For Jim Madonna having faith in God, and a love for music is simply a part of his life. But it was his passion for music and the close friendship of his cousin James Fricano that brought his life to where it is today.
Fricano was a musician, and played bass guitar but worked in construction on the side, and it was then that he brought Jim on board as a tile setter. They were together so much that when James Fricano went into the studio as a bass player on the .38 Special Album titled song “Wild Eyed Southern Boys” and the Dakota Album “Runaway”; the sparks really ignited his passion for music to a whole new level.
Madonna went on the road with his cousin as a stage hand to help out with many of the concerts they performed while Fricano played in the band “The Force”. The band on one occasion shared the stage while playing in New York with Benny Mardones in ‘1980’.
Eventually their journey ended through no fault of their own. But they never lost touch with one another. The ‘Good ole Days’ was always a good part of their conversations!
Then the day came that changed everything in Jim Madonna’s life with an unexpected turn. A call from Fricano’s family came with the tragic news that his cousin James had died. He was beyond devastated.
Fricano was more than cousin; He was his best friend. They shared so much more than friendship together in so many aspects of their lives.
A few years later, God started showing Jim that he wanted to use the desires in his heart, and his passion for music in a mighty way… But he had to let go of the hurt he had deep within him from the loss of his cousin.
In letting go of this hurt…It restored his Faith!
God began showing up in ways that made it clear that He had a plan for him, and where Jim needed to be… and that was his passion for music!
Getting involved on Facebook was the stepping stone that began opening opportunities in the music industry through genres of music.
His original intention was to provide interviews from Indie to Mainstream in the “Rock” genre only. But realized how many of the artists he was communicating with were not only heavily impacted by so many changes in the industry and the economy, lacked the funding to promote themselves… that it might be time to step out of his comfort zone and explore all genres of music.. which is now where he is today.
In Loving memory of James Fricano “Champagne Jimmy” (RIP)
Interview With Scott Leach Of Crystal Ball By Jim Madonna
CRYSTAL BALL is back and stronger than ever! «Dawnbreaker» is the title of the new CRYSTAL BALL Album. After a creative break with some line-up changes, the original members Scott Leach and Marcel Sardella reformed CRYSTAL BALL with fresh blood and a great new frontman, Steven Mageney from Wuppertal, Germany. Steven is a experienced singer and the perfect match for the new CRYSTAL BALL sound. «Dawnbreaker» brought CRYSTAL BALL back to the top of the Hard Rock map. Successful Tours with the mighty KROKUS and the swedish
rockers THE POODLES followed.
Imagine: the band started in 1995 as a cover band (named «Cherry Pie»winking. These years of stage experiences became the foundation of CRYSTAL BALL, under whose banner the band became one of Europe´s major forces in the Hard Rock genre. Tentatively entitled «In The Beginning» CRYSTAL BALL started their crusade in 1999. The first album was very successful, but topped with ease from the follow-up «Hard Impact», hailed album of the months in several magazines. Immediately tour plans came up, realised by supporting Pretty Maids and Gotthard. Nobody was able to hide from CRYSTAL BALL. The result: a new record contract with Nuclear Blast. With «Virtual Empire» CRYSTAL BALL showed up more varied but still traditional and melodic in 2002. The band massively toured Europe, together first with Dokken, then with U.D.O., Doro and Krokus. The special humour of CRYSTAL BALL shone through in 2003 with «HELLvetia», the fourth album. «HELLvetia», produced by
U.D.O./former Accept member Stefan Kaufmann, who CRYSTAL BALL met on their tour with U.D.O., became a more edgy effort and increased the
success of CRYSTAL BALL enormously. It was the band´s return from the slightly experimental «Virtual Empire» to the old style.
Successful tours with Axxis, Pink Cream 69 and Krokus saw CRYSTAL BALL increase their fan following again.
«Timewalker» continued in the tradition of delivering great catchy songs full of freshness and power. Once again produced by Kaufmann the album displayed the exceptional class of CRYSTAL BALL. The band´s very first headliner tour with then-labelmates Thunderstone followed the release in 2005. 2007 CRYSTAL BALL inked a new record deal with AFM Records. «Secrets» was their sixth album, a great piece of Hard Rock, put together by professionals. The album was recorded and produced by Michael Bormann and mixed by Achim Köhler (Primal Fear, Brainstorm and others).
James Steele is a rock singer, guitarist and songwriter who has fronted numerous bands both in San Diego and Los Angeles including Anvil, Bad Boys, American Steel, Nemesis, and most recently Pale Black. “My influences are the great bands of the 70s and 80s,” states Steele. “I learned guitar by playing along with recordings of Led Zeppelin, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Rainbow… the classics!”
