Vinyl Flux wins honours as Best Bar Band
BY JENNIFER CHORNLEY The VOICE
If the band members of Vinyl flux were searching for the gushing springs of the Fountain of Youth, they found it through performing iconic rock hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.
Established their bandin 2010, Joseph Minicucci, Dennis Ceci, Phil Saglimbeni, Max Turavani and Rob Cave have performed in a variety venues, from intimate pub settings to mainstream festivals in Niagara and throughout Ontario. Last year, the group gave 150 performances.
All members utilize their vocal talents led by Cave; Minicucci and Ceco play guitar; Saglimbeni works the bass, while Turavani plays the drums
Minicucci and Ceci have almost 45 years of music experience each, while the remaining members have 30 years.
“Everyone is equal in the band as each member has their own distinct piece of the puzzle,” said Minicucci.
“Yeah, we worked in the recording studios, wrote our own songs, had our music played on radio stations, but when we got together, we decided we will perform the songs we know and love the best,” Minicucci said.
When Minicucci approached Ceci about establishing Vinyl Flux, Ceci was hesitant as he did want to hang up the guitar, however he was convinced once Minicucci said, “We will play what we want to play with the right members.”
The pair have been performing together since the late 1960s and early 1970s, including recording original material.
Now, eight years later, Vinyl Flux have received the Niagara Music Awards’ honour for Best Bar Band three times, 2013, 2014 and again in 2018.
The Niagara Music Awards celebrates the best musical talent in the Niagara Region by annually recognizing local artists with prizes in 30 categories, including Rock, Jazz, Blues, Hip Hop and Female Vocalist.
Minicucci credits the band’s Niagara followers, as the award is a fan-generated honour.
“To have the following that we do, especially when they know we are playing in a new venue, it’s a really cool feeling.”
“We are meticulous, we pride ourselves on giving the audience a concert like experience,” he said. “To receive an award like this three times shows that we are the epitome of what a bar should be.”
Minicucci said the band’s ultimate goal with their performances is to take people back into time from an era of songwriting that “has never been replicated.”
Vinyl Flux has even received positive feedback from the Canadian rock bands they have covered, including Burton Cummings from The Guess Who, and one of the original songwriters of A Foot in Coldwater’s (Make Me Do) Anything You Want / Alone Together.
For Minicucci, the “Vinyl Era” brings back a flood of memories.
“I remember, to save a quarter, we would hitchhike to St. Paul Street every Saturday so we could go to Sam the Record Man and buy the latest record. Then, we would go to Diana Sweets and pore over the album covers and read the song lyrics.”
Vinyl Flux has followers of all age groups and for Minicucci, “Music is the string that connects all ages.”
The band name’s origin derives from the era of which the members grew up in, “Vinyl” and “Flux” meaning they can change and allow flexibility in playing a variety of musical acts and styles from different eras, spanning from the 1960s to 1980s.
Minicucci’s love for music derives from his family background. Both his uncle and father were opening act performers, touring extensively across Canada for major headliners.
“We had musicians in our house all the time growing up.”
He says he loves all instruments, but the guitar is his “weapon of choice, lifelong companion.” It’s Minicucci’s tool even when he worked on marketing and graphic design projects through his marketing agency.
“Music is conducive to my creativity.”
“My mom laughed at me one night when I fell asleep with the guitar in my arms looking as thought I was still playing.”
Performing the bar scene spans back into his mid-teens when he played six nights with a band that also owned a music store.
“My parents had a certain level of trust for them and were never worried.”
His favourite guitarists include B.B. King, Jimmy Page from Led Zepplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix.
Minicucci’s grandmother also encouraged his love for music.
“She was a pretty cool Italian grandma who loved Ed Sullivan and allowed me to listen to the same music my uncle did,” he said.
“I am blessed to have a balance in life where I can incorporate art and music into successful professional and musical endeavours,” Minicucci said.
“I was brought up to do what you love even if you don’t make a lot of money doing it.”
