Wood is the traditional five-year anniversary gift but Frank Palangi is giving his fans something even better on August 26th (the five-year anniversary of his debut EP). New fans and long-time supporters of will get to hear a beautiful acoustic version of the EP.
“With the help from fans through Indiegogo, it’s making it possible to give fans that have been with me from the start of the project an added bonus,” Palangi said. “I’ve gotten feedback many times asking for both versions so I thought this was the perfect opportunity.”
Palangi kept original work by the band Day of Fire and producer Rogers Masson, along with guitar, bass, and backup vocals from Nashville performances with Josh Brown and made it fresh with new acoustic, vocal and other elements.
His current single, ‘Break These Chains’ won an Akademia Music Award 2015/2016 (both the acoustic and regular versions) and made it to the Semi-Finals in the Unsigned Only Contest. A variety of internet rock stations and local FM have aired it. If indie radio stations are reading this and don’t have the single on their rotation, contact Palangi and he’ll help you make it happen.
Palangi said working in Virginia with Brian Craddock from the band Daughtry was “a lot of fun.” He met Craddock and the rest of the band during a meet and great near his hometown in New York.
“I had this song that I made up on the past Thanksgiving morning in about fifteen minutes,” Palangi said. “The melody, chords, lyrics, everything came out of me very quickly. I then made a demo and I showed the tune to Brian and we developed it in a direction that I believe is the biggest sounding song I have yet. It’s a new direction for sure with the vocals and playing style different from my last releases.”
In the past trip to Nashville TN recording the original EP from 2011, Palangi got to explore the music city, along with playing at the Music Row Best Western Hotel, world famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge and few open mics.
“It was all new and exciting because I never flown before,” Palangi recalled, laughing about how it transpired. “I threw up the whole way there as well because I didn’t take any meds. I didn’t think it’d be that bad but it happens. I still played an open mic that night though.”
Vomiting aside, Palangi (who hails from up-state New York) really enjoyed his time below the Mason-Dixon Line. “The food I loved down in the South, and the people were very kind,” he said. “The studios are amazing. You’re being thrown into studios that recorded Taylor Swift, Shinedown, and Johnny Cash to many great indie artists. It’s an excited/shock feeling almost to say, ‘I’m here’ and ‘Am I ready for this?’. I learned so much through the whole process.” His one regret? “I never got to see the Blue Bird though.”
In fact, Cash is one of his musical influences, along with bands like Metallica, Creed, Godsmack, Day of Fire, Hinder, Rev Theory, Three Days Grace, and Def Leppard.
A fan of rock, hard rock, and Christian music genres which have influenced his music, Palangi admits that his music has evolved as he has grown older.
“(My style) has changed as far as style of rock, progressions, structures, and song writing,” he said. “Lyrics I had written in 2008 on my demo CD aren’t like what they are today. I was very vague starting out and have worked on narrowing the idea of the song down better. Recording techniques have an influence in the way I sound now as well. It’s hard to explain but that process does change you and your sound.”
Speaking of Evolution, how and when was Palangi’s sound born?
Growing up in Upstate New York, Palangi would listen to his grandfather, who played a bit of violin and piano and his mom always listened to the radio while cleaning. While no one in his family knew how to sing or play guitar, the foundation for a love of music that his mom and grandfather provided allowed him to begin building his own sound.
“I got inspired after watching the movie ‘The Crow,’ starring Brandon Lee,” Palangi remembered about other moments that shaped him as a musician. “…a rock musician who gets brought back to life - I thought was so cool and that guitar solo he does on the roof top made me want to learn. The instrumentalist in me came out first with getting an electric guitar, then acoustic guitar, then bass guitar.”
Now a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Palangi feels the closest connection with putting together songs. “Recording is my strongest sense about me. I’ve always been curious with audio production and how to make things sound better and improve. I mean I love playing live shows but in the studio is where I feel the most relaxed and at home.”
11