Steele began as a guitarist, playing in the same San Diego metal circuit that produced Jake E. Lee, Craig Goldie and Warren DeMartini among others. During this time, Steele’s band, American Steel, had to replace their singer, and after many fruitless auditions it was decided that Steele would assume the lead vocal duties as well as guitar. American Steel became a three-piece band in the pattern of Rush and Zebra. With Steele as the principal songwriter, the band garnered critical acclaim. One of the band’s songs, “Everchanging Wind,” received regional airplay and prompted San Diego Union music critic, Thomas K. Arnold, to liken it to “some of the greatest rock ballads ever… like Aerosmith’s Dream On…”
Despite a promising start and seemingly bright future, fate struck. Four songs into the recording sessions for American Steel’s debut album, the band’s investor declared bankruptcy. “I’ll never forget that day,” remembers Steele. “It was turning out better than we could have hoped for—and then Alice called.” Alice, the band’s financial backer, phoned the studio and informed the band there was no money for the session and to pull the plug immediately. The band was devastated. Devastation, however, was soon replaced with euphoria. Shortly after the aborted sessions, American Steel’s ill-fated album (which had now become a “four-song demo”) attracted the interest of an A&R rep at Chrysalis Records who was “knocked on her ass” by what she’d heard and wanted to sign the band. Two weeks later, she was let go by Chrysalis, and the band was told any representations she had made to them were done so without the label’s authority. Euphoria had now become depression. American Steel disintegrated soon afterward. “The unfortunate timing of those events took a toll,” laments Steele. “We were young, and none of us possessed the emotional maturity to deal with those setbacks at the time.”
After American Steel broke up, Steele took a break from the rock and roll business. He completed an Associate of Music degree with honors, and went to work for a major video production company. Over the years he had immersed himself in the then-blossoming field of computer-based digital audio recording, beginning with the first IBM PC, and culminating with the modern Macintosh workstations of today. Steele soon found himself in demand as a sound designer and composer for film and video productions, producing soundtracks for clients like the San Diego Zoo, Anthony Robbins, The LaJolla Cancer Research Foundation, and many others. He also founded and still maintains MOTUNation.com, a internationally known internet forum for users of Macintoshbased digital audio workstations by Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU). It is the largest of its kind with over 33,000 registered members. Although Steele had become a successful video composer and session vocalist, rock and roll still beckoned. With the end of his five-year marriage, he felt a renewed need to express himself musically and decided to pick up his rock music career where he had left off. To get his voice back into shape, he sang with a number of local cover bands including Purple Rising, a tribute to Deep Purple and Rainbow. “I remember when they called me—they said it’s no big deal, just an hour-long set,” laughs Steele. “but these were all songs sung by greats like Ian Gillan and Ronnie James Dio. Man, it was tough! But it’s fun to sing ‘Child In Time’ and hear people go nuts!”
Soon Steele decided to start his own band called Pale Black. His vision was to assemble the best talent he could find in San Diego and put on a show and image that paid unashamed homage to arena rock. A Pale Black show meant a huge sound system, drum riser, Marshall stacks, the big look. “I was tired of going to clubs and seeing tired old guys playing ‘Hard to Handle’ for the millionth time through dilapidated combo amps propped up on bar stools, drunk and just going through the motions,” says Steele. “I wanted to prove something, and I’m proud to say Pale Black made the point better than I had hoped—we raised the bar.”
After rising to the top of the scene in just one short year, the time demands of a working cover band made the transition to original material difficult and Steele’s “plan” was beginning to unravel. A dispute within the band over excessive stage volume became acute. “It had become unbearably loud on stage” recalls Steele, “I was having to push night after night to hear myself sing, and certain members refused to budge. Rather than risk permanent damage to my voice or replace members, I shut down Pale Black. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
The end of Pale Black, however, proved to be the proverbial “blessing in disguise.” For the first time in years, Steele was able focus on his original material without compromise or distraction and soon began writing material for his first solo CD. Upon hearing one of his new songs, a friend passed it to a contact at Dean Guitars who was impressed enough to make Steele an official endorsed artist. Steele currently appears on the Dean Artist page at the Dean Guitars website and has been featured in the Dean Guitars print catalog. The Dean Guitars endorsement and the accompanying credibility also created opportunities to work with some well-known musicians including guitarist Brad Gillis of Night Ranger who contributed a blistering guitar solo on the single “Can It Be The Same” (currently receiving solid 5-star reviews on iTunes) as well as legendary bassist, Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big, who lent his talents to a standout track of the upcoming CD—a secret remake of a 70s era song that Steele had wanted to cover for years. “Without a doubt, the highlight of my music career thus far has been the opportunity to work with amazing musicians like Brad and Billy,” exclaims Steele, “They are also two of the nicest, most gracious human beings…
I feel blessed to have met them, let alone worked with them.” As the release of his first solo CD nears, Steele has been gratified by a tremendous groundswell of interest. Thousands of fans are subscribed to his email list and over 54,000 fans combined have added his official MySpace and
Facebook pages. Steele begins each day answering fan emails and fulfilling requests for autographed photos from around the world. “It’s a lot of work,” says Steele, “but if a musician ever loses his sense of humility and gratitude to the people who make his art possible, it’s time to quit.”
