| 1965-1969 The Right Kind 3rd Dimension The Uncalled Four Kandy Kolored Flashback Black & White These "GARAGE" bands were the Rizzi cousins Joe and Dennis' early years, along with neighborhood guitar sensation Dennis Rogers, Dave Gabrial- B-3 Hammond organ we were just beginning our musical journey. My cousin played the Hawaiian lap psychedelic-steel guitar (tons of echo and reverb, GROOVEY!) & Bass on his 12 string Kent guitar. Dennis' parents Nick and Gloria's garage served as our first jam place, we entertained the neighborhood girls and ourselves for hours on end. Fun,Fun,Fun! The boys in these bands were best buddies, great people and talented young players that living the sounds of the 60's, life was good! In all of these early bands we played pretty much for my Dad friends house parties, the Dains and the Naninis were great party goers and we got lots of gigs in those early formative years to sharpen our infant chops! My dad, Wilile and mom Louise were always amazingly supportive and living my dream right along side me for the many years of gigs to come. Black and White featured a young gospel singer named Spencer "Cool-Breeze" Syers, a tall slender black soul singer who looked like a cross between James Brown and Jackie Wilson. I discovered Spencer singing an Otis Redding classic "Try A Little Tenderness" in the locker room in gym class one day in H.S. and was blown A-way, I asked him was in a band and he looked at me real funny, hell no!.....The only singing I do is on Sunday morning in church bruddar, he responded! Spence agreed to come on by and sit in with the new soul R&B band we were putting together...to make rehearsals he literally had to sneak out of the house! You see his daddy was the pastor of his church and playing the devil's music wasn't gonna get it. We did the best we could to work up a couple of sets and got ready to go out and play. The band played one gig for an all white Italian wedding, and at first there were some real suspicious eyes rolling around in the crowd's heads, but soon Spence had them dancing and sweating to the sounds of Pickett, Brown and Redding and following him around the room like he was the Pied Piper of Soul-vania baby! 1969-1972: Greenfield This was a original project that actually went to LA and was produced by a "producer" right out of central casting, Jack Levy and his # 2 Jack Geoff (real name-LOL) were the two mutton heads that led us down the boulavard of broken dreams. Alhough it was a disappointing outing in that the band did not get signed, (in the end we eventually realized that we were really only a tax write off).... it was a wonderful and fun experience. We played in LA, recorded in a "professional LA studio. The highlight of this trip was meeting the late bonzo himself, Frank Zappa AND Flow & Eddie ( the Turtles!) in an elevator in our producers building...ZOWIE WOWIE! Greenfield's music was totally late 60's very early 70's hippie-esque, sounding like CSNY meets the Moody Blues meets the Dead meets early Steve Miller, the harmonizing was impressive and the cornerstone of the band. We cut a demo that had some pretty decent performances and songs on it, and of course the incredible guitar playing of the late-great Dennis "Oakie Sponge-Fist & His Pet Guitar Drippy" Rogers, who to this day dazzles and continues to blow away everyone who listens to the old tapes of his playing. Thank you Dennis for your talent and friendship, we lost Denny too young and we allI miss you and your music my brother. Greenfield was....Dennis Rogers - Lead Guitar/Piano, David DeMarco- Vocals/Acoustic Guitar-Piano, Art Klien-Vocals & Rhytmn Guitar, Dave Baker - Vocals & Bass (Replaced by Bobby Asea in 1990) 1972-1974: Midget "Is Bigger Than You Think" ....yes we really used that in our promo materials! This was my first real working Top 40 band, I learned allot about what to do and not to do in a band on this project. This was not one of my most challenging projects as a musician, but allot of fun none-the-less. I really learned "how" to make money as a musician, and I thank Tim Rudolph for that experience. This band played mostly High Schools, Frat parties, Military bases and private events. The highglight of this experience was playing with amazing organist and vocalist John "Big Head" Cassolari. The low point was performing the Who's Tommy at a blues concert at SCU opening for Elvin Bishop! DOH!! To make up for that humiliation was the opportunity to open up a string of dates for Larry Graham and Grand Central Station! Go figure, four white jive asses playing in front of black funk audiences....oh well, that's Rock and Roll.....I guess?! The players; Fearless Leader /Tim "Adolph" Rudolph - Vocals/Lead Guitar, Mike Miller- Vocals/ Bass, Gary Tittle-Vocals/Guitar/Piano.....oh yeah, least I forget Ruben Cabrera as "TOMMY"....los grande huevos! 