A fun time was had by all at Santa Clarita’s Vincenzo’s Pizza Saturday May 10th when Vince Falzone combined two facets of his musical interests into a combination CD release and book release party – with pizza included.
“Strip of Leather” is Falzone’s 9th CD and features a wide variety of styles ranging from ballads to hard rock. One of the songs, “Overdrive,” was the runner-up in a recent contest for the music for Ford’s Carol Shelby Mustang commercial.
Well-known in the Santa Clarita Valley for many years for his gigs, guitar teaching at SCV-Arts, and weekly SCVTV cable access show "Studio Recording and Guitar Playing with Vince Falzone," Falzone recently branched out into the book publishing arena with this year’s release of BackStage with Bryan Rooney.
Rooney, one of the world’s first roadies, started working with bands in Liverpool in the late 1960s, moved to London, and was on tour with Procol Harum (“Whiter Shade of Pale”) by 1970. After a stint with Reinhard Mey, Rooney got the phone call that changed his life: a job offer at Apple Corp. Although he started out as a driver and self-described “supergofer” for The Beatles after they’d broken up, Rooney’s responsibilities gradually evolved to working for Ringo Starr. Later, after a move to Los Angeles in the mid-seventies, Rooney was tapped to take Donna Summer on the road just as she hit the heights of worldwide Disco Fever. When Rooney’s daughter was born, he quietly retired to the Santa Clarita Valley to be a stay-at-home dad. Fast forward about 2 decades to the day Rooney and Falzone met while taping separate broadcasts for KHTS AM-1220, and the idea for BackStage
was born.
Parallel to his work on BackStage with Bryan Rooney, Falzone was writing songs for “Strip of Leather.” “When I Wake Up” grew out of his friendship with Rooney, so it was only natural to combine the CD and book release parties. Falzone said, “When I came out of a cold after a party that I was at, actually [what ended up being] Bryan’s last birthday party, I wrote that song. So that kicked off [the album] ‘Strip of Leather.’” Although Rooney suddenly passed away during the book’s revision process, Falzone vowed to finish the book in his honor, and was proud to introduce Rooney’s wife to the crowd at Vincenzo’s.
Just prior to the music, painter Daryl Bibicoff unveiled a painting of Falzone playing guitar. Bibicoff explained that it’s “part of a series of paintings… called ‘A Touching and Feeling Series,’ letting people know that art is very important in terms of breaking down barriers. You can actually go up and physically touch textural areas of my paintings, as well as get a sense of feeling for the mood, the event, or whatever it is I’m painting.”
The set featured 8 of “Strip of Leather’s” 11 songs. Backing up Falzone for the performance were his regular bassist Allen Christensen and drummer Mike Spencer. Emphasizing the variety of genres represented, Falzone also had several special guest musicians. Laura Bilodeau handled percussion (bongos, chimes) for “When I Wake Up” and “The Flood Within” (for which Spencer played drums). Guest violinist David Ewart suffered a devastating fire a few years ago that burned his home, belongings, and body. Falzone, touched by the tragedy, put on a benefit for 
Ewart and invited him to perform again for the first time. While working on songs for “Strip of Leather,” Falzone said that he really wanted to collaborate with Ewart on a song. “‘The Flood Within’ came to me when…my wife was going through the birthing process. I just heard this melody and that’s how it took off.” Not surprisingly, “it’s got a lot of Beatles influence in it.”
The lyrics to the next song performed, “Home is Where You Are,” were written by Ewart, who said, “When you wake up after a long sleep, like if you were knocked out or unconscious for a day – and I was out for 22 days [after the fire] so it was even more extended than that, you don’t know where you are. But the one thing that you remember is home. So I wrote a song about that feeling when you want to get back across the recovery zone, the treatments.”
The show marked the stage debut of 13-year-old bassist Kyle Dansby, one of Falzone’s star pupils. Dansby impressed everyone with his confidence and solid basslines on “I Believe” and “Because of You.” “I Believe” also ties into Bryan Rooney. Falzone said, “I knew Bryan’s health wasn’t the best, but you can never predict life. And when he passed away I was working on [this song]. David Tranter, Bryan’s brother-in-law, came in [from England] for the wake.” A choralist, Tranter sang at the wake and at the scattering of ashes to sea, and Falzone then asked him sing on “I Believe.” For this show’s live performance, emcee Bob Locke did double duty, stepping up to do backup vocals and percussion for “I Believe” and “Because of You.”
About three-quarters of the way through the set, Falzone debuted the video for the album’s song “Be Free,” which was filmed throughout the L.A. area. The song, Falzone explained with strong emotion in his voice, “is dedicated to my father, to my uncle Craig, to Bryan Rooney, and everybody else that’s left this planet and touched me.”
Metal guitarist Bob Spears (DistortedFate) joined Falzone, Christensen, and Spencer for 2nd guitar on the 2 hard-rockin’ tunes that closed out the set: “Overdrive” and “Strip of Leather.” Falzone noted that the project had “been an emotional roller coaster, and this is the upside of it.”
Returning to BackStage with Bryan Rooney, Vincenzo’s brought out yet more pizza while the crowd watched video selections edited from footage of Falzone’s interviews of Rooney that showcased Rooney’s unmistakable English accent and devilish personality.
Falzone did a U.K. tour in 2006 and has another one in the works, and is already working on his 10th album. Find out more about “Strip of Leather,” Falzone’s upcoming gigs, and watch the “Be Free” video at www.MusicByVince.com. BackStage with Bryan Rooney is available through www.BackStageStory.com, as well as Amazon.com (U.S. and U.K.) and Barnes and Noble.
