User:BostonScenesters/Cal Cali

Cal Cali is an Italian-American musician, television host, songwriter from Boston, MA  He is a vocalist/drummer in various musical projects. He is Best known As drummer for the Boston original power trio "Jetset". His playing style is considered classic Boston 80's alternative combined with Rolling Stones drummer, Charlie Watts influence. Other members of "Jetset" include vocalist/bassist Steve "Happy" Muccini & Al "Naha" Nahabedian on guitar, both also members of  "Happy the Clown", a multimedia shoegaze band formed after the initial capitulation of "Jetset" in 1987. Cal worked as an actor at Universal Studios and hosts a local access live music & interview show called "Rock Talk with Cali Cali" prouuced at WCAT, Winthrop, MA. Cal married Karen Waite in 1989 The couple had two daughters, Kit wha attends Wellesley College & Liz, currently a high school band member. During the family-raising years Cal worked as a Sales Manager for TimeWarner in the cable and high speed internet division located in Daytona beach, FL. and played in a Boston cover band earlier with David Tick, Frank Rowe(Classic Ruins), Freddie Carfagna, and Joe Stasio(Code Blue) called "Route 145" before his work transfers to Keene, NH and then Orlando, FL in 1999. The Early Years Cal grew up in East Boston, MA until his family moved to Winthrop when he was nine. Cal started playing drums at age 13. As the story goes, his dad won a gambling debt and bought him his first kit, Ludwig acoustic with Zildjian cymbals. He still has most of that kit today. As a kid, he played in a few garage rock bands "EJ & the Rag Men"(Stones covers), "The Psycadelic Hitchikers" & "Tomorrow's Turmoil".

Cal met Bob Spitaleri while working at a grocery delivery job at Liberty Market in E. Boston. "The Young Classics" were formed with keyboardist Bob "Bobby John" Spitaleri (who went on to play with "The Godsons" and now with Boston's "Reminisants") Joe Simonetti on guitar, and Joe "Pinto" Ruggierio on vocals. A second grouping had Bob and Cal with Butch Marino, and Rhon Cinelli(White Whale) on vocals. Cal played for a short while with "Wisper" with Chick Chicarelli.

In 1984 Cal started playing original music in the Boston Eighties rock scene with two 80's punk rock bands, "Jetset" and "Smack Tan Blue" on the" Arf! Arf!" label, produced by Boston legend, Willie "Loco" Alexander from "The Lost" & "The Velvet Underground". "Jetset" continues to play reunion shows. In the November, 2009 issue of "The Noise", Rock Around Boston" writer, Matthew Griffin say's "Jetset"'s sound has been described by local reviewers as "Ramonsey, downtown powerpop" and "The Seeds" ('60's garage rockers who did "Pushin' Too Hard") meets "Funhouse (Iggy & the Stooges album). They have also added a shoegaze portion to their powerpop set. Most recently Cal has been back playing reunion shows with "Jetset" and collarorating on projects with Boston underground notables, Frank Rowe from "Classic Ruins" and Kenne Highland from "The Gizmos" & "Highland Moore" with Jody Moore from "Goody Goody Gumdrops" and Mike Quirk fom "Hixx". He also sings and drums in a combo called "CaliMaher" with singer/guitarist John Maher and Mike "Thunder Fingers" Rubin (The Brooklyns) on bass. Cal also plays drums for "Highland Moore" an alternative country original band with Kenne Highland from "Afrika Corps".