1974-1981: Ivory Tower Popular Bay Area four piece cover/original band that probably played for your High School Prom, Grad Night, College Graduation, Wedding or Bar Mitzva! This band had its' moment of glory by being one of the only bands in the area to have its' 45 "independent" release of a song called "Take it Slower" played on the local radio station of the time, KLIV....all due to popular demand by the bands loyal fan base! The band also won the KSJO song writers contest for the tune "The Badge". The band broke up and reformed (Tim Rudolph on Lead Guitar & Bobby Asea on Bass, John Tupper - Keyboards) but never accomplished what it had with the founding members; Colby Pollard, Michael Rudolph, Dave Santos and myself. Everyting said and done, that was the time of my life! 1981-1982: The Feel A really high energy fun three piece power-pop original band with Colby Pollard on Bass and my musical/ song writing soulmate Jeff Tracy on guitar! The band released an EP recording with a pun intended title of "First Feel". Our milestone gig was opening for Huey Lewis and the News at SJSU when The News was just getting off the ground...GREAT, GREAT GIG, we just killed! The band wrote and recorded over 50 songs in the short time we were together, this band had a mystic "feel" about it, one that was hard to duplicate in future projects. 1982-1984: Night In Vienna This band was a kick in the pants! We played nothing but 80's dance hits; Police, Flock of Seagulls, The Clash, ABC, Madness, The Fixx, Thomas Dolby, Bowie, Duran Duran....got it!? We had so much fun playing and laughing together, this band had an incredible line up of players and just fun people! Two years after the band broke up we were still getting calls for gigs! Playing with the amazing Eddie Sedano (The Gents), Jeff Tracy and keyboard wiz Eric Damn was an amazing thrill ride! 1984-1995: The Rizoids Project These were the family years, working in Sillycon Gulch to raise a family and doing the occasional side gig or recording project. I built a backyard recording with a partner Opher Segev called Jopher 12, we recored and pressed a few vinyl projects (CD's were not invented yet!) that were pretty damn good quality for a little cottage 12 track recording studio. My two beautiful girls got exposed to allot of Dad's music, as a result I would like to think that their exporsure led my oldest Talia in becoming a great drummer in her own right. 1995-1999: Sid Morris and the Roadhouse Rockers This band was my first time drumming for a "pure" blues/swing band circa 1940'-50's, roadhouse style! Sid is a classic "stride" boogie woogie piano pounder in the style of Professor Longhair and Jerry Lee Lewis, and oh brudda did he set the house on fire when he got the train a' rollin'! This was a little five piece band with a big band sound. The players were all vets of the blues wars and could really lay down that New Orleans swamp stomp and Texas swing thang at a drop of a note! Jack Sanford-Tenor Sax, Frank "Rock Bottom" De Rose on Basss, Gary Weller on Guitar, Sid and myself made the the Roadhouse Rockers the real deal! 2002-2003: GrooveTool A short lived 3 piece bar band that played out only for a brief period of time, this was just about three buds just wanting to play thier fave tunes for spending cash ad free drinks.....Long Live GrooveTool! The band consisted of Shawn Gorham on volcals and guitar, Bobby Asea on bass and Bam! Fun, Fun, Fun baby! 2002-Present: The Silicon Valley Houserockers This is my dream come true band! A ten piece unit with a killer 5 piece horn section that plays straight up 60's style R&B. Our song list consist of such Jersey shore heroes such as BRUCE and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, included in the sets are the Stones, Setzer big band swing , BS&T, and Beatles! Thank you Paul Kent for answering my ad on the net! See the website for the player line up, performances and pix! |
| B A M O L O G Y It's only Rock n' Roll, but I like it! |
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