Slave, Southern Cross and the unforgettable Tommy V. Of course, the drinking age was only 18, so rooms like Gemini 2, Briar Patch and Rising Sun were packed with denim and leather clad teenagers who always had one fist wrapped around a beer bottle while thrusting the other one up in the air, shouting out their favorite rock slogans.
But whether it was with Dino and the Hostages, Dino and the Detonators, Dino and the Maniacs or Dino and the Mad Dogs, there was no keeping this bad boy down. Music supply mogul Ed Roman writes on his web site, “I used to drive this motorcycle into the club, down a couple stairs and onto the dance floor with Dino Fregosi standing on the back seat to open one of his wild shows”. Dino’s popularity continued to grow as he periodically teamed up with axeman Richie Scarlet during Scarlet’s breaks from the Ace Frehley band, but Fregosi really became a ‘must see’ sensation in the nineties when he toured relentlessly fronting the Alice Cooper tribute, Nightmare.
Playing the best venues from Baltimore to Boston, each Nightmare show began with Fregosi and his chainsaw nailed inside a plywood coffin. As the lights flooded the stage and music started, Fregosi would crank up the chainsaw and cut his way out to the roar of the crowd. Other Nightmare antics included traditional Cooper hangings, beheadings, live snakes and the occasional feigned sex acts with a mannequin or blow up doll.
No words, no photographs, no studio recordings could accurately portray what it’s like to watch Fregosi on stage. You could compare him to Bon Scott, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper or Stiv Bators, but still you wouldn’t be doing him justice. His innate ability to improvise allows him to successfully take control of any room and use just about anything, or anyone, as a prop. So consider yourself warned! He will roll around on your pool table, he will swing from your ceiling fans and he may run out into the street with his wireless microphone, only to come crashing back through your doors wearing a shopping from the parking lot! No boundaries, no rules. That’s rock & roll! That’s Fregosi!
When the rising drinking age removed enthusiastic teen spirit from the club scene and MTV destroyed the magic and thrill of going out to experience live rock, many of the New York headliners started to fade. Fregosi also faced his own demons and experienced a number of personal set backs that kept him from crossing over into the national arena.
Through it all, Fregosi remained good friends with the Missiles and when he wasn’t playing with his own band du jour in New York, Dino would travel to Philly to guest star with them. Last year, Dino brought the Missiles north for a rare appearance at the Front Row. The show was such a success, that popular demand dictated they had to return, and last month they did for two great sets at the Sandbar.
Playing the best of AC/DC, Sweet, Cheap Trick, T. Rex and Bowie, Fregosi also continues to put his own spin on classics from Zeppelin, the Stones and Humble Pie. Although the band took a break from playing any of Fregosi’s original material this night, perhaps an Ebay search will find you a copy of the Hostages EP (Horrorshow Records, 1983) featuring four original songs written by Fregosi and company or a copy of the ‘Always the Same’ 45 (Riviera Records 1984) featuring Fregosi, Scarlet, Fisher & Lomax. Despite rumors regarding the release of a career retrospective CD, Fregosi had no comment on any such project and nothing to say about a long overdue Hostages reunion show.
Rock bands will come and rock bands will go, but around these parts, I think it’s safe to say Dino will go on forever. However, it is rather hard to tell when or where he’s going to appear next. To date, Fregosi has no web site, no e-list, no hats or tee shirts for sale and you won’t see him on YouTube. It’s just an old school fan base of disciples that has kept Dino in demand for more than 25 years. Long Live Rock! Long Live Dino!
Crank up the volume 'cause tonight we're gonna party like it's 1988!
Wasted Angel wishes you a Rockin' Halloween! Top off your candy corn induced sugar coma by checking out Wasted Angel's new song - "Sloane Road Kids"! It's good old school rock and roll just when we need it!
THE BEST PUNK ROCK HALLOWEEN SHOW/COSTUME PARTY AROUND IS @POPEYES PUB IN PEEKSKILL,NY 10/24!!!
