Year : 1989 (FnA Records Edition 2014)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + front + Video
Size : 163 mb
Bio:
"April Fool" was born out of the ashes of "World War III", a band that drummer Walt "Wiggy" Kaye had been in. "Dizzy" Dean Davidson & Johnny Dee of "Britny Fox" were both drummers in that band. Kaye was working with "World War III" vocalist Tipa Sparrs (later of "Whitefoxx" and wanted to start his own band to jump onto the rising Philly club scene that several bands were getting record deals on. Adding guitarist Chris Rocus, bassist Chris Mock and, later, vocalist Dave Stradling. They recorded a 4 song demo at Dave Ivory's studio "Iris Sound" & started playing the Philly club circuit. The song "Bad Boy Willie" was getting decent airplay and the bands following really started growing. It's strange that Chris Mock decided to leave the band at this time, but he wound up joining the band "Sioux City". Roberto Lombardi and Kaye had known each other since Kaye auditioned for the band "Brat". Turns out he was auditioning Lombardi for "April Fool" also. Lombardi joined the band in the fall of 1988 and 3 weeks later they were out playing again. There was interest from CBS records around this time, so - once again, it was strange that Chris Rocus became uninterested in the band. That led to him being fired and, after many guitarist auditions, George Smith joined on guitar. The band took 2 months off and rehearsed the music, the show, the look....(well, it was the 80's) and did some promo shots to re-introduce the band. On June 8, 1989 the band re-debuted at the famous "Empire Rock Club". They were a hit right out of the box. The band had also added the beautiful Samantha Smith & actress Shannon Stiles ( of Bikini Island (1991) to live shows as The "Cover Girls". The band had a huge following, "Bad Boy Willie" was back on the air and management companies started sniffing around.So, in the summer of 1989 work on an 11 song recording at the "Galaxy" studios with engineer Robert Leese. Recording went very smooth and they were mixing in no time. The band was tight & rehearsed...vocals and all. The original cassette was released in the fall of 1989 and sold out. The band was opening shows for bands like "Heaven", "Britny Fox" & "Heaven's Edge" plus headlining their own shows at the "Empire", the "Galaxy", "Bonnie's Roxx", the "Velvet Lounge", the "Trocadero" and other venues from New York to Baltimore. The band would charter busses for fans, anything for fans. Some interest from McGee Enterprises (who managed "Bon Jovi", Motley Crue", "Scorpions" & "KISS" to name a few) was happening at this time, so the band decided to venture into the music video market. Two film students were hired to film some shows and work on music videos for the singles: "Cover Girls" & "Next Time Around" took place. The band appeared on the New York City cable show "Tucci Live" several times, plus Lombardi and Smith wrote the music for the Intro / Theme Song to the show which featured actress Lin Tucci as host. The 2 videos were being played everywhere and the 2 singles were on mainstream & indie radio alike. Fan letters, radio interviews, 2500 screaming fans in York, Pa. - The band was even part of the benefit shows for "Heaven's Edge" bassist G.G. Guidotti after he was shot outside of one of their shows.McGee Enterprises passed on the band. They wanted to replace one of the band members and the band refused. At the same time, "Dizzy" Dean quit "Britny Fox" and Stradling wanted to be their new singer. He quit the band & did audition, but obviously Tommy Paris got the job. So, again, auditions. Vocalist Jay J. Regan was brought in and the band had an incredible 1st show with him. The band started writing for the 2nd album, but the audience started to dwindle (it was now 1991 and "grunge" was starting to break big). The audience didn't totally accept Regan, as he was so different from Stradling and it really changed the sound of the band. After a show at the newly opened "Cell Block" and an argument over playing a "fixed"" band competition, Lombardi left the band to start his own band "The Rage". He was briefly replaced by former bassist Chris Mock for the remaining show. Around 1992, Stradling rejoined the band and they brought Joe Bisbing in on bass (later of "Britny Fox" offshoot "Razamanaz") and played for a while, mostly at the "Cell Block" before again going on hiatus. Later on in 1994, the band briefly reformed with Lombardi, Smith, Kaye and new vocalist Jerry Mihalcik, but after one show the band disbanded for good.
Album:
"April Fool" was formed in early 1988 by drummer Walt "Wiggy" Kaye who enlisted guitarist Chris Rocus, bassist Chris Mock and vocalist Dave Stradling. First order of business was a four song demo recorded at Dave Ivory's studio "Iris Sound". April Fool then hit the club circuit hard while the song "Bad Boy Willie" was receiving local Philadelphia airplay, resulting in the bands live concert following starting to grow.By the fall of 1988 Chris Mock decided to leave the band and was replaced by bassist Roberto Lombardi. At this point the band enjoyed interest from several major labels. During the negotiations in early 1989, Chris Rocus was replaced by guitarist George Smith. Three weeks after the lineup changes, "April Fool" was back out playing live to even bigger crowds up and down the east coast. The band also added dancers/sisters Samantha & Shannon Stiles to the show during the crowd favorite "Cover Girls"."Bad Boy Willie" was still on the radio and management companies also began showing interest in the band. In the summer of 1989 work began on an 11 song recording at the "Galaxy" studios with engineer Robert Leese. Produced by Roberto Lombardi, the album "Playin' to Win" was released in the fall of 1989, sold out, and a second pressing followed. Opening shows for bands like "Heaven", "Britny Fox", "TT Quick", "Bang Tango" & "Heaven's Edge", plus headlining their own shows at venues from New York to Baltimore, pushed sales even further. Videos for the singles "Cover Girls" & "Next Time Around" were produced and the band appeared on New York City cable television with the two videos/singles gaining airplay on mainstream & indie radio alike.When Dave Stradling decided to leave, the band hired vocalist Jay Regan, got right back out playing and began writing for the 2nd album, but the audience started to dwindle with the advent of grunge. This led to the departure of Roberto Lombardi who wanted to front his own band "The Rage".After Jay Regan left in 1991, Dave Stradling rejoined the band with Joe Bisbing joining on bass, but they played sporadically until mid 1993 when Dave Stradling again left. Joe Bisbing then followed suit to join Michael Kelly Smith in "Razamanaz". In mid 1994 the band again regrouped with a returning Lombardi joining Kaye, Smith and new vocalist Jerry Mihalcik. They played only one show before the band ended for good later that summer.The classic "April Fool" lineup of Lombardi, Smith, Kaye and Stradling and the music they made continues to draw interest from fans.
Line-Up:
Dave Stradling - Lead and Background Vocals, Keyboards
George Smith - Guitar, Background Vocals
Roberto Lombardi - Bass, Background Vocals, Percussion
Walt “Wiggy” Kaye - Drums, Percussion
Tracklist:
01. Cover Girls
02. Playin’ To Win
03. Take Away The Heartache
04. Bahama Mama
05. Help Me Understand
06. Next Time Around
07. Steppin’ Out
08. Borderline
09. Sleepless Nights
10. Bad Boy Willie
11. Can’t Stop Rockin’
12. Hey Molly (Bonus Track)
13. Chain Of Love (Bonus Track)
+ Video "Cover Girls" (Official Video)
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