Frank Casciaro

Frank is bass player and vocalist with HOTROD. Starting with piano lessons at age 6 and learning the guitar at age 8, Frank picked up the bass guitar when he was 16 and never put it down. Over the years he studied basics with folk bass original Dick Kniss (Peter Paul and Mary, John Denver) and harmonic technique with bass maestro Charlie Kniceley. His early influences included Chris Squire of Yes, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and the mighty James Jamerson (of Motown fame). He's been playing professionally since he was 16 years old. Hmmm? That would mean he was bar playing underage for two years. Nah, must've been just church hall stuff. The late 70’s found Frank playing locally with The John Street Market Band. Together with his brother Paul’s band Trilogy, they sold out many area shows while everyone involved were still in their teens. In 1980 Frank joined the band Direct Drive where he got to play with Ernest Carter, a soul/funk drummer who was featured on Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” single. This collaboration taught him great lessons in groove and rhythm. He joined with local favorites Max Flyer in 1981, making his recording debut at the legendary Bearsville Studios. In the late 80’s Frank joined with his brother Paul to form The Agency. The Agency played throughout the Northeast and appeared on several major bills, opening for such 80’s bands as: The Hooters Big Audio Dynamite The Fixx The Agency also toured with Talking Heads spinoff acts The Tom Tom Club and Jerry Harrison & the Casual Gods. After leaving The Agency, he became a regular on the Woodstock music scene playing in The Reptiles with Telecaster Master Chris Zaloom and funk metal 7 string guitar pioneer Flash (not to mention George from HOTROD on drums). Frank also got involved with performance art in a band called Lunchmeat, culminating with a gig at Woodstock '94 in front of over 190,000 people. In 1995, he was playing with his friend Dave Kennedy and soon joined George in the popular Hudson Valley cover band Daybreak. Around that time, Frank hooked up with his friend Bobby Weiss, playing and recording in the original rock band Mindride as well as forming the power pop trio Pajamazon. After those bands enjoyed some success and went their separate ways, Frank joined up with HOTROD. That was the summer of 1998. The rest is some really great recent history. Here is Frank and his daughter Victoria with a boyhood idol and hero, the architect of punk rock, Joey Ramone of The Ramones taken in 1995. Frank proudly endorses BagEnd Bass Speaker Systems and Veillette Guitars (and he only uses the best!).