PERSONAL WEB SITE: www.frankcaruso.it
NAME: Franco “FRANK” Caruso
PLACE: Milan, Italy
PREVIOUS BANDS: Macid, Back to Back, Firehouse
MUSICAL INFLUENCES: Classic Music, Funky, Blues e Rock
FIRST RECORD YOU BOUGHT: Toto IV
FIRST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED: Queen
HOW AND WHEN DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST INSTRUMENT:
Five years old I played first instrument that appeared in our home: it was my brother Enzo’s accordion. My first guitar arrived in our home after two years, and it was mine at once.
PLEASE LIST YOUR 10 FAVOURITE ARTISTS AND ALBUMS:
1) Rainbow – Long Live Rock’n’Roll
2) Dream Theater – Awake
3) Deep Purple – Made in Japan
4) Van Halen – Van Halen
5) Queen – A night at the Opera
6) Vinnie Moore – Mind’s Eye
7) Queensryche – Rage for Order
8) Whitesnake – Come an get it
9) Y.J. Malmsteen – Marching out
10) Joe Satriani – The Extremist
PLEASE LIST WORKS YOU PLAYED ON:
Production of Contemporary Themes for Sports, Action and Movement (soundtracks for TV and cine productions), edited by NUOVA FONIT CETRA.Production of Contemporary Themes for Sports, Action and Movement (soundtracks for TV and cine productions), edited all over the world by PARRY MUSIC;
Production of advertising spots e TV tracks for Fininvest-Mediaset holding TV apparitions: D.O.C. (Rai 2), for a Franco Battiato’s production;session-man activity in various recording studios;with Firehouse: Firehouse, Labyrinth.
MUSICAL EDUCATION:
Private studies of classic piano.Doctor’s degree achieved in “Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica sacra”.
PLEASE LIST YOUR OWN FAVOURITE MUSICIANS AND HOW EACH OF THEM INFLUENCED YOUR PERFORMING/ COMPOSING STYLE:
Classic musicians that above all influenced my artistic formation surely are J.S. Bach e F. Chopin: the firstone cause of constructive art of counterpoint, that I think is basic for modern arrangement and harmonization of guitaristic parts with more than a voice, the secondone, instead, cause of the constructive art and poetry of melodic phrasing and “internal” or “hided” harmonies that, (how Chopin himself said), naturally flow from application of counterpoint.R. Blackmore (Deep Purple-Rainbow)B. May (Queen)E. V. HalenJ. SatrianiR. Blackmore surely is who most influenced on my blues part and, paradoxically, on the classic one, above all from the point of view.of composition.B. May is the soul of every sound that a guitar can produce and he was my school for the touch and the grip of plectre.E. Van Halen marked the passage from the 70’s to 80’ invented the new figure of guitarist.J. Satriani impersonated and still now rapresents to me the idel figure of modern guitarist between science and poetry, and also between the Bach costructive art and Chopin poetry.
PLEASE LIST YOUR EQUIPMENT (Including and explaning customizing, effects, accessories, endorsments,etc.):
Guitars:
Ibanez Prestige 225
Ibanez 7 strings
Ibanez 8 strings
Fender Stratocaster 1971;
Fender Stratocaster “Ritchie Blackmore”;
Yamaha 421 DM, modified in the electronic part with Di Marzio Pick up and new circuits;
Artigianal Guitar with di Marzio Pick-up;
Effects and amps by Line 6;
Pre-Amplifier Hughes & Kettner modified at tube section;Multigate Behringer, Compressor Behringer, effect modulation (Chorus, Delay, Reverb ecc.) Lexicon, Intelligent Harmonizer Digitech;amplification Marshall.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (personal information: favourite foods, literature, cinema, hobbies, sports, etc.):
Food: fried potatoes?Drink: red wine, above all Barolo
Literature: essays and politic sciences
Cinema: psycologic horror like Brian de Palma style
Hobbies: mental relax techniques (p.m. nap)
Sport: ski