37298859
Anyone can put out a record with today’s synthesized vocals and studio-produced albums; That’s why Tony Messina does it live.
“The album was recorded in New York at the Iridium Jazz Club,” Messina, from 11th and Wolf streets, said. “There are 13 cuts, nine American Songbook songs, like ‘My Funny Valentine,’ ‘On Broadway,’ ‘Georgia,’ ‘Blue Moon’ and then four originals, three of which I wrote.”
The album is Messina’s fifth, with one other live album on the books. Laying down the tracks, so to speak, was the best part, he said.
“I like doing live albums because there are people in the audience, you are in performance kind of mode,” Messina said. “The audience and you generate all this energy and they are applauding or not applauding and they are involved in the process.
“I really like the process of recording live.”
Audience reaction from those in attendance at the about 100-seat Midtown Manhattan club tipped Messina off that he has got something special on his hands. The promotional tour he began when the CD was released at the end of April has only served to bolster his confidence.
“I like it and I have been doing radio interviews and the radio stations like it. And you hope people are going to like it and they are going to buy it,” Messina, who now lives in Springfield, said. “Reaction has been very positive, even more than I thought.”
Messina, whose records have always had an international audience, took the cue from some special guests at the October 2008 Iridium performance and is branching out to a new market with this album.
“A lot of people were from Australia. It’s being promoted in the U.S. and I’m going to do some promoting in Australia,” he said. “The last couple of years have been really kind to my career — my albums have been sold around the world: Japan, Europe and now Australia.
For now Messina is focusing on local promotions, including a recent stop at Twenty Third Street Café in Center City that was a big success. Keeping things close to home — and especially close to his South Philly roots — is important.
“I have friends [still in the area], I do have some family. I know some great restaurants. Have you heard of Fitzwater Café? [701 Fitzwater St.] Oh, I love it, oh my God, and I liked the way they designed it. They play the new record there. So if you are in there make sure you request it,” Messina said. “It’s amazing, South Philly is just amazing, what a place. I love it; I just can see why I always loved it.
“It’s more Greenwich Village [in New York] cause it’s tighter and I can see why I moved from Philadelphia to New York and I felt comfortable in New York.”
Messina attended Epiphany of Our Lord School, 1248 Jackson St., before his family moved to West Philadelphia. His schooling continued at multiple locations, including time at the Philadelphia Musical Academy, St. Joseph’s Prep, the Manhattan School of Music and the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I started writing when I was a teenager. I was always interested in the words, poetry, short stories, even screen-writing classes,” Messina, who writes much of his own music, said. “I played the clarinet, tenor sax and piano. I didn’t know it was going to be my job, or I guess career.”
In high school, Messina took up acting in plays and continued theater training when he moved to New York. There, he also cut his chops with some B movies, which would prepare him for future roles when he moved to Los Angeles.
“The industry was there [in New York and Los Angeles] cause then, when I was there, I did ‘General Hospital’ many times and then ‘The Young and the Restless,” Messina said. “Lots of actors learned their craft from doing Roger Corman films. I was also a part of two bigger Mel Brooks’ movies, ‘History of the World’ and ‘Life Stinks.’”
While acting took off, singing took a backseat. Messina had always been a singer/songwriter at heart, so his move back to flexing his pipes was a natural shift.
“I had transitioned from L.A. to N.Y. and there was not a ton of acting coming at me. In L.A., I was fascinated with [acting] so I was letting go a little of the singing. Then all of a sudden a lot of singing was there, there were offers,” the 60-year-old, who cut his first album 12 years ago, said. “It kind of came back naturally and it wasn’t like I was pursuing it again.”
Booking private performances and local gigs, a Texas-based group asked for a demo from Messina. The singer/songwriter thought it was high time he put together a proper album and next came his first record, “This Is What I Am.”
“I do like doing both, there are a lot of people, singer/songwriters, and mostly they prefer the live performances as the writing process is secluded,” Messina said. “I’m gregarious and I’m outgoing and then I can also be alone and I can meditate and think and learn about the great philosophers.”
Besides his exciting film roles, Messina has had the chance to work with the likes of Johnny Carson, David Letterman and George Carlin, among others. A true life highlight was when Messina’s presence was requested at an annual celebrity golf tournament that brought him face to face with his idol.
“It was the greatest, it was like meeting God. I idolized Frank Sinatra, the world idolized Frank Sinatra … I got to meet him and I got to work with him and got close to Nancy and Frank Jr.,” Messina, who played in Sinatra’s annual charity event to raise funds for his California-based hospital for four years, said. “He liked me, he liked my singing and to have an endorsement from Frank Sinatra was like God endorsing you, well if you believe in God. So I thought, I must be good, this is scary!
“I learned stuff from him that I didn’t even learn from record producers about writing and what do to with songs that have been recorded — invaluable lessons from him about the things we discussed.”
Now, sitting at the top of his game, Messina is enjoying the view. He hopes to continue recording and is planning to aggressively promote the latest album while thinking about releasing an out-of-genre reggae tune called “Umba Zumba Happy Days” that he wrote and has made family and friends start tapping their toes in anticipation of its formal release.
“I actually, I’m doing much more writing now … I can really be anywhere now, all my nephews and nieces and all [are near my home] and I’m kind of getting to know them again.
“I’m having fun being with the family.”
37298864
37298854
