Freddie Z is an act of surprising energy and inspiration. To say he is a writer of original, eclectic, folk-rock music is an understatement. While it is true that his music is original, what is even more apparent is that his sound is original. Freddie plays solo or with a band… he does it all!
Freddie was exposed to many different styles of music from an early age. Growing up in Syracuse, New York, in a very musical household, everything from the Grateful Dead to J.S. Bach was played on his father’s turntable. In the summer of 1994, at age sixteen, Freddie started writing and performing songs with a group of friends. Bucket, as the group came to be called, enjoyed some moderate success, selling nearly one hundred independently recorded EP’s in a single open mic evening, at Happy Endings Café in Syracuse.
Freddie Z was honored to play onstage with Ani Difranco at Hamilton College in the fall of 1995. At Dean College, where he studied theatre, Freddie joined a band called Room 1. They cut an LP in 1996 called Room Service.
After college, Freddie went into hibernation and began focusing more on his guitar work, the result being his 2000 release THE BIG RED E. The CD has met with popular appeal amongst peers and music lovers alike, garnering him recognition in upstate NY. ‘Lil Raincloud’, off of THE BIG RED E, has been included on a compilation CD of Central New York blues artists titled Tattunes, released by CD Source. He is currently working on his second album, By Storm.
Newly based in Brooklyn, NY, Freddie has played multiple gigs with a full band at West Village staple Kenny’s Castaways, and at Rare in the Meatpacking District, amongst others. As a solo artist, Freddie is a member of the National Academy of Popular Music and Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. He was recently one of nine artists selected out of over two hundred applicants to perform in their 59th New Writer’s Showcase. Freddie Z is constantly working on creating new material, and is excited to continue making his way into the music scene.
Some of Freddie’s biggest musical influences are Nick Drake, Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits, The Who, James Brown, Ani Difranco, and Paul Simon. He holds great respect for for their ability to reinvent themselves song to song, album to album.
