FUZEK-ROSSONI

ABOUT

We always felt we were a bit ahead of our time, we were too folk for rock and too rock for folk but thirty-five years later our songs are as relevant and as fresh as the day that they were written” A very popular duo in their day, Fuzek•Rossoni was formed more than thirty-five years ago. The musical chemistry was immediate and they began writing songs. In a few months they released their first recording, Living with the Fury and the Fire. This recording and the duo went onto win many awards in the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll of 1990. Together they created songs that dealt with such issues as relationships, politics and the environment. Tight harmonies and nice blends of both rhythm, lead and fingerstyle acoustic guitar were their trademark. They released a second recording Waking Up from the American Dream and also contributed to many compilations and toured extensively around the Northeast. Fuzek•Rossoni were the driving force behind the beginnings of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association and Hear In Rhode Island. After 7 years together they decided to take a break. They remained great friends but worked on independent projects. John produced and worked at music festivals before reigniting his music career and Mary Ann began a successful solo career as well as stint with Rumors Fleetwood Mac Tribute. Today they are both accomplished, busy, solo performers and also members of bands: Mary Ann-Dragon Fly Marie and Midnight Honey; John-Forever Young-Neil Young Tribute, and CatMoonShadow-Cat Stevens Tribute. They still get together to play and write music as well as the occasional live show. Hear the songs that they were known for and why they earned multiple music awards in their day. Their music is still very relevant today.
HISTORY Since the mid 80's John had been performing solo in Rhode Island and Massachusetts but wanted to be in a duo. He had been inspired by Aztec-Two-Step and Buckingham-Nicks. He had tried, unsuccessfully, three times, to form a duo. Each time he found someone, rehearsals would begin but they never amounted to any public performances. He was going to give up. Frustrated after the third time a duo partner didn't pan out John remembered an ad that was running right below his in Providence's NewPaper. A woman was looking for another woman to form a duo. He obviously wasn't the proper gender but he figured he would give it a shot anyway. He halfheartedly responded to the ad, it was a PO Box. He scribbled out a short note and stuck it in the mail. Weeks went by and John forgot about the note that he had sent. One night John's phone rang and the voice on the other end of the line said that she was calling about the note that she had received in the mail. It was Mary Ann Rossoni. The two talked on the phone for a couple of hours and learned that they had a lot in common. At the close of the conversation John said to Mary Ann, â€œI am playing a gig in a couple of days, why don't you come? If you like what you hear then introduce yourself, if not, then just leave and we will skip thisâ€?. Mary Ann, went to the show, heard John, stayed, and they met in person. The musical connection was there. They got together and tried performing but it was a bit awkward at first. They agreed to try it again another time. They kept in touch but did not get together again for a couple of months. Then the Newport Folk Festival rolled around. They heard about a songwriter stage that didn't require tickets. They took their guitars and headed to Newport. At the stage they saw a few friends performing and one of them helped the two get into the main area of Fort Adams to attend the festival. As they leaned back on their guitar cases in the crowd of festival goers they listened to the music, talked, and came to the realization that they could play this kind of music. They agreed to try rehearsing again. They spent hours playing music together a few days a week and soon they had written their first song together. Then another, and another. They booked a show at Rhode Island College's Coffeehouse. At that point the show was two months off and they didn't have enough material yet but wrote and rehearsed as much as they could. The show was a success and they began their musical journey recording and performing around the Northeast. Ironically, many years later they discovered that they actually had met as teenagers. John and Mary Ann were in the same Saturday morning painting class in 1973! Typical Rhode Island!
