Hey Rob, I must tell you … I wish I’d written it myself.
- Alan Roy Scott, co-founder of the Unisong International Song Contest,
commenting on Frails’ Top Five Winner, ‘My So-Called Democracy’
www.unisong.com/Winners11.aspx
The Elevator Pitch:
Bob Dylan meets David Byrne; they fall in love, & have babies named XTC & Barenaked Ladies.
Shoot The Messenger was formed by musician/songwriter Rob Frail, and has been performing in music festivals and local New York City clubs since 2004.
They perform as a folk duo (guitar, percussion), or rock quartet (guitars, bass, drums). Longtime collaborator Tom Connolly plays guitar and sings.
They are sometimes referred to as The Rob Frail Two.
Since Frail discovered songwriting contests in August of 2005, he has 10 songs that have scored 21 awards in national songwriting contests, including The Billboard World Song Contest, Unisong Song Contest, & American Songwriter Magazine.
Those who hear their music love it.
The Escalator Pitch:
When 16 year-old high school gymnast Rob Frail got tired of the low pay of his first job (doing back flips for beer at Reidys’ Tavern in his native Patchogue, NY), he went to work in an electronics factory making noise generators. Here, Frail found his true calling: making music. As his songwriting skills matured over the years, his music departed substantially from its’ initial strong resemblance to noise.
Later, when Frail was laid off from a computer programming gig in 2003, he wrote more songs, and formed Shoot The Messenger to express them. The songs are getting noticed. In 3 years, 10 songs have scored 21 awards in 7 national songwriting competitions, including The Billboard World Song Contest. More remarkable is that the 10 songs span the rock, pop, reggae, folk, and country genres:
Selected Awards:
- 1.2.09: Your Morning Smile lyrics are selected for publication in Shabdaguchha, an
international poetry journal distributed in 8 countries, circulation 500 - 8.14.08: Both My So-Called Democray and When I Rule The World win Honorable Mentions in The Billboard World Song Contest
- 6.22.08: Alive lyrics are published in the 2Q 2008 issue of Shabdaguchha, an international poetry journal distributed in 8 countries, circulation 500
- 3.28.08: Alive won Finalist, The Great American Song Contest (Folk);
see www.greatamericansong.com/honorary.html, scroll down to Rock/Alt. category - 8.8.07: No Ordinary Visionary & Bleeding Heart won Finalist in American Songwriter Magazines’ Lyric Contest, Sept/Oct issue
- 8.2.07: Bleeding Heart & Alive won Honorable Mention, 2007 Singer/Songwriter Awards Round 3
- 5.31.07: What Did I Miss? won Finalist in American Songwriter Magazines Lyric Contest, July/Aug issue
- 3.29.07: On & Off won Honorable Mention, 2007 Singer/Songwriter Awards
- 3.15.07: This Is Why Life Sux won 4th Place among 800 entries, The Great American Song Contest (Pop); see www.greatamericansong.com/winners.html
- 12.6.06: Talki’n A Noose Too Far Blues won Finalist, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest;
see www.saw.org/masc/masc23/masc23.asp, scroll down to Open category. - 8.25.05: The Royal We won Honorable Mention, American Songwriter Magazines’ Lyric Contest, Sept/Oct 2005
Great Performances
STM has been performing once per month in NYC since 2004, and has evolved into a notable live act. Longtime collaborator Tom Connolly (guitar/vocals) adds vocal harmonies for which Shoot The Messenger has been acclaimed. Rhythms sections are added as the mood strikes. Some highlights:
• 2008: we had a 10 month residency at The Back Fence, where we played 3 hour shows.
• 2006: we got to play CBGB 3 times
• we were selected to perform in many festivals.
Flexibility is the hallmark, whether performing as an acoustic guitar duo, or a rock quartet; either way, great songs & harmonies rule.
Festivals
We were selected to perform in the following festivals. We performed in all, except Avalon and Black Potato:
• Avalon SongFest, 8/9/08, WV;
• The Black Potato Festival, NJ, 7/5/08;
• Cape May Singer/Songwriter, 3/7/08;
• Midpoint Music Festival, Cincinnatti, OH, 9/26/06;
• MEANYFest, NYC, 3 years running, 2005 – 2008.
Influences
Influences such as Dylan, Muddy Waters, U2, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols inspire songs of compassion and protest.
Influences such as Talking Heads, XTC, Barenaked Ladies, Eddie From Ohio, and Frank Zappa give songwriters permission to write with humor.
Frail plays voice, guitar, bass, drums, and blues harp, and is continually producing his songs in his Pro Tools-based studio as he writes them. He started guitar at an early age, and has gone through many learning phases: blues; classic rock; jazz; alt rock; and funk.
In fact, Frail takes lessons with jazz-fusion legend Larry Coryell during Larrys’ annual pilgrimages to The Blue Note or Iridium. This explains why you may hear some Charlie Parker or Wes Montgomery lines in a Frail guitar solo.
Shoot The Messenger is known for these 3 things:
- Quality songs: in 3 years, 10 songs have scored 20 awards in 7 national contests.
- In performance, Frail is known for vocally scatting along with his guitar solos, a la George Benson; Frail takes it a step further by harmonizing his guitar lines with his voice.
- Unique cover song arrangements. Eg, we do What’s So Funny… (Elvis Costello) with reggae verses, then double the time on the choruses for a ‘punk’ effect.