MitchAmatrudo-Drumming Demos

DRUMMING DEMO / BIO PAGE

1. "David Spinner and the Citizens"

Formed in the early 80's, this was my first "real" band after High School. David Spinner was the frontman for the "Simms Brothers Band", who were one of the most popular "local" Connecticut bands of all time. The Simms Brothers band recorded under a record label, and David Spinner himself had an impressive resume of background vocal sessions, working under producer / musician Nile Rodgers with artists who included David Bowie. When the Simms Brother Band disbanded, Spinner sought out musicians for a new project. Through a mutual contact, I was given the opportunity to audition, and it turned out I was just what he was looking for. We did our demo at Audio West Studio in West Haven, CT which at the time was not much more than some 24-track gear set up in a converted attic. These sessions included a 30 second spot of music for a radio commercial for a local clothing store, which resulted in me hearing myself on the radio for the 1st time ! A big buzz surrounded this band because of Spinner's history, and one of our earliest gigs was as the opening act for Cyndi Lauper at the World Famous "Toad's place" in New Haven, CT. Much to the chagrin of the band, Spinner retired from the music business shortly thereafter to pursue other interests.

Selections: "Acting The Same Way" (Spinner / Arancibio) 3:15 33569kb
(Ricardo Arancibio's guitar solo in this song is probably one of the best ever recorded)

"Hey Baby, Hey !" (Spinner / Arancibio) 4:06 42380kb

Mitch Amatrudo...drums
Additional musicians: David Spinner...vocals Ricardo Arancibio...guitar John Brown...bass

2. "Matisse"

Marcus Paul was a kid I went to High School with, who also lived in my neighborhood. He was rarely "spotted", however because he spent most of his teenage years in his room practicing guitar. Educated at the Berklee College of Music, Marcus became a greatly talented jazz guitarist, and was known throughout the town for his personal disdain of rock music. Every rock guy in town hoped that Marcus would turn around one day and want to start a rock band with them. One day in the mid-eighties i was the lucky drummer to get the call from Marcus, who said he was putting together a rock band. Always one to give 100% effort to all his endeavors, Marcus bought a huge lighting and PA system, and converted his parents' garage into a dedicated rehearsal studio. Along with several original songs penned by Marcus Paul, we did a lot of cover songs and soon were playing the clubs in CT to rave reviews. We recorded 8 songs, again at Audio West, but now the studio was in a newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility.

Selections: "Turn Thru The Night" (Jocis) 2:38 27251kb

"In Your Lonely Heart" (Jocis) 3:45 38776kb

Mitch Amatrudo...drums, all background vocals
Additional Musicians: Debbie Morse...vocals Marcus Paul...guitar David Overthrow...bass Gene "something"...keyboards

3. "Coven"

After Matisse disbanded in the mid-eighties, Marcus Paul, Debbie Morse, and myself remained together and formed what was later to be called "Coven". As Marcus Paul's passion drifted more from jazz toward hard rock, the band took on a harder / heavier sound than the progressive style of Matisse. In 1987, this trio decided to make the move to Hollywood. We picked up Los Angeles native Eddie Diaz as our new bass player, and finished the demo that we began to record earlier that year at Audio West. The demo was recorded and mixed at a number of studios in the LA area, and this band played at most of the famous Sunset Strip clubs for a couple of years before we went our separate ways.

Selections: "Forever" (Jocis) 4:11 43258kb

"Fallen Angel" (Jocis) 3:44 38614KB

Mitch Amatrudo...drums, high harmonies
Additional Musicians: Debbie Morse...vocals Marcus Paul...guitar Eddie Diaz...bass Bill Bergman...saxaphones

4. "Perfect French"

Perfect French was a project conceived by composer/singer/guitarist Jesse Cochran. Jesse called on Coven bassist Eddie Diaz, who joined the project and suggested that I would be a good drummer for the band, which also relied heavily on harmony vocals. While this was a fun project to be a part of, Diaz and I wanted to focus our efforts on the heavy metal scene, which was the "thing" in LA at that time. This was a constant problem for Cochran, as all of the musicians he liked for his band were all into the metal scene and would not commit to the band. Jesse was the most prolific songwriter I have worked with. One of those guys who would have a new batch of songs for us to "vote" on at each rehearsal, and always ending up with at least a couple of great "keepers". We played some live shows and did this recording at a nice studio right off Hollywood Boulevard, just a stones throw from the Kodak Theatre. As I look back, leaving this project was a mistake, but I recently caught up with Jesse, and the possibility of somewhat of a rebirth of this project is a future possibility. Stay tuned to Mitchamatrudo.com for updates.

Selections: "Trapped Again" (Cochran) 3:36 37169kb

"What Am I Supposed To Do" (Cochran) 3:57 40918kb

Mitch Amatrudo...drums, all harmony vocals
Additional Musicians: Jesse Cochran...lead vocals Mitch "something"...guitar Eric "something"...bass

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