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Frank Ciampi
Musician

Boston

myspace.com/frankciampi

I Support:
Citizen Schools




wrestling is amazing

February 26, 2008

Most people say professional wrestling (sports entertainment) is fake...this is partly true

A small % say its real...this is partly false


So what is wrestling?

Professional Wrestling is the modern jazz of sports


In wrestling, specifically the WWE (which is the largest sports entertainment corporation in the world) the outcomes are all predetermined…the story lines written months and months in advance (like a lame soap opera) and every week, each show is essentially a 2 hour long commercial promoting their $40 pay-per-view event at the end of each month


However, one thing that isn’t typically rehearsed is the performance in the ring. Wrestlers improvise and work off each other to create the match as it happens. This is where the separation between the amateur and pro come in. Much like the jazz musician who has to take all of his/her knowledge on the idiom and apply it to the charts on the stage.... the wrestler has to do the same (except in weird looking short underwear). Sometimes the outcome is great, sometimes it's bad...like jazz, each performance will never happen the same way twice. This is the beauty in the art form.

(To digress...) This is also the same thing I miss the most when playing through songs or being a 'rock musician.' I miss the spontaneous moments you get from playing improvised music…rather than the perfection we tend to seek when playing in a rock/pop idiom.  Some people are able to find a good balance of the two...people like Jon Brion and Mike Viola...these guys are masters of their art and can control and manipulate their ideas as if it were as simple as taking a breath of air. Others, like myself aren’t quite there yet and have to decided which direction to focus on...pre-determined or never determined.... back to wrestling....

I haven't really gotten into the meat and potatoes of this topic (if I did I would be here for hours)

However, I think my initial point is across and I will leave it to you to either:

1) Mock me or make me regret ever posting this

OR

2) Realize that a bunch of 30-40 year old men in small tights grabbing each other is an art form.

Big Top Woman CD RELEASE SHOW!

December 02, 2007

hellloooooo internets

This upcoming saturday night will be the cd release of my debut record 'big top woman'.  This album has been 3 years in the making and I can wait to finally release it to all of you!

If you are not located in or near MA, the album will be widely available in due time on the world wide web.  

 
Here's the rough draft for the release: 

Around the time of the 8th, a website (http://www.frankciampi.com......http://www.hotsizzlemusic.com) will launch through my label 'hot sizzle music' where you can purchase the record.  It will also be available through snocap on myspace.com/frankciampi and amiestreet.com

In late dec/early jan it will be available through online cd retailers notlame & koolkatmusik....and in Feb. it will be up on Itunes and similar mp3 distributors

 

And to boot: 
'Big Top Woman' also includes guest musicians Ben Romans, Joe Guese & Eric Espiritu

It's Snowing outside!!!!!

frankyc  

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The Process Is The Thing

October 06, 2007

The process is the thing.

I am guilty of seeing it as black & white. Point A to point B, always searching for the quickest route.

It’s hard for me not to get caught up in the numbers game. How many artists have you written for? Who? How many records have you sold? Co-writes? Publishing? Licensing? Label? Just like stats in a sporting event, these numbers can define who you are and where you stand in the musical pyramid. If you let them.

In hindsight, I have let too many amazing musical experiences slip by un or under-appreciated.  I was just too focused on the point B. The proverbial happy ending so to speak.

As a child, this was no different. I’d open the box of lucky charms and pound down 2-3 bowls without inhalation.  I just couldn’t wait for the end result, a cheap plastic toy that would keep my interest for roughly 25 seconds. Who knew what the cereal tasted like? I just wanted the point B.

I love playing, writing and living music. It’s my life. I create for my peers, my family, the listener and me.

It’s quite ironic that the thing I love the most will never give me that point B I so desperately desire. Music transcends through time and time is continuous. The process is the thing. Love the process, cause in the end that’s all we have.

The process defines who I am.

is this thing on?

October 03, 2007

I never had an official blog. An official, on the record, candid, astute, shrewd, discerning  (I could go on, I'm just listing synonyms that micosoft word is giving me for 'insightful' and 'honest')

I don't know what to write.  If I talk about music, I'd be too paranoid that I will come off a little pretentious (ms word: ostentatious).

I could write about video games but according to google there are over 614,000,000 website and articles devoted to that same topic. Furthermore, the first 20 pages are all professional websites with professional writers. So I guess it would be rather inane for me to clog up more search engines with my opinions on video games.

I teach children as well, but I'll assume that it's inappropriate to post a blog about an innocent and unsuspecting child (even if it is an entertaining tale).

Also, politics. Who am I kidding? No matter how many books I read or how long I listen to npr on the radio, my knowledge on the subject is scant (ms word: little, scarce) at best.

With all that said, I am going to go watch the red sox playoff game and act as if I have a solid grasp on the beauty and inner workings of baseball.