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By Jeff Inman It was just bad timing. Tony Fredianelli started Third Eye Blind with singer Stephen Jenkins back in 1994. The band scored a management deal. Enough money was coming in to enable Fredianelli to fly back and forth between his native Vegas and San Francisco. He'd played shows with the group up and down the coast. Fredianelli helped write hits like "Semi Charmed Life." But then the management deal dried up in '95. Jenkins couldn't afford to shuttle Fred-ianelli back and forth. He left the band, opting to start the Vegas-based Magik Alex. Soon after, 3EB's self-titled debut disc went big, "Semi-Charmed Life" becoming the first in a string of huge hits. It didn't bother Fredianelli much. At the time Magik Alex was getting some love from several record labels. "Stephen got a break and he sold millions of records," Fredianelli says. "And I was getting some industry attention. We were close to getting a nice deal." But then things started going sour. The labels pulled out. Magik Alex began to crumble. "We got caught in this intense spiral," Fredianelli says. "I turned around to the band to rally support. But I had written everything. And when I turned around I realized I didn't really have a band. I had put everything on the line for this and I realized to be the soul of a band and to break a band now is really hard." Magik Alex dissolved last year. But don't feel too bad for Fredianelli. It turned out to be perfect timing. 3EB's second album, Blue, had just come out. The band was set to tour. Jenkins called his old friend to see if he wanted to hit the road, playing keyboards and a little guitar. The next week Jenkins fired guitarist Kevin Cadogan. Fredianelli suddenly found himself officially back in his old band. "They offered me a deal and I offered them a solution. It worked out perfectly," Fredianelli says Since then Fredianelli has toured the country, stayed in posh hotels and lived the rock star life. It's given him a different perspective on his home town--Vegas' relatively small scene and its struggling players. "A lot of people in Vegas think that they're pioneering this scene and they don't even know the names of the GMs at record labels. But I know what it's like to get caught in the Vegas hype machine. Back in 1991 there was big talk that Vegas was the next music scene to bust out. In 1995 there was the same talk, and again in 1999. But nothing has happened. If you really want to do anything you have to look outward "I look at all these bands and think that they're just spinning their wheels. I don't want to be a dream crusher, but you have to have a dose of reality. Vegas is not the next big scene." That said, Fredianelli still sticks up for Vegas, giving local bands plugs whenever he can. He even wore a 12 Volt T-shirt when the band played on David Letterman's "Late Show." But Fredianelli has other things to think about besides local music politics. Third Eye Blind will tour through the end of the year. Soon after the band will head back into the studio to record a follow-up to Blue. Fredianelli says that he and Jenkins have already come up with a couple songs, but the rigors of road life don't always allow for creativity. "It's really hard to immerse yourself in the writing process while you're trying to promote an album," Fredianelli says. "You're dealing with the travel and jet lag and promotions and interviews. The time to write just fades away. But hey, that's rock 'n' roll." |