THATS RIGHT YOU PUNK MUTHA FUCKAZZZ!!!! THE CASUALTIES LOVED THE LAST SHOW SO MUCH (THANX TO ALL THE PUNX WHO SUPPORT MY SHOWS) THAT THEY ARE RETURNING ON OCTOBER 24TH TO TEAR DOWN THE WALLS @ POPEYES ONCE AGAIN!! THIS TIME WITH OLD SCHOOL NYC PUNK HEROS...."THE KRAYS" & MARK UNSEEN's (VOCALIST FOR PUNK GIANTS "THE UNSEEN") OTHER BAND "ASHERS"!!! FUCKING AMAZING!!! THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE HUGE!!! DONT MISS IT! ONLY 50 MIN FROM NYC, 35 FROM POUGHKEEPSIE,NY or DANBURY, CT!
TRUE METALHEADS GET READY FOR THIS ONE!!! LOU-KEMIA LABS IS VERY PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT CENTURY MEDIA RECORDING ARTISTS / LEGENDARY DEATH METAL GIANTS "VITAL REMAINS" ALONG WITH METALBLADE RECORDING ARTISTS / SKULL CRUSHERS "GOATWHORE" FROM NEW ORLEANS WILL BE COMING TO POPEYES PUB FOR A 1 TIME, PRIVATE!, EXCLUSIVE!!!, MONDAY NIGHT PERFORMANCE on OCTOBER 26TH! THIS IS A VERY, VERY RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO GET TO SEE THESE TWO METAL GIANTS PERFORM TOGETHER IN SUCH AN UP CLOSE AND INTIMATE SETTING LIKE POPEYES PUB! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS WILL YOU EVER BE ABLE TO SEE SUCH A PERFORMANCE ON SUCH A PERSONAL LEVEL BY TWO METAL GIANTS LIKE THESE. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE DOUBT ABOUT IT! IT IS GOING TO BE A SPECIAL SHOW FOR TRUE METAL HEADS EVERYWHERE IN THE AREA! A HISTORIC SHOW FOR THE PUB AND ONLY LOU-KEMIA LABS CAN BRING IT!!! REAL METALHEADS WILL SHOW US THEIR STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!!! TRUE DEVOTEES TO THE BLACK HORNS WILL BE HERE TO SHOW RESPECT TO THESE BANDS FOR COMING OUT TO PLAY THIS 1 TIME EXCLUSIVE SHOW JUST FOR YOU. YOU SERIOUSLY DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EPIC EVENT! IT'S GONNA BE IN FUCKING SAAAANNNNNEEEEE!!!!!
REPOST THE SHIT OUT OF THIS FOR JIMMY G of MURPHYS LAW PEOPLE!!!
LOU-KEMIA IS BACK! THIS TIME BRINGING YOU ONE OF WESTCHESTER, NY'S BEST PUNK / SKA SHOWS IN DECADES NO QUESTION!!! YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS SHOW! IT'S GONNA BE PACKED OUT THE ASS WITH 100% FUN TIMES GUARANTEED!!! THS SHOW WILL BENEFIT NYC PUNK ICON AND BROTHER JIMMY G OF THE LEGENDARY MURPHYS LAW! PROCEEDS WILL GO TO SUPPORTING HIS LEGAL DEFENSE FUND! JIMMY IS IN A TIGHT SITUATION AND NEEDS OUR HELP! AFTER ALL THE GREAT MUSIC AND GOOD TIMES HE'S GIVEN TO US OVER THE YEARS.....WE OWE IT TO HIM! IF YOU'RE A PUNK THEN YOU SHOULD BE THERE AT POPEYES PUB ON SEPT 18TH! ONLY 50 MIN FROM NYC or 35 MIN FROM DANBURY CT! NO EXCUSES!! MURPHY'S LAW IS THE BIGGEST PUNK PARTY BAND IN THE WORLD! WITH THAT SAID...THIS IS GONNA BE THE CLOSING OF THE SUMMER PARTY OF THE YEAR WITHOUT A DOUBT! DON'T MISS IT!
Dino, Please spread the word about the benefit for Billy Lomax on Sunday April 19th, 300 to 700pm at the FOP hall on Springgarden Street in Philly. Contact Debbie Fisher for details. Thanks, Greg
