The Hot Frittatas

Northern California’s liveliest ensemble for international café music: Italian, Sicilian, French, Mexican, Brazilian, and more. The Hot Frittatas consists of fiddle, mandolin, accordion, guitar, and bass. The Frittatas have produced two critically acclaimed CDs, Caffe Liscio (2001) and Invitation to the Dance (2004), and are busy recording a third CD (coming soon). Their spirited performances include the Cotati Accordion Festival, The San Francisco Mandolin Festival, COPIA Center of Napa, Sonoma County Fair, Marin County Fair, Italian Festas in Santa Rosa, Reno, Nevada, and Portland, Oregon, just to name a few. They have also appeared on the nationally-syndicated radio show, West Coast Live, in San Francisco, and have written original music for television and film. A favorite in the Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma Counties.
Gus Garelick
(violino e mandolino)
Gus began studying classical violin as a child in Detroit, but soon discovered the beauty of the mandolin, listening to his relatives from Eastern Europe, and visiting Italian and Greek cafes in Detroit, New York, and finally San Francisco. Since the early 70s, he has played Bluegrass, Country, Cajun, and jazz violin with such diverse groups as Dan Hicks, Queen Ida, Jim Boggio, Hank Williams Jr, Tommy Thomsen, and many others. He was also a member of the Berkeley Mandolin Ensemble in the early 80s, where he revisited the joys of mandolin music and Italian Ballo Liscio. Gus works at KRCB Radio in Santa Rosa, an NPR affiliate station, where he produces programs about traditional fiddling, mandolins, accordions, and world music.

Dennis Hadley
(fisarmonica)
As a child in San Leandro, California, Dennis had two musical mentors: Frankie Yankovic and Hank Williams. When Rock music drove the accordion deep underground, Dennis discovered Cajun and Zydeco music and kept up his chops until accordion suddenly became popular again, even in Rock music! In the meantime, Dennis expanded his interests on the accordion, including Italian and Gypsy and French styles of music. He plays a Bugari accordion and still likes Frankie Yankovic, but with a touch of Clifton Chenier and a dash of Italian flavors.

Don Coffin
(chittara e mandolino)
Don was raised in an Italian/Irish household in Petaluma, California. He has been performing music for international audiences for several decades. From 1971 to 1978, he recorded and toured with his wife, songwriter Kate Wolf. In the 80s, he toured Europe with The Eclecticatz, an acoustic trio playing Celtic, Cowboy, Country, and Swing. Since then, he has continued to explore both his Irish and Italian roots, and plays with numerous groups in Sonoma County and his new home in Lake County.