FRANCIS RODINO
Francis Rodino (Independent)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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This is an English quartet with some songs you should hear. Rather than go the tried and untrue route of a million failures, Francis Rodino and his mates are doing things their way, pitching their tent on the Web and offering six of the seven songs on this demo CD for download in MP3 format. They have plans for a full length release sometime this year and they're betting you might just come back for that if they get their considerable hooks in you. I'm betting on same, and I'll even aid and abet by giving you the URL for their website, which is http://www.francisrodino.com/ . Rodino's pop tunes sound simple, as a good pop tune should, and they stick with you from the first listen. "I Don't Think So" is a cool little pop gem with a feel-good beat and some fine playing from everyone. Fine playing from everyone... That can be said for all of this. Originally a trio with Rodino singing and playing guitar, Mike Read on bass and Sam Gerard on drums, they've recently added lead guitarist Chris Minas to power up the sound. This is exactly the kind of band we've been keeping tabs on around here, because we want to see if the Internet can be a viable tool for helping a truly talented band get around the usual channels and do well on their own. Feel like taking part in the grand experiment? You'll feel like you're doing your part for the cause AND you're going to discover one very good band in the process.

© 2002 - DJ Johnson