Artist InformationBiography
Hey Rob,
I must tell you … as a veteran 25 year songwriter … I wish I'd written it myself.
- Alan Roy Scott, co-founder of the Unisong International Song Contest,
on My So-Called Democracy, 2007 Top 5 Winner (www.unisong.com/Winners11.aspx)
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, he wrote more songs, and formed Shoot The Messenger to express them. The songs are getting noticed. In 4 years, 11 songs have scored 24 awards in 7 national songwriting competitions, including The Billboard World Song Contest. More remarkable is that the 11 songs span the rock, pop, reggae, folk, and country genres.
Selected Awards:
6.12.09: Your Morning Smile lyrics are published in Shabdaguchha, an
international poetry journal distributed in 8 countries
6.01.09: What Did I Miss? scores Finalist in The Unisong International Song Contest
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
3.28.08: Alive won Finalist, The Great American Song Contest (Folk)
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
6.30.07: My So-Called Democracy won 4th Place in The Unisong International Song Contest, Topical/Political category, among 400 entries.
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)
12.6.06: Talki’n A Noose Too Far Blues won Finalist, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest
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:
• Presently: we perform 2+ hour shows at The Gizzly Pear in Greenwhich Village, every other Thursday; featuring guest singers.
• 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:
1- Quality songs: in 4 years, 11 songs have scored 24 awards in 7 national contests.
2- Great harmonies.
3- 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.
Instrumentation
Rob Frail: voice, guitar, percussion, songwriting
Tom Connolly: voice, guitar, bass,
Drums & Bass added as required.
Note: Rob plays all instruments, and sings all voices on all recordings at this site.
Discography
Links
| web site |