Anthony Mazzella continues to lies to Sedona

After a decade of first reporting this, Anthony Mazzella continues to purpetuate falsehoods about being the great guitarist Sedona needs, not the musician Sedona needs.

The lie: "Anthony Mazzella is a professional concert guitarist, recording artist and producer. BILLBOARD Magazine describes him as "the new generation of guitar hero" and GUITAR ONE magazine voted him "one of the top ten guitarists in the country".

This quote is false. While managing editor at Kudos, I contacted Billboard magazine when I first saw it to get the appropriate publication dates and issue number and the editor told me the quote is taken out of context. He asked that this fraudulent quote be corrected, or completely omitted.


I have backchannel notified Tony of the error, he ignored it, so I contacted venues when they sent in the erroneous quotes and most he removed the quote. He still sends it out, so I suppose it needs to be made public knowledge via this post.

We'd all like to make up quotes about how great we think we are, but it's not ethical and artists shouldn't let others do it either; it tarnishes our collective credibility.

The actual quote:

"Mazzella makes a convincing argument for inclusion among rock's new generation of guitar heroes with this striking instrumental interpretation of the U2 hit. He does an astonishing job in creating the energy and pace of a full band with only one guitar. His fingers move like lightening and with a precision that will boggle the mind. This well-known cut is an excellent introduction to "The Birth," a collection of vivid and intricately constructed original compositions."

--Larry Flick, Billboard Magazine

The entry appeared on the bottom of the fourth column of Page 66 of the May 3, 1997, edition. YOU CAN SEE THE PAGE HERE: 

The statement, aside from being misquoted, truncates the quote, taking it completely out of context. It does not refer to him but a cover of a U2 song he played on an album.

It's from Billboard, so why tweak it? Because he thought no one would check? Or the fact that it's 10 years old and he hasn't gotten another review in a decade? Either way, Tony is lying to all his audiences and the business owners who book him.

As artists, it behooves us to be honest with our audience. This type of blatant deception on Tony's part disrespects the integrity of all artists. He lies to his audiences and promoters.

If he posts a correction on his website and promises to remove the quote, I will take down this post.

“Secretariat” audio recording

FoxThePoet · Secretariat

A rough map of Sedona's areas

 

“Secretariat” by Christopher Fox Graham, with thanks to Wayne Henry

“Secretariat”

by Christopher Fox Graham,

with thanks to Wayne Henry

my daughter has a big heart
as big as a horse

she was born that way
you can see it in the way she hugs
the way she waves to anyone
the way she sprints at full gallop
when she sees her mother or me at the end of a day
the way she says “bye bye”
bringing joy to strangers who may never see her again
they may not
because my daughter has a big heart
she was born that way

we knew we were going to love her
from the moment we knew we were pregnant
she was going to have a big heart
full of love
because we were full of love for her
we wanted nothing more than to have a daughter
half her mother, half me
we could raise in the way we were not
free of judgment
or useless tradition
a wild horse,
untamed and untamable

in the days before she was born
we found she had big heart
too big
we heard an unusual murmur
caught by the ultrasound
a hiccup of the heart
too big for her tiny chest
larger than it should be
anterior ventricular aneurysm
a bulge where the muscles of a valve
had not yet formed
not strong enough to beat her little heart on its own
and maybe would never

my wife could carry her to term but after that
the labor could rupture her heart
could tear it after birth
or it could gallop like a thoroughbred then

     … just stop …

for no reason and not beat again

six days in intensive care,
six hours in an MRI
we took her home
a probe attached to her chest we had to change daily
when we put her down to sleep
we were not sure if she would wake up
we checked on her hourly
to make sure she was still alive
still breathing,
her heart beating like the hooves of a Clydesdale

but this creature,
half me,
half her mother
was full of love
though she did not know the word
but she taught it to us
our hearts swelled to carry the burden hers could not

she has a big heart
as big as a horse
she was born that way
and she has survived
because she has a big heart like Secretariat
whose mighty heart
was three times the size of a normal horse

it should have killed him
all that passion and desire to win,
to race
to succeed,
pushing him down the track
around the curves

at the Kentucky Derby

each leg faster than the last

winning in under two minutes

at Preakness

where he started last and leaped ahead so famously

they made a statute of him doing it

at Belmont Stakes

where he won the Triple Crown by 31 lengths

the widest margin in racing history

he had a big heart
he was born that way
he did not stop and she will not
because she has a big heart
she was born that way

so if you meet her
and she waves, wave back
say bye when she leaves
because you may not see her again
and not because she's gone
but because she’s so far down the track
so far ahead of us
you cannot see her
just the dust she's left behind
get to know her now,
because I don't know where she's headed
but she'll arrive
long before the rest of us
because my daughter
she has a big heart
she was born that way

"Hi, Moon," by Christopher Fox Graham

She says “hi, moon,”
like they are old friends.

