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Jane Ganahl
For Tony Fredianelli rejoining Third Eye Blind after playing tiny San Francisco clubs with the band in the mid-’90s must seem like jumping aboard a speeding train. The 29-year-old guitar ace was tapped to replace fired guitarist Kevin Cadogan while the band was playing a gig at the Sundance Film Festival last month; it's been a whirlwind of TV shows and appearances ever since - including The Tonight Show. But this is his first interview, and if he's at all nervous, he's hiding it well behind his omnipresent mirrored shades. Singer Stephan Jenkins takes his leave after razzing his old friend mercilessly over breakfast ("He's the new kid and we love to torture him. But he takes it well"), and Fredianelli meets the press. Guitar.com: This isn't your first encounter with Third Eye Blind Tony Fredianelli: I was their first guitar player, in ’93-’94. They were working on songs for the first album and I helped with the guitar parts, but I didn't write any of it. I moved to Las Vegas because I'd fallen in love, and I didn't have the money to go back and forth. And I had my own band [Magic Alex] in Vegas. So it made sense to drop out. Kevin and I were both in the band at the same time for about a second. But Stephan always said that some day I would play with them again Guitar.com: You have a fair amount of history in San Francisco, even when you weren't living here. Fredianelli: Yeah, when I was 16 and growing up in Southern California, I made guitar instrumental records on Shrapnel Records. I was also in a band here on Tommy Boy Records called Philbrite. In between, I did a lot of studio work around the country, and in Nashville. But I was always coming to San Francisco for something. It's how I met Stephan. Guitar.com: What has it been like watching Third Eye Blind from a distance these past few years? Fredianelli: It's been amazing to watch them go. And joining now is like stepping into a Fellini movie! It's Like a traveling circus -- like someone went, "action" and someone said, "Turn this way and meet Jay Leno!" It's like the director is God and I'm just trying to play my role. Guitar.com: Maybe it's all in the timing. Fredianelli: Right. If there is a god, he's looking out for me. If he'd let me have these things ten years ago I could not have handled them. But now I think I'm ready. Guitar.com: So in six months you won't be pulling rock star attitude? Fredianelli: (laughs) No, I'm not worried about losing my ground. I think it really depends on the harmony you create around yourself, whether you create joy or chaos. These guys are all grounded. I think that the danger of this life is when you buy into your own hype. Guitar.com: You and Stephan seem very tight. Fredianelli: He's a great guy. And I think he's really underestimated as a guitar player. He has a great rhythmic sense that can really inspire a lead guitarist. Probably that's because he's also a drummer. But I think people underestimate what a great musician he is. And I think there's a misconception that he's like this now because he's a rock star, but he's the same guy he was when we were sleeping on each other's couches. He always had that flair, that energy. Guitar.com: He was joking that you're from the "dark side" -- that you're a scary guy. Fredianelli: (laughs) I don't think I'm bringing any dark energy, I think I'm only bringing light. They've gifted me and now I'm gifting them. There's this total positive charge, this total joy. What else is it all about? Guitar.com: Are you concerned about how fans will respond to Kevin's departure? Fredianelli: I don't really want to talk about that, but I think people will see that this new incarnation, this new Millennium of Third Eye Blind is a real cohesion of people onstage, where the music seems to come from somewhere else, and everyone feels good. Guitar.com: Why were you already at the Sundance gig? Fredianelli: I was playing keyboards and guitar. I was going to be the utility guy in the band. It got pretty crazy after that. Guitar.com: Will you be making any sacrifices to join the band? Fredianelli: Time with my wife and son Joseph in Las Vegas. It will be hard, but this is a great opportunity. I've been in such a whirlwind that I haven't had a chance to process what it will be like being away from them. Anyway, how much would my son respect me if I didn't grab the chance to go and do it? I look at life as a grand story, and this just another great chapter. Fame is not everything. You have to stay grounded and remember who you are, and where you came from. |