We were told you might like to read something about the band while you listen to the CD sampler (just click on the link above to hear Purple Heart Blues)... here is our story. The band has a five piece line up; guitar, saxophone, keyboards, drums and bass, with five vocalists. RedBeard formed in 1999 and is made up of local artists from the Bay Area with sorted backgrounds, sharing the common love of music. The first year was devoted to writing and recording original material and proudly launched their first compact disk entitled "Purple Heart Blues".
Each band member has extensive and expensive experience writing, arranging, recording and touring. They have played throughout North and South America, Europe and the Far East. Each has recording and writing credits and has done a whole bunch of live shows. They write and perform their own music and play cover tunes too. The band plays what they have always liked to play; R & B, dance favorites and the blues. They have performed in festivals, dances, clubs and showcases.
You might not recognize the names of the bands they have played in. Artists they have played with include these recording artists: Mr. Ray Charles, Mr. Carlos Santana, Eddie Money, The Tubes, The Tower of Power, Night Ranger, The Sons of Champlin, Y & T, The Beau Brummels, Merle Saunders, and others. Venues include, in San Francisco; John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room, Slim's, The Fillmore Auditorium, The Mabuhay Gardens, Bimbo's 365 Club, Slims, Lou's Pier 47, On Broadway/Carole Doda's Club, Keystone Club San Francisco, the New Monk, the Cocks Inn, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Slats: in Santa Cruz; The Civic Auditorium, The Catalyst, The Keystone Berkeley, Claremont Resort, Yoshi's in Oakland, Oakland Raider's - Oakland Coliseum, Centennial Hall in Hayward. Festivals around the Bay Area+; Central Valley Blues Festival, Blues & Art on the Bay, Black Diamond Blues Festival, Blues & Brews on the Waterfront, Oakland Blues & Heritage Festival, Walnut Festival, High Desert Jazz Festival, Hayward Russell City Blues & Brews Festival, Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, Pacifica Fog Fest 2000, San Leandro Sausage & Suds Festival, Walnut Creek Art & Wine Festival, Monterey Blues Festival and many others.
The band was put together to record the cd project entitled "Purple Heart Blues," a set of tunes written by band guitar player Frank Vigliotti. Frankie wanted to record some more stuff just to fulfill his God given gift of writing and playing music. Music is one of those things that is part of your being and has to be expressed in one way or another so he called a bunch of geezers he had worked with in the past, asked them to play with him, and they recorded the tunes. This turned into a way of life and we continue to press on!
Just a note, the geezers were not paid nor given any writing credits on the album. But they did have their pic's taken and their names printed on the credits. In all fairness Frank did pay for the production of the cd. And a couple of times he bought us some taqueria take out and some beers too. But mostly everyone just devoted hundreds and hundreds of hours of their time. Time away from their families and their jobs. Or course everyone knows time is the most precious thing we have. Money cannot replace precious time once it is lost forever. But we really do not even think about the time away from our families in a stuffy studio listening to the guitar player playing the same riff over and over again.
Seriously though, the old geezers liked the spark in the music they made. They also found they shared common interests besides music. Like, well, I guess it is mostly the music. After the recording sessions, the band decided to remain together to perform in venues around the state. They continue to add to their music with new originals and other familiar favorites.