BIOGRAPHY: (Fuzek, age 64, is from Smithfield, RI) John Fuzek is a Rhode Island based, award winning singer-songwriter-guitarist that has been performing around the Northeast and various points in the US for close to 40 years. His folk-rock sound,unique guitar playing and vocal style has won him awards, fans and critical acclaim. John’s original songs touch on the environment, politics, social issues, history and relationships. John has performed around the Northeast and various other spots in the US at prestigious venues and festivals. Among the MANY performers he has shared the stage with are Steve Forbert, Judy Collins, Livingston Taylor, Crash Test Dummies, Paula Cole (Grammy Award Winner), and Kevin Bacon. He has recorded full length or contributed songs to ten CDs that have been heard around this country and in others as well. In addition to his solo work, John plays with the award-winning band Forever Young- A Tribute to the Music of Neil Young. He also formed Hear In Rhode Island, a non-profit arts organization that has produced CDs, many showcases, concerts and festivals including The Rhode Island Folk Festival. www.JohnFuzek.com John Fuzek (additional info) He twice won the honored Best Male Vocalist category in the Providence Phoenix (RI’s Largest Entertainment Weekly) Best Music Poll. In September 2003, John was named one of RI’s Most Influential People in the Arts by the Providence Phoenix. A Dog’s Age was chosen by the Providence Phoenix as one of the BEST ACOUSTIC CDs in RI of 2004. In 2005 he was nominated in the Best Folk Act category of the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll. In 2007 he was nominated as the Best Male Vocalist in the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll. In 2008, the band, FOREVER YOUNG, that John founded, won the BEST TRIBUTE/COVER ACT AWARD in the MOTIF MUSIC AWARDS and won again in 2010, 11, 12, 13 and several more times. FOREVER YOUNG won the BEST TRIBUTE BAND in the 2014 LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE AWARDS. In May of 2009, John was awarded the "ARTISTIC VISION AWARD" by Motif Magazine and he also received a "CITIZEN CITATION" from Mayor David Ciccilline of Providence for his work with the Rhode Island Songwriters Association. In March of 2015 John was honored as as one of 25 outstanding alumni of CCRI's 64,000 graduates from the past 50 years. John is a graduate of Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island. He earned an Associates of Fine Arts degree from CCRI. He also received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts degree from Rhode Island College. His major concentrations were in Graphic Design Photography, Painting and Art History. John has worked as a Freelance Photographer and Freelance Graphic Designer. He runs the non-profit organization, Hear In Rhode Island that has produced festivals, concerts and recordings. Through this organization he has worked production with The Newport Folk Festival, Rhythm and Roots Festival, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, The Providence Waterfront Festival and many others. John has produced several CDs and created the artwork for many as well. Currently John writes "Roots" music column, hosts a podcast and contributes concert photographs for MOTIF MAGAZINE, a Providence, RI based publication. He is also the president emeritus and a founding member of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association. John produced many performances and coordinated many activities for the group. He is a past board member of the North East Regional Folk Alliance and Stone Soup. John is a vegetarian, is as environmentally friendly and as nice to animals as possible.
MARY ANN ROSSONI (Rossoni. Age 67, is originally from Johnston but currently resides in Providence) After years of touring nationally, Mary Ann has come full circle back to her songwriting roots and performing solo acoustic. She still says, “It's all about the song” and remains very active in the songwriting process. Mary Ann is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, lyricist and arranger. Her music can be characterized as urban-folk and Americana. In addition to her own recordings, others have included her songs in their projects: Timber & Nails was included in a Habitat for Humanities CD released by Notable Works; “Safe Zone” is featured in a documentary film on homelessness (NBC), and recording and touring artist Caroline Doctorow recorded “Measure My Love” on her CD Sweet to Me. Mary Ann has released eight CDs, her most recent being Edentown. Her catalog of music can be streamed on Pandora, iTunes, Spotify and many other on-line services. She is currently working on a new release of original piano compositions inspired by ballads and love songs written in the 50s. Says People Magazine, “Rossoni is not a performer who has been isolated from the world beyond music. When she sings about the ardors of hard work, she's convincing” she is able to extrapolate her personal experience into universally relevant tales. The Cleveland Times