Arts N.C. State invited virtuoso guitarist Frank Vignola to Titmus Theatre for a concert. Instead, Vignola gave the audience a full-on performance.
Vignola delivered a show reminiscent of gypsy street performances. Balanced in even proportions were his raw and unchallenged skills with the guitar and his almost-cheesy sense of humor. Vignola was unafraid to dance badly, play beautifully and mock his sidekick, Vinny Raniolo.
As he began a rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake ACT I Finale,” he and rhythm guitarist Raniolo began to prance around, leaping into the air and lunging across the stage without skipping a beat.
While playing Mendelssohn’s “Violin Concerto in E Minor,” the two began to stand on one foot. They played perfectly in rhythm as they hopped about, trying to knock the other over at various points throughout the piece.
Comedy never took a back seat to the music. Vignola passed freely from song to song, playing around with Beethoven’s Fifth and dramatically breaking into Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Vignola exercised his flexibility with the guitar by taking suggestions during the intermission and encouraging the audience to sing along to his lyrical songs.
Raniolo always seemed uninformed of Vignola’s antics and jokes. When Vignola would jump, Raniolo had to watch and follow, when Vignola nudged him, he had to make time to nudge him back. He was always a step behind with their skits, but when they played guitar, he was unafraid to surge side-by-side with Vignola in playing high-speed and complex riffs.
Jokes aside, Vignola and Raniolo are both exceptional guitarists. Jazz guitar legend Les Paul has named Vignola as one of his top five admired guitarists. Vignola played on a regular basis with Paul while he lived in New York, and he dedicated a song to his fellow musician in the middle of the performance.
Vignola played on a beautiful guitar with a cut-out classical body, a black wooden pick guard, an electrical pick-up at the fret board position and chrome frets. Even the paint job was impressive, a Flame Maple reminiscent of the original Les Paul guitars. Raniolo played a steel-string guitar with a blue rosette inlay.
Vignola showed on stage that he was not a musician, a comedian or a virtuoso; he was something more. He was a showman. Vignola exercised unbelievable skill with a guitar, but it was not for the purpose of playing the instrument or testing his limits. Vignola was playing to entertain the audience, a feat he could not have done better.
