ROD PIAZZA & MFBQ "THRILLVILLE" Source: Riverside Magazine Date: 03/12008 Writer: George A. Paul

IF YOU HAD TO NAME the big- gest musicians to emerge from Riverside, Rod Piazza would have to top the list. For the past four decades, he's been the Inland Empire's ambassador of the blues.

During the 1960s, the veteran singer/harmonica player was in bands as a student at Poly High School and made regular trips to L.A., where he backed Big Mama Thornton.

Piazza formed the Dirty Blues Band and put out a pair of albums on ABC/Blues-ways while in his teens.

Then he was in the Southside Blues Band and hooked up with influential chro- matic harp player George "Harmonica" Smith as Bacon Fat at age 18.Tours with a number of popular blues musicians ensued.

Experience has shown Piazza that it takes a deeper commitment to play the blues than other genres.

"I think the guys that are really blues- men are pretty much in it for the long haul," Rod said in an interview with wife/band-mate Honey at Riverside's Main Street pedestrian mall.

"It does take a commitment.You have to be in it for the love of the music itself really — not for somebody patting you on the back, saying you're good at what you do." He met Honey after she attended a gig at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium in 1973.The lovely blond pianist's first impres- sion was,"all he needs is a keyboardist," she recalled with a laugh.

"He was playing a show with Big Joe Turner and Pee Wee Creighton. John Lee Hooker was in the band ... he played so good and was looking so handsome. I went 'whoa! This is the kind of blues that I'm into.' " They began performing together soon after. The Mighty Flyers was formed in 1977.

Since then, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers Blues Quartet (the group's current name) have toured the world and won several awards. The band also has worked with noted producer/session player Jim Dickinson (Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the Rolling Stones).

Back in the '70s, Piazza was a regular onstage at the Mission Inn's Glenwood Tavern.

Later, the band — rounded out by guitarist Henry Carvajal and drummer Dave Kida — became a fixture at Carlos O'Brien's (located at the old Riverside Plaza) and played the Lake Alice Trading Co. on University Avenue for a short time.

Nowadays,you can catch them at Romano's in Canyon Crest every month or so.

"It's always been a great audience," says Rod. "They've always been super receptive and real supportive for blues music." He gets so immersed in the music at gigs that he will jump atop a bar or chair while playing the harmonica.The crowds get even more into the music when he does.

"That's always a crowd pleaser," Rod says.

"I do it all the time. As many times as peo- ple have seen it, they still always wait for it." Latest CD "Thrillville" (Delta Groove Productions) finds the band mixing hot original numbers such as the funky James Brown-styled "MFBQ" and grooving "Honey Bee" with scorching covers by Willie Dixon ("I Don't Play" ), Junior Wells ("Hoodoo Man Blues" ) and others.

On the opening CD medley of Little Walter's "Hate to You See You Go" and Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips," Rod does a spo- ken word bit explaining the song's origins.

"I've always thought in my records, some of that creates an informal setting and does make it seem a little like a live deal," he says, citing a Smith record that talks about Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter

"Hearing him and other people talking on records, I thought people would be inter- ested in it." One encouraging trend Piazza has noticed is a more positive perception of the blues.

People are pleasantly surprised to discover it isn't all depressing material.

"That's definitely the case," Rod says."We still get people coming to hear us play say- ing, 'Man, I love this stuff. What is it? This is blues? Really?'"