Anthony Picone

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT — Anthony Picone playing Fest

Anthony Picone is a Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist who grew up playing music in the suburbs of New York City. He picked up the guitar at the age of 11 and started performing in bars and nightclubs by the age of 18. He paid his dues performing in many different bands playing just about every style of music. For 8 years he played in one of the biggest rock bands in New Jersey, The Benjamins. In 2007 The Benjamins released an indie album with national distribution. They have appeared on national TV and radio. In 2011 he decided to launch his solo career and leave The Benjamins to relocate to Key West Florida. The laid back lifestyle, sunshine and diverse music scene has had a huge influence on his writing. He recently released his debut self-produced solo album “The Highest I’ve Ever Been.” The 10-song album is a fusion of Rock, Americana, Folk and Pop with catchy melodies and clever lyrics. The album is quickly gaining popularity and being played on FM radio all over south Florida. In addition to writing all of the music and lyrics, Anthony engineered, mixed and produced the album on his own. He performed all of the vocals, guitars bass and some of the keyboards on the album. While recording the album Anthony managed to write most of the songs for a follow up album to be released later this year.

“I’ve made the choice to record and release music independently without shopping for a major record label” says Anthony. “The music industry is in the worse place it’s that it’s been since it’s inception. Thanks to streaming and piracy, there’s no money in selling music. On top of that, major record labels are only signing and pushing crappy Country Pop and Dance Pop acts. The lyrics are infantile and the music is generic and predictable. There’s nothing wrong with Pop Music but there are ways to be both simple and interesting at the same time. Not to mention the fact that no one takes chances with production anymore. It’s as though every song on the radio was recorded, mixed and produced by the same people. I never write a song with the intention of pleasing anyone but myself. I simply translate what I hear in my head. Some songs turn out as pop songs, some don’t. I truly believe that if you write from the heart, sing and play every note with passion you’re audience will find you”

Filmmaking has always been Anthony’s second passion. In 2010 he wrote and directed a feature film called Long Road Home and has since directed an independent television pilot and several music videos. In addition to writing music he is currently writing several screen plays, television shows, documentaries and his own music videos. Anthony performs music regularly in most venues in Key West and will be touring the country to promote his album later this year with his band. “The Highest I’ve Ever Been’ is available for download and streaming on iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Play, Spotify, Rhapsody and more! You can check out his music and schedule and purchase CDs on the official website www.anthonypicone.com - Konk Life

Key West singer/songwriter Anthony Picone is set to release ‘In The Middle of Everywhere’. This record will be Picone’s first career solo album. Picone is the front man of popular Key West band TACKLEBOXX and stays busy playing several solo gigs at various venues each and every week in Key West.

An accomplished and talented guitarist, Picone’s wide vocal range and unique sound also make him one of the best male vocalists in Paradise. Since moving to Key West in 2011, Picone has quickly become a local favorite on the Island.

‘In The Middle of Everywhere’ will contain 10 tracks of original music and will be released sometime before Christmas.

Picone has a wide ranging style. His music can be categorized as Americana/Pop/Rock. His single ‘Respectfully’, which will be one of the tracks on the new record, was released as one of the songs on Bucky Montgomery’s popular ‘Best of Key West – Volume 1’ collaboration. The song has been well received and has become a local radio hit.

“Certain people in my life (past and present) as well as places that I’ve been, inspired most of these songs. Living in Key West has also been a huge inspiration and influence on my writing in general,” says Picone describing his inspiration for his debut album. “This is a special album for me because it’s the first time I’ve written songs without any collaboration. It’s also my first solo album and it’s recorded, mixed and produced by myself.”

Several local and other musicians contributed to the new record including Nate Laguzza & Luis Vera on drums, Ericson Holt played keyboards on 3 songs, Ross Brown played percussion on one song. TACKLEBOX bandmates Claire Finley and Rick Fusco each made contributions as well. Claire Finley played piano on one song and Rick Fusco makes a cameo guitar solo appearance.

“All of the tracks were recorded at my house here in Key West with the exception of the drums. Nate Laguzza recorded most of the drum tracks in his studio in LA. Luis Vera recorded 2 of the drum tracks at his home here in Key West.”

When asked who his musical influences are Picone replied, “I have too many to list but my earliest influences were JImi Hendrix, The Police, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Neil Young and The Beatles. I pretty much favor all of the music from the 60’s and 70’s.”

LOCAL LOVE is excited to hear ‘In The Middle of Everywhere’ and will certainly keep you posted as to when the official release date is announced. - Local Love Key West

Anthony was brought up in suburbs of New York City. As a child, he would sit and watch his neighbor’s garage band for hours. Eventually, his neighbor took him under his wing and taught Anthony to play guitar. He turned him on to bands like Zeppelin, Hendrix, Floyd, and The Beatles.

Anthony formed his first band in high school and began playing in bars by age 18. He attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music but quickly became bored with school and decided to drop out to free his time for playing original music with his band. He then played all over the New York City area with a mix of genres including funk, blues, jazz and alternative rock.

Soon Anthony moved to Hoboken New Jersey and joined an alternative rock band by the name of “The Benjamins.” They toured the country with covers and recorded a CD of their original music. They had a national distribution deal with Koch and appeared on national TV and radio opening for acts such as Cheap Trick, Goo Goo Dolls, and Third Eye Blind.
Their tour led them to Key West in 2011. About that time Anthony wanted to branch off from the band and develop his own career. He decided Key West would be a great place to reinvent himself as a solo artist.
Since then, Anthony has become a filmmaker and songwriter. He has combined all of his many talents and is currently in the process of recording his original music.
He plans to record 9 new songs, each of a different genre. These songs will be released individually with their own music videos. Each song will feature a Key West musician and every video will have an element that ties it to the next.
The videos can be strung together telling a story that creates a short movie.
Check out Anthony’s Facebook page for his schedule and updates on his new releases, - Keys Weekly