says, Rossoni has a gather-round voice that invites sympathy for the straightforward tales of hard-scrabble life a sort of distaff Bill Morrisey, she brings a warmly feminine vision to her music, a sort of home at the end of the lonely road. Her guitar playing is exceptional; it's nimble without off-putting flash as it curls around her voice like smoke from a campfire sing along. Along with her musical ventures, and never playing second fiddle, has been her passion to paint. Mary Ann is a Rhode Island School of Design graduate with a BFA in Illustration. Her paintings, much like her music, tell a story. She is a member of the noted Providence Art Club (now in it's 144th year), and shows her work regularly in group exhibitions. Mary Ann is an Elixir Strings endorsement artist and serves on the boards of: Notable Works and the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. To learn more about Mary Ann visit www.rossoni.com Together and separately they have shared the bill with: Tom Rush, Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), Dan Fogelberg, Christopher Cross, Steve Forbert, Livingston Taylor, Paula Cole (Grammy Award Winner), The Beach Boys, Boz Scaggs, Richie Havens, Kevin Bacon & The Bacon Brothers, River Phoenix and Aleka’s Attic, The Marshall Tucker Band, Tom Rush, Don McLean, Willie Nelson, Marshall Crenshaw, John Gorka, Cheryl Wheeler, Michelle Malone, Richard Shindell, Susan Werner, Iris Dement, Christine Lavin, Aztec-Two-Step, Chris Smither, Josh Ritter, Bill Morrissey, Patti Larkin, Ellis Paul, The Neilds, Paul Geremia, James McMurtry, Jeffery Osbourne, Bill Harley (Grammy Award Winner), White Buffalo, Deer Tick, Don Henry-(Grammy Award Winner), Jules Shear-the original host of MTV’s Unplugged, Jack Hardy Fast Folk Music Magazine founder, Devonsquare, and many more...
THE CONNECTION OF JOHN FUZEK AND MARY ANN ROSSONI was responsible for many musical institutions in Rhode Island. In 1993 John was dealing with writer's block. Mary Ann found a flyer about a newly formed group called The Rhode Island Songwriters Association. John attended a meeting and found that the new group consisted of only a few people. He offered suggestions (his two cents became five dollars) and the group was handed over to him. He created the RISA logo which is still used today, increases the membership, started workshops and showcases and gained notoriety for for organization. He serves as the president for many, many years. Mary Ann Rossoni also served as president and board member as well. RISA has been going strong for 31 years! From RISA, John formed Hear In Rhode Island, now in its 25th year, as a separate organization to produce concerts and festivals. This was the original mission of HIRI - "Hear In Rhode Island gets you to listen to the home grown music of Rhode Island. There are many, many great singer/songwriters/bands and music makers in this state.â€? The official mission of Hear In RI is: To encourage and foster the composition of original music by Rhode Islander performers and songwriters and to provide performance opportunities for these artists. Hear In Rhode Island, Inc. was initially established to produce the Hear in Rhode Island Festival but has expanded its scope to produce and present other events such as showcases and workshops. It is a recognized 501 (3) (c) non-profit organization and operates under 501 (c) (3) of the IRS code. From 1994-2000, the Hear In Rhode Island Festival was a free two day festival that showcased the original music of local artists. HIRI also produced a songwriter stage at the Newport Folk Festival from 1994-2003 and the Point Stage at Bold Point Park concerts as well as the Providence Folk Festival/Rhode Island Folk Festival. In the past they have also worked with: Newport Concert Series/Sunset Festival, The Towers in Narragansett, Stone Soup Arts Foundation, Fast Folk, Blackstone River Theatre, Roger Williams National Memorial, Convergence Festival. Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
OTHER THINGS THAT PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN PLACE HAD JOHN AND MARY ANN NOT GOTTEN TOGETHER: The countless friendships, musical collaborations and yes, even relationships that occurred due to HIRI and RISA! John writing for Motif Magazine for over 20 years- was a direct result of work he was doing with RISA and Hear In Rhode Island. Mary Ann contributing articles to Motif Magazine and Northeast Performer Magazine. The annual Goddess Show for women. (Mary Ann) Women on the Verge Shows (Mary Ann) The Downtown Sundown Series (John) Mary Ann being part of the board of The Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame Mary Ann and John being Board Members of Stone Soup The Somerville Songwriters Sessions music series in MA (John) Voices Under Cover Shows (John) Their bands: John's Forever Young- A Tribute to the Music of Neil Young since 2006, CatMoonShadow-Cat Stevens Tribute solo project Mary Ann's: The Rossonians, Rumors-Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Dragon Fly Marie, Midnight Honey, The Defrosters