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by Cindy Starr
Since
the age of 10, Staten Island born Joseph (‘Jaycee’) Cannizzo & his
electric guitar have been creating magic with music. Jaycee formed
JC Crossfire, a modern blues band and after blowing up New York’s
hottest clubs, hemoved to South Florida. For the last 10 years, they
have been performing in a huge variety of venues, including clubs,
festivals, casinos and even private events. Recently getting
the recognition they deserve. JC’s relatable & realistic
lyrics and the band’s
rockin’ performance are addictive to any audience, anywhere.
CS: How long has your band been together?
What are your band mates names?
JC: I formed the band in 1997 in Staten Island, New York. I moved to
South Florida in 2003 and have been playing here since then. Anthony Calabria
on bass & vocals, Bernie Rose on keyboards & vocals
and Guido Marciano on drums.
CS: What is your sound, what kind of music would you
say your band plays?
JC: I would describe it as modern blues/blues rock. |
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CS: What was the inspiration for the band name?
JC: I started writing originals while I was performing a tribute to SRV from
1994 to 1996 called Crossfire. When I released my first CD I put my initials
in front of Crossfire.
CS: Does your band play only original music?
JC: I’d say we play about 45% original music and the rest cover songs.
CS: It’s always wonderful to encounter
an original band. As far as writing music goes, can you tell me who writes the music and lyrics and a little about your creative
process?
JC: On the last record we put out, the keyboard player (Bernie Rose) wrote
and sang one tuneand my bass player Tony co-wrote two songs on the CD, but
I write the majority of the music and lyrics. Sometimes I write the lyrics
first, sometimes the music. The best is when I write both at the same time
and the song is written in 20 minutes. I mostly write about my life (good or
bad).
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CS:
Are your venues limited to a particular area?
JC: We play all over the place, wherever our manager books us, basically.
CS: What are some of your musical
influences?
JC: Well, Stevie Ray, of course. Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton...
the list goes on.
CS: There are so many ways today
to advertise with all of the social media outlets. What is the main
way that you promote JC Crossfire?
JC: Our agent books our shows and promotes us. He is with
Bluzpik Media Group. Social media also comes into play with Twitter and
Facebook being great ways to reach out to a greater audience. We have
songs on ReverbNation which allows people all over the world to hear
our music right from their computer.
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CS: Have you recorded any music?
JC: Yes, we just released our third CD, titled " "When It Comes To The Blues".
In 2010 we released our 2nd CD titled "In The City" and in 1997 my first CD
titled "Don't Say You Love Me". We also had a song featured on a compilation
CD "Keeping The Blues Alive Volume 2".
CS: What would you say is different about your most recent CD compared to
your older albums?
JC: That’s a great question. I would say the longer you do it, the better
you get at it, so the newer music is more polished. It’s harder to capture
that live sound in the studio which isn’t easy without all of the people
giving you that good live vibe in the studio, but we’ve definitely gotten
better over the years. Still, when you have the headphones on and you’re
trying to get the music perfect even though it’s just you staring at
a wall, it’s not as easy as playing to a crowd. The key thing is to have
a good song so the DJ’s play it and it gets the fans attention.
Check out their website jccrossfire.com or weekendbroward.com
for upcoming show dates. You won’t want to miss the vigorous vocals and the riveting,
rocking performance that this unique band provides. It doesn’t matter
if you aren’t a huge blues fan, JC Crossfire’s mix of hearty blues
with a modern pop edge will captivate your consciousness! |
