Rod Piazza is a worker. His band, the Mighty Flyers, has been working the club scene since the 1970’s, churning out consistent performances of soulful blues music across the country. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Piazza became infatuated with the harmonica during his teen years when he realized how many guitar players were out there on the music scene. He formed his first band in 1967, and soon had established himself on the blues scene touring under his own name. "Here and Now" is the Mighty Flyers second release on Tone Cool Records. Rod Piazza has already tackled the problem of balancing a dedication to his work with his married life using a simple technique: his wife is a member of his band. In 1973, Rod met his future wife Honey Alexander, starting both the beginning of a new career for Piazza both personally and professionally. Honey Piazza has been performing musically with Rod since 1976, and formed the Mighty Flyers with Bassist Bill Stuve in 1980. Guitarist Rick Holmstrom and Drummer Steve Mugalian were added soon after. The band proceeded to establish a name for themselves touring the country, playing over 250 dates a year. While a number of blues acts might consist of one big name player and a makeshift band assembled differently a dozen times or more, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers are an exception to the norm. The bands’ sound is that of comfort and experience. The Mighty Flyers as a unit, while featuring a talented cast of individual musicians, demonstrate their abilities to function as a group. The secret being that no individual spends too much time in the spotlight, thereby allowing every member of the band to stretch out musically.
"Here and Now" is the Mighty Flyers second release on Tone Cool Records. Although the Flyers don’t stray too far from the contemporary blues sound, "Here and Now" demonstrates a variety of styles in one package. The disc opens with the optimistic "Brought Together by the Blues"; a story of how the blues brought Piazza together with his wife. Most people listeners usually associate blues music with hard times, so it’s refreshing to hear something upbeat. The band steps back a bit to allow Honey the spotlight on "First Love". Honey doesn’t disappoint, running up and down the keyboard flashy enough to make even Jerry Lee Lewis blush a bit. Guitarist Rick "L.A. Holmes" Holmstrom steps to the front on the uptempo instrumental "Spit Shine". Holmstrom’s playing combines a strong T-Bone Walker influence with the West Coast style of guitar playing. Piazza himself displays his talents on "Strat-O-Spheric", with a recognizable riff from the Little Walter catalog.
"Here and Now" displays a variety of styles in one package, ranging from the uptempo West coast swing rhythms of "Somebody’s Fool" to the pop sounding "Don’t Make Your Daddy Dizzy" to the romantic fifties mood of "Goodbye My Lover". The Mighty Flyers posses the ability to bring forward that rough-edge sound when necessary, yet add the element of the smooth, fifties sound within the traditional blues boundaries. On "Here and Now", the band does a real nice job presenting a complete blues package for their audience to listen to. Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers prove that good contemporary blues music never gets old.
Don Sikorski
***1/2