User:ArcherKelly/Frank McChristian

User:ArcherKelly/Frank McChristian

Frank John McChristian

Frank McChristian is a singer, songwriter, and music producer. He produced his debut album Blessed Lunatics in 2010. His recent song Taken was the first to be published in a film that stars his brother Robert DiCicco entitled Conned [] which is making it's rounds at various film festivals. This is the only song not included in his recently released CD Blessed Lunatics.

Birth name: Frank John DiCicco Born : October 25, 1950 Birthplace: Dorchester, Massachusets, United States Genres: Rock/Pop Occupations: Singer/Songwriter, Producer Instruments: Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Harmonica Years active: 1968–Present Labels: Eagle Moon Official Website: www.eaglemoonmusic.com (Online February 2010) Contact info: www.eaglemoonmusic.com

Early Life Frank McChristian was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts on October 25, 1950. He is the son of Frank Joseph DiCicco, a factory worker (deceased), and his wife Rose (née Christiano), a homemaker (deceased). He has a younger brother, Robert DiCicco, who is an actor. At the age of 9 he began learning to play the accordion. By the time he was 12 he had taught himself to play the guitar and began to write his own songs. He took formal lessons on the piano at age 17, but his main instrument always remained the guitar. His other interests included writing and art. While in junior high school Frank had some of his drawings showcased in a local art show and he won critical praise for his work. At 10 years of age one of his short stories entitled “On the Warpath” won first prize in his school’s writing competition and was published in LIFE magazine. Despite forays into these creative areas, music always remained his central focus.

Paying Dues When Frank was 14 he started his own rock band called "The Beckets" with fellow band mates Robert Owens and John Swafford. James Richman took over Owens’ slot as vocalist and rhythm guitarist a year later and the band played in the local Boston area until 1970, the fourth member (as lead guitarist) constantly changing from year to year. In 1969, Frank's song "Like You Too" won first place in a regional band contest sponsored by MGM. "The Beckets" came in second place in the final round of the contest and subsequently broke up the following year. After the breakup of "The Beckets," he went on the road with a various assortment of bands, which he formed with his singing partner and friend Iris Starr. In 1970 his music drew the attention of Lenny Petze of Epic Records but the master tapes were never completed and the project was abandoned. In 1977 he formed "Antares,” a science-fiction concept band that played at live venues in and around the Boston area, including Don Law's "Paradise" club in July of 1978. The act had caught the interest of RSO Records, but the dissolution of the band not long after ended any chance of signing a recording contract.

In 1981 Frank moved to Long Island, NY to pursue his musical career. A year later he teamed up with a Long Island native, Lorraine Ferro, a talented singer/songwriter. The two formed a band called “Menagerie” playing both covers and originals at venues on Long Island. He and Lorraine also formed another band called “The Quest,” which was designed solely to promote the original songs that he and Lorraine were writing. For the next 11 years he performed in the tri-state area and in Manhattan night clubs while working a day job as an editor for a Long Island publishing company. During this time he decided to go to Adelphi University to study English literature and got his associate degree in 1986. Due to the deaths of both his father and mother in 1986 and 1987 respectively, he discontinued his studies but returned to complete his BA degree at Adelphi in 1999. He graduated summa cum laude and was awarded the David Newton Award for academic excellence in Humanistic Studies. Frank won the Town of Babylon’s Council on the Art's songwriting contest in 1993 and was awarded a full music scholarship to Five towns College in Dix Hills, NY. He left school during his second semester because he was finding it difficult to go to classes during the day while trying to hold down a full-time day job.

Throughout the latter part of the 1990s and up until the mid-2000’s, Frank dropped out of the music scene and concentrated solely on making his living as a writer and editor. But in February of 2007 he once again resumed interest in his music and teamed up with former “Antares” band mate and drummer, Craig Kahn, to begin work on his “Blessed Lunatic” album. He received an award for one of his songs, “A Song for Katie” in the UK Songwriting Contest in 2008. He is now actively involved in every aspect of his blossoming career and writes, arranges, performs and produces all of his own original music. Frank has recently written a song for a new independent film to be released this year.

Songwriting style Frank’s music is rooted in neo-classic rock with a strong emphasis on melody, harmony, and his own brand of "weirdness." His style is influenced by 1960s British pop, Motown, and R&B. Some of his favorite artists include Roy Orbison, Jackie DeShannon, B.B. King, The Beatles, CCR, the Traveling Wilburys and James Brown. His tunes tend to be beat-driven with a strong emphasis on melody, unexpected vocal shifts into the falsetto, irregular meters, and unusual harmonies. “My music is quirky. Like my personality, its idiosyncratic and you can always expect the unexpected. Yet, it’s also simple and straightforward. You can sing along with my stuff because I am a melodist first and foremost. But the element of surprise is almost always there to catch your ear off guard.” He admits that his intense and unique outlook on life compels him to be different, and his music reflects this. “So much of today’s pop music is vapid and harmonically static. It’s homogeneity is reflected in its simplistic and uninspired harmonic structure and lack of melodic definition. I want to help bring about a renaissance of the classical music models of the 1950s—1970s when rock was truly in its golden age.”

Instrumentation Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, harmonica.

Discography Blessed Lunatics (Release Date:  July 2010)

External Links www.eaglemoonmusic.com (Online late February 2010) www.gimmesound.com/frankmcchristian