Thank you for your support over the past year. Red Dog Blues album has taken me across the country in 2007 ending with the Labor of Love Tour on the West coast this November.
In February and March of 2008 I will be touring the South featuring the Folk Alliance Convention in Memphis, TN. In April I will be going to Europe where I will be a part of the Blue Highway Festival in Holland and then a tour of the UK. A tour of the Midwest is planned for June.
I did more cooking and singing shows in 2007 and if you would like to book one or like more information about them please contact Laura Thomas at Combo Plate Booking 512 423-7667. I'll be at the Central Market Cooking School in Austin doing a show on May 14.
Piano Hour shows are still going on from 6:30 to 7:30 at Flipnotics at the Triangle in Austin all through January on Wednesdays www.flipnotics.com.
Peace & Happy New Year,
Michael
CDBABY LINK for
MICHAEL FRACASSO
RED DOG BLUES
CD REVIEWS
MICHAEL FRACASSO
RED DOG BLUES
TEXAS MONTHLY MAY 2007
Previews+Reviews: Music www.texasmonthly.com
by JEFF McCORD
He’s blessed with a tenor voice of extraordinary range, which often earns him comparisons to Gene Pitney or Roy Orbison. MICHAEL
FRACASSO is a disciplined singer-songwriter who has flirted with pop, rock, folk, country, and blues, dragging them all into his
casserole of American music. As a soft-spoken man, he’s also known for making sweet music; that he writes achingly earnest love
songs does little to weaken that reputation. A few of those appear on his latest, RED DOG BLUES (self-released, available at
michaelfracasso.com), but there’s also more-determined fare; the Austinite’s angelic voice belies the discontent and pain in his
work. “There Goes the Neighborhood” is vintage Fracasso—traditional song structure with a soaring chorus—and a seemingly
simple tale of myopic fear and hatred that translates on a global scale. “Stone’s Throw,” with its diminished chords and full-on
production, makes for an arresting pop opener, while the oddly themed title track and “Hurricane,” both set to piano shuffles, also
stand out. As for the centerpiece, a moving seven-minute acoustic Civil War ballad titled “Red White and Blue,” let’s just say it’s
probably not bound for Toby Keith’s songbook anytime soon
He's a folkie badass.
TERRY SAWYER, POPMATTERS
Michael Fracasso has the heart-melting potential of Gene Pitney or Don Everly ... his voice remains a marvelous instrument throughout.
DON MCLEESE, ROLLING STONE
Michael Fracasso is indubitably one of the greatest singer/songwriters from the United States yet to break out of his regional fan base.
PAUL E COMEAU, DIRTY LINEN
This terrific fifth release (A Pocketful of Rain) from Michael Fracasso shines from the great new batch of tunes hes written.
MILES OF MUSIC
Michael Fracasso has an extraordinary voice, a bright, high tenor that can drive a song or float through it.
DAVE MARSH, THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE (COVER STORY)
On his new album, A Pocketful of Rain, he often sounds like Phil Everly and has written several songs worthy of Boudleaux Bryant, author of the Everly Brothers biggest hits.
GEOFFREY HIMES, THE WASHINGTON POST
Michael Fracasso, one of Americas songwriting geniuses.
SAN LUIS OBISPO METRO TIMES
In a city renowned for its original music, Michael Fracasso has distinguished himself as an artist of uncommon brilliance.
ROBERT FRASER, TEXAS MONTHLY
No other artist playing the folk/rock circuit today comes as close to really putting all the great strains of American music into such a cohesive package.
GREG JOHNSON, OKLAHOMA GAZETTE
His sweetly tremulous tenor voice has been likened to that of Roy Orbison In concert, Fracasso's deceptively keening, vulnerable voice, introspective subject matter (one critic likened him to Chris Isaak with a Texas touch) and occasional jazz inflections are all a far cry from the rough-hewn template of the stereotyped Texas singer-songwriter.
JOHN T. DAVIS, AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Born of Italian immigrant parents, MICHAEL FRACASSO grew up in MINGO JUNCTION, a steel-mill town in OHIO. His father worked in the mill. Michael learned about music listening to AM RADIO and at the COUNTRY MUSIC JAMBOREE in Wheeling, W. Va., twenty miles down The Ohio River. Michael worked summers in the steel mill and for college, first went to OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY in Columbus, and then to WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY in Pullman. Finally, taking a circuitous route, he made it to NEW YORK CITY, where he learned the art of SONGWRITING.
In NEW YORK, Michael went straight to the CORNELIA STREET CAF.. in GREENWICH VILLAGE where a songwriter exchange was held each Monday night. In the audience and on stage were some of New York's best songwriters of the new folk scene: Suzanne Vega, The Roches, Mark Johnson, and Steve Forbert.
Michael says that To get up in that small cafe was intimidating, but the exhilaration of playing is what kept me going. While in New York, a reviewer in VARIETY once described his songs as having a "RUSTIC SOUND WITH A CITY SENSIBILITY".
In 1990, Michael moved to AUSTIN, TEXAS with everything that would fit in the back of his Volkswagen Rabbit, mostly guitars. He found his equivalent in Austin's rich musical heritage and the help of CHARLIE SEXTON and other talented musicians and friends.