With every day I spend with her
I wonder if they are

She knows where the moon is in the sky when I do not,
and I have been walking on this earth
compass in hand,
for 40 times her life

I rarely get lost

yet, she seems to know
where her old friend is
every time we see him

She says hi to the stars
reaches up like she can touch them

I want to explain to her
the distance
of light years

How the balls of fire we see in the sky
are millions of years older than us
And even in our fastest ship
We will never reach them in our lifetime

I want to explain these things her
but she's not old enough to understand the words

And I wonder

if she's right

Because, truthfully,
I do not know the length of a light year

I have read it in books
been told by wiser men and women than me

And I believe them

because that is what we must do
to survive this world:
believe those who study these things
so we can go about our day
living

So I wonder if she's right

If I reach out my hand and say “hi, star”
with the same enthusiasm that she does

Will I hear them speak back?

When they reach through the night sky
when no one else is looking
shake hands with me,
Touch my fingers to theirs?
Say,
“It has been some time since we've spoken.
How are you?
We are doing fine
up here in the night
watching you down there
learning to learn
learning how things grow
feeling how things feel
what gravity is
what knees are

I wonder
if she their ambassador to us
or just another traveler

right now, it doesn't matter
because she's waving hello to the moon again

and I can't prove it
but I swear I saw him wave back

Rage Almighty, Jan. 1, 1983 - Oct. 13, 2019

Rage Almighty, aka Adam Tench

Jan. 1, 1983 - Oct. 13, 2019

Rage Almighty, aka Rage The Poet, was born Adam Tench on the first day of 1983 in Boston, Mass. Rage died Oct. 13, 2019, of a reported cardiac arrest at age 35.

Rage Almighty was a long-time figure in the Dallas and National Poetry Slam scene. He always had a kind word for those of us on the Flagstaff and Sedona National Poetry Slam teams. We mourn his loss.

By age 11, Rage Almighty had begun his acting career having had roles in several school plays. At age 13, in search of better opportunity and a better place for Rage and his sister to grow up, Rage’s family moved to Dallas, Texas, specifically the north side, or the “Nawfside” as the locals call it. It was here that Rage honed his writing skills and, with the influence of his older sister, focused his attention on poetry.


He quickly became know around school for his poetry, and it was around this time he picked up the name “Baby Rage.” The name was given to him by a high school anger management counselor, due to his disdain for and angst toward his surroundings.



“Almighty” was later added to his moniker just as “Baby” was dropped, spawned by his ever-growing confidence and talent as a poet. Rage Almighty eventually came across a fake ID, which allowed him to take his poetry from high school slam poetry events to various clubs and open mic nights across town. In the meantime, he continued to perform in numerous school plays and talent shows.


By the time he was actually old enough to get in many venues with his own ID, Rage Almighty had established his name on the local underground poetry scene. His clever rhyme scheme and versatility were what got him the attention.

From the harsh reality of some of his subject matter to the smooth swagger of his more sensual material, Rage Almighty had something for everyone. From poetry, he expanded into a rapper as well. “Don’t let the poetry fool you,” he’ll say, as his reputation became that of a fierce MC.

With influences including Nas, Outkast, Method Man and The Roots, and an arsenal diverse enough to contain club anthems, conscience lyrics and everything in between, Rage Almighty put himself in a position to be the next star to rise out of Dallas .

His music, the hybrid of rap, soul and spoken word which he has branded as “Cosmic Soul,” is built on his experiences from both Boston and Texas and with his own intelligent perspective, tells stories and interpretations of love, oppression, poverty and everyday life.


Rage Almighty was also a youth advocate and leads workshops focusing on emotional literacy and destigmatizing mental illness in communities of color: In 2016, the organization Louder Than a Bomb named him Teaching Artist of the Year.

Rage Almighty has received numerous honors and awards for his work on the slam circuit, including the 2017 Bayou City Poetry Slam Champion, the 2014 National Poetry Award for Best Spoken Word Album, and the 2014 North Texas Spoken Word Award for Poet of the Year. He was runner-up at the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam Championships and the 2013 Dallas Grand Slam Champion, and he represented the United States at the World Cup Poetry Slam in Paris.

An opening act for musical artists such as T.I., Dead Prez, Chrisette Michele, and Brand Nubian as well as poets Saul Williams and Nikki Giovanni, he also appeared on season 4 of Lexus' "Verses and Flow."