Rising Atlanta band KICKIN VALENTINA is creating quite a buzz and has already established a rabid fan base. The band was formed in the summer of 2012 by guitarist Heber Pampillon and drummer Jimmy Berdine. After meeting vocalist Joe Edwards (whose distinctive style has been described as a “diamond in the dirt”), they began writing and rehearsing, then in early 2013 recruited Chris Taylor to round out the lineup. Within a few months they recorded and released their brand new self-titled debut EP on Highway 9 Records
With a little bit of sleaze, a little bit of blues, and a whole lot attitude, KICKIN VALENTINA have secured their place in the Southeast and are quickly gaining attention and traction across the US and overseas. The band has already performed with artists as diverse as Buckcherry, Queensryche, Pop Evil, Fozzy, Eve to Adam, Nonpoint, Faster Pussycat and Cilver, while their first single “Get Ready” is already a fan favorite on radio stations around the world, and one of the top requested songs on Hard Rock Nights and Canada’s Rock X Radio. Both “Get Ready” and the standout track “Alone” will be featured in the upcoming action horror movie Altered from award winning film director Kely McClung (Summer 2014 release).
Discography…
KICKIN VALENTINA (self-titled 5-song EP)
Released 10/12/13 on Highway 9 Records
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Joe Kay at Lucky Dog Studios
Label Contact…
Brian Johnson (Owner, Highway 9 Records): 770-289-2110
Swamp Juice was formed in 1990 by Mike (guitar),Scotty Hodges(vocals) ,Tad Tadlock(bass) and Gil Peppers(drums). Gil and Tad formerly of Hard Liquer. Scotty Hodges founding member of Smart Ass, Mike lead guitarist of Black Rain.Fran Gilbert of the Love Buzzards. Tad Tadlock(bass) stepped aside and was replaced by Jon Varnum who eventually was replaced by the late great Sparky who was later replaced by John McLean . Swamp Juice later decided they wanted to fatten up the rhythm section so Jeff Hefley(Guys don’t ever leave your band for a girl, she will eventually dump you) was added as a second guitarist who was later replaced by Brian Smith. So here is where the legend begins for many many years we all lived in a Warehouse together in Little Five Points started having parties to promote our band once a month. The first party we got three kegs and used our shitty P.A system which finally grew into renting Thousands of dollars of P.A,lighting and a all time high of 18 kegs and full bar. Oh yeah we were a complete fucked up mess by the end of our reign. We played every venue in Atlanta and some surrounding states and pretty much packed the house for everyone no matter what the size. People loved us and even more just loved to hate us. Got a small independent record deal made a great album that stands the test of time. We went out on top. The only local band booked to play the 96 Olympics(40k peeps at once) and had one last Swamp Party with a few national touring guest, John Hayes(Mothers Finest), Jessie James Dupree(Jackal) Phil Grande(Michael Monroe, Joe Cocker). With huge drug habits and the decision to live or leave. We packed up and left on top. Our Drum Tech,roommate and friend just recently passed away. Nate Nolan leaving his Daughter alone with out a father and no insurance to help her through the years. The original members of Swamp Juice featuring lead singer Fran Gilbert have decided to honor our fallen friend by playing one last show Smiths Olde Bar as a fundraiser benefit for Nate Nolans daughter Grace’s trust fund. Come out Atlanta and enjoy one last Swamp Party!! Well It was a Hell of a night made some money for Grace had a great crowd and OH WELL WERE BACK MISSED IT ALL AND WE WANT SOME MORE!!!! BOOK US OR JUST COME AND SEE US PLAY IT WILL BE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE!!!!!