Michael has recorded SIX ALBUMS - A POCKET FULL OF RAIN - RETROSPECTIVE - BACK TO OKLAHOMA - WORLD IN A DROP OF WATER - WHEN I LIVED IN THE WILD - LOVE AND TRUST. He has also TOURED NATIONALLY with PATTY GRIFFIN, LUCINDA WILLIAMS, and JAMES McMURTRY among others.
Michael has just completed his SEVENTH ALBUM, RED DOG BLUES, with the help of producer DAVID HAMBURGER. His high lonesome tenor that has been compared to that of legendary singers and his songs have been recorded by many artists.
Excerpt from the print edition of
DIRTY LINEN no. 130 June/July 2007 www.dirtylinen.com
by ANNETTE C. ESHLEMAN
Even Austin, Texas, gets chilly in early January. Conducting an interview outdoors may not have been such a wise idea.
But with a heater glowing nearby, outdoor seating at a popular South Austin caf.. was comfortable. Over a cup of hot
tea, Michael Fracasso talked about his childhood, music career, songwriting, and a brand new album. All the while, his
dog waited patiently nearby.
When he is not on the road, Michael Fracasso is a stay-at-home dad who cooks dinner and picks up the kids from school.
A traditional dinner hour then becomes the focal point of the Fracasso family's day. "I try to keep that tradition
going," he said. "I grew up with a family that sat down and ate at the dinner table, and I try to keep that going. It's
probably the most important aspect of our family life." And, he added with satisfaction, "The kids like it." He and his
wife, Paula, have two young children.
Fracasso grew up in Mingo Junction, Ohio, the small steel-mill town located along the Ohio River that served as
location for the 1978 movie The Deer Hunter. His parents later moved the family a few miles north to Steubenville,
Ohio, a bigger town than Mingo Junction, yet still largely dependent upon the steel mill for survival. Fracasso's
father worked in the mill, and Michael eventually found employment there as well, working summers during his college
years.
"I did not like working there," Fracasso declared emphatically. "I remember the first day I got there, they put me on a
crew called the Labor Gang. I had to wear a rubber suit and go down into a grease pit, in the middle of summer," he
said, wincing at the memory. "They put me in the blast furnace after that, which was even worse," he recalled, noting
that seasonal workers usually received the least desirable assignments.
Although Fracasso remembers his employment at the steel mill with a degree of scorn, he also appreciates the harsh
beauty of that way of life. He added, "Sometimes when I'm driving and I'm back in that area, sometimes something inside
me…"
Searching for words, he continued with an element of nostalgia in his voice, "I liked the anonymity of that kind of
work, the invisible-ness of it, and being able to observe things that were completely foreign to me," he said. "I do
have a fondness for industrial settings. I think they're beautiful, in a way."
Fracasso's parents, Italian immigrants, spoke Italian at home, and he considers himself to be moderately proficient in
the language. He and his two sisters grew up in a close family, surrounded by tradition and with a close connection to
their heritage. He attended Catholic school and later went to college, earning a degree in environmental science. All
along, however, music remained his passion.
Even as a child, Fracasso was creating music. "I remember writing a song as a little boy, just off the top of my head
while we were playing a game," he reminisced. "I don't remember the song, but I remember the feeling of, 'Wow, those
words just all came out of me… they just came out!' At the time I was probably 8 or 9, and I remember doing it, and I
remember the experience of how it felt."
"When I was in eighth grade," Fracasso continued, "I discovered folk music." He was captivated, and he convinced his
father to buy him a folk guitar. Soon he began to take lessons. He wrote songs constantly throughout his school years
and performed at local coffeehouses.
Finally, at the age of 26, Fracasso made the decision to move to New York City to pursue a career as a musician. "Ever
since I bought a Bob Dylan record, I felt like I wanted to move to New York," he said. "It just struck a chord in me…
there was something about it that was, you know, the whole poet on the street. It made a big impact on me… musically,
as well.
For further information, please visit
MICHAEL FRACASSO'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE www.michaelfracasso.com
Hey Michael, on April 1st our record "Strange Invitation" is released nationally! We have an instore at Waterloo on April 1 @ 5pm, and the record release party is at Threadgills South on April 4. Hope you can make it out!
wonderfull music, hope to see you at the pre-party of the blue highwayfestival in Utrecht? Would love to see you jamm with the other artist the evening before and hope you'll get more gigs up here! greetings from Amsterdam
Just was listening to one of your CDs, trying to figure out the chords to cover one of your songs, and just wanted to say HI FROM MEMPHIS. Hope you are doing well and hope to see you again down the road!
sorry the turn our for the Santa Cruz show wasn't better. You need to do the KPIG live music show on Sunday morning before your next show! I've written a blog and posted some pictures from the show if you care to check it out.
Hi! Thanks for the add and for the nice songs you write ...btw they told me you are a good cook...well it's one of my passions too :) Let's keep in touch Gerry
thanks for the add.i do love and trust in my live show.can i send you a recording of it?when are you coming to atlanta?i split the bill at eddies attic with david olney and eric taylor sometimes and would love to do a show with you if you get anywhere nearby.my music isn't on my site yet but you can go to richardbicknell.com.thanks.rb
Hi Michael: SoBummed I couldn't quite get to CorneliaSpace the other night but happy to meet up and BeFriends in OurRespectiveSpaces here. BTW, you and your tunes sound better than ever. SafeTravels--iw
