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A Permanent State of Creative Combustion
It came from respect to the first responders. Trying
to write positive lyrics and represent Departments and people who have
a bad day in situations and go straight to the Fireline (Law Enforcement,
Firemen, EMT’s, Military) and don’t run away.
Richie Cross, the lead vocalist of Fireline, began entertaining in elementary
school and attended the School of Performing Arts. He was bitten by the bug
after getting the part as an extra in a Bette Davis movie and has been acting
and singing ever since. He grew up around a lot of musicians, which not only
taught him what to do, but more importantly what not to do.
Fireline mounted the the stage on the dark
and stormy night of Thursday, May 2, 2013 like rodeo cowboys mount a
bull; they weren’t certain they were going to win the finals in
the Battle of the Bands contest which was to be decided that night, but
they knew they were going to give the die-hard crowd what it came for
- something to cheer about!
This band has all of the elements of what makes a good
story, great rock ‘n’ roll music and an exciting performance.
It formed a little over a year ago when Richie Cross, lead Vocals, hooked
up with Stephen Caputo, lead guitarist. This was synergy. Richie writes
the lyrics and Steve writes all the music. Add to this mix Stephen Caputo,
Jr., Bass, and Larry The Hammer on drums and you have one hell of a band.
No matter how good the members of a band are, however,
it takes practice to wow a seasoned South Florida Rock ‘n’ Roll
Crowd! And practice they did, twice or more a week for months, all the
while writing and refining lyrics and music. In addition to the core
writings of Richie and Steve, Sr., both Steve, Jr. and Larry had great
input to helping form what has become the signature sound of Fireline.
Unfortunately Steve, Jr. had to leave the band before Fireline began
competing in this contest, but as luck would have it, Bruce Cantrell
joined the band and totally caught the Fireline groove just in time. |
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And perform they did!
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But we are talking LIVE Music here! We
are talking battling it out with not just some of South Florida’s
finest Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands over the span of weeks and at
several venues, we are talking battling it out with the best LIVE Performance
Bands in South Florida as well. Experienced, talented musicians are a
must; practice, practice, practice, is a must, but when you are playing
Live and when you are in a battle with the best, you have to be able
to play AND perform! And perform they did!
For Fireline, winning this night was like “for
all the marbles.” They wanted to win to show how far they had come,
to legitimize they had what it takes to make it as a Rock ‘n’ Roll
Band, and to open for The Pat Traver’s band on that coming Saturday,
which was the big prize for winning the Battle of the Bands Contest.
It was a tough battle because the other bands were great,
too, but, as they say, at the end of the night, it’s not how many
were in the contest but who came home with the trophy and on this night,
the winner was Fireline! |
110% every time
Fireline believes in giving back to the community
and collects donations at every show to raise money for the Joe DiMaggio
Children’s Hospital Foundation. Their goal is to give 110% at
every show and to make the fans feel like they are part of it. “We
believe that, without you, there is no us
Yes, the fans deserve it. And yes, that’s what
it takes to win against the best South Florida has to offer and open
for a National Act like The Pat Travers Band. Or, as Andrew Earl Singer
put it in World Wide Entertainment Magazine “I should say The Pat
Travers Band closed for Richie and FIRELINE!!”
Congratulations to Fireline and to all the bands who practice hard and
entertain us so often here in Paradise.
Let me leave you with this: you owe it to yourself to
come and hear Fireline perform. Come to their next performance on Saturday,
June 22nd, 2013 at Premier
Billiards in Coral Springs; they’re
on fire! |
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