Guitar Superstar Frank Vignola at Mainstay September 14

Guitar superstar Frank Vignola and second guitarist Vinny Raniolo, bring an evening of high-octane guitar and on-stage charm to the Mainstay in Rock Hall, MD on Saturday September 14 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $20. For information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.

In a world seemingly full of guitar virtuosos, Frank Vignola stands out. His stunning virtuosity led guitar legend Les Paul to name Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List” for the Wall Street Journal. His jaw-dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest…stars of the guitar” but it is the way he puts together a set, his sly sense of humor and his friendly stage presence that have made him a favorite with audiences worldwide including those at the Mainstay.

While Vignola plays with Raniolo in many configurations and in other groups as well, it is in the duo shows that their virtuosity and personalities shine. They trade licks, some fancy footwork, high-energy original material, new takes on jazz standards, unique renditions of American popular song and contemporary tunes from the likes of The Police and Frank Zappa and lively new arrangements of Bach, Mozart and Rimsky-Korsakov. They perform 150 to 200 shows per year and recently released the recording “Melody Magic.”

Still in his 20s, Vinny Raniolo was discovered by Frank Vignola when he auditioned as bass player for one of Frank’s many projects. Vignola says, “I met him, he played decent electric bass, I asked him if he played guitar, he took out the guitar and played and I said, “You’re a guitar player. We should think about doing some things together.” One thing led to another. We were in different ensembles, and the better he got and the better we got as a duo, we would drop more and more pieces. It started as a six-piece band and ended up as a duo. We found that less is more and we go over better as a duo than we do as a five-piece band.”

When asked recently about why the duo format works so well, Vignola said, “I think because you see the personalities more. We don’t get nervous in front of an audience, we really enjoy it, we work on repertoire a lot more and we know that we have to mix up the show, so we’re continually working on new ways to do that. The guitar is such a beautiful instrument that if you add a bass you’re kind of cutting out the low register of the guitar. If you add a mandolin or a violin you’re cutting out from the high register, and now the guitar is in a different role than if you’re playing with just two guitars. I always liked groups like the Everly Brothers and the Smothers Brothers. There’s something special about two guys on the stage and let’s have some fun for the next couple of hours.”

Vignola was born on Long Island and raised in the New York area. He started playing the guitar at the age of five and grew up admiring a wide variety of guitarists from Django Reinhardt and George Barnes to rock icons like Frank Zappa and Eddie Van Halen. As a young adult, he studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and soon was a sideman recording and touring with the likes of Madonna, Leon Redbone, Ringo Starr. He came into his own as a leader in 1988 at the age of 22 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute which was hailed in the New York Times as one of the top ten acts in 1988 and forged the way for the many Django Hot Club groups that followed.

In 1993, Vignola signed with Concord Jazz and recorded his first Concord session as a leader, Appel Direct. Many more Concord releases followed in the 1990s as well as 3 releases for the Telarc label as co-leader of the group Travelin’ Light. The early 2000’s found Vignola recording for Acoustic Disc and Hyena Records and making featured appearances on Atlantic, Sony and Warner Brothers Records with the likes of Donald Fagen, Queen Latifah, Mark O Connor and Wynton Marsalis. Vignola has also recorded several DVD’s for Mel Bay Records, written 18 guitar instruction books for Mel Bay Publications and has recorded several CDROM educational products for Truefire.com. He has performed hundreds of clinics and master classes at major universities and colleges throughout the country including Julliard and Boston University.

This concert is another in the Mainstay jazz series in memory of David Pike. Pike was legal journalist and jazz guitarist with local connections. After working his way through college writing and playing jazz guitar he chose journalism as a career eventually becoming a highly respected legal journalist covering the Supreme Court. In retirement, he again took up the guitar, playing for himself, improvising on the guitar while listening to radio or CD and at the Open Mike Night at Andy’s in Chestertown. Frank Vignola was one of his favorites.

The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), non profit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.

The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.