Interview & Review By: Janel Spiegel
Photos by: John DelGrosso
Interview with Michael DeFrank of MAGNUM
August 6, 2017 Musikfest Café
Sunday, August 6, 2017. Magnum not only rocked MUSIKFEST CAFÉ but Michael DeFrank took time for an exclusive interview with me for The Valley Ledger.
August 6, 2017 at Musikfest Café amongst the crowds, the chatting and fun people were having. I was able to interview Michael DeFrank (Guitars, Vocals) from MAGNUM. One of the Lehigh Valley’s legendary bands. With some help from all the great Musikfest staff including Patti who was kind enough to get me where I was supposed to be to interview Michael. There was excitement in the air and people were ready for a break and some good music. This is exactly what Magnum offered. As, I reached my destination in the crowded, exciting Musikfest Café, I was greeted by Michael himself who has a kind demeanor to him. We headed backstage to have a conversation about music.
Janel– First off, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.
Michael– Thank you!
Janel– So tell me how you got involved with Magnum and how it started for you?
Michael– So, I wasn’t there at the beginning. The band started in 1978 and at the beginning of the band at 78, some of the members who are still in the band, Lonnie Warner, Steve Weiss and Dave Werkhiser formed a band such as Trust Oasis. I came in and we played in 1982 so I was in a different band prior to 1982, a local band.
Janel– So you are from the Lehigh Valley?
Michael– Yes, I grew up in Nazareth so I got to meet the guys from Magnum because Gandolf and Magnum were both Lehigh Valley bands at the time and little by little when Steve left the band I joined, little by little. Tommy Zito was also in the band and also from the Lehigh Valley. So the rest has been slow evolution of slight changes here and there but the original members Dave, Lonnie and, Steve were all there from the beginning. Steve left and I came on but now we are back together with Steve and Lonnie and Dave. Tommy has since gone off on his own thing but we all remain real close.
Janel– Now what songs do you guys get the most excited to play?
Michael- Oh that is a tough one. It’s kind of like you’ve got a million kids and which one is your favorite? You know it’s always exciting when you get to play your own music. So luckily we’ve got two songs from our first album that were doing tonight, “Hot Nights” and “Public Memory Number 1” and we are happy to play them. So we are excited when people recognize that. Beyond that there are a lot of songs that we are always excited to play. The new things that we add to the repertoire and the new things that we pull out like ‘Uptown Funk” which we never played when we were together in the eighties and nineties obviously the song was written much later but now we do that as a regular part of the show.
Janel– What do you want the fans and the audience to know? What would you like to say to everybody tonight?
Michael– Just have a good time. Just come out and have fun. It is nice to be able to see the people that we entertained back in the eighties and the nineties and to see them come out because they had a good time then and they come out and have a good time now. That sort of makes us feel validated if you will. We are doing these reunions more to give back to people.
Janel– Did you have anyone that inspired you professionally?
Michael– Yes there were a lot of great artists. Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith and Van Halen. Personally those are some of my favorite. One of the things that made MAGNUM good was that each of them had other artists that inspired them and inspired us as a group. So we can put all that together like a puzzle and everybody has got their own influence and it fits together.
Janel– Is there anyone you are excited to see at Musikfest? Any particular artist?
Michael– I would love to go see Craig Thatcher after were done. Janel– I love Craig Thatcher.
Michael- Yes, were friends and I would love to go see him after we play tonight. I would have loved to see Chicago last night but I didn’t get the chance to. There are so many great acts at Musikfest and that’s part of the joy of it.
Janel– What advice would you offer to a musician or a band that is afraid to start?
Michael- That’s a great question! I think the most important thing in any career no matter if its music, business, no matter what you do, if you do it with passion and you believe in yourself and you make it important enough to make a commitment to it you’re going to be good at it. No matter what it is in life, if you are passionate about something you are going to be good. If you’re a writer and you’re passionate about it, you are going to be a good writer.
Janel– Do you guys have any rituals that you do before performing?
Michael– No, there really isn’t. You know I think the thing about Magnum is we know each other so well over the years. We go out and we do what we do and we know each other enough to just trust it. It’s not like we have get up before the show and go 1,2,3,4, HEY LET’S GO! There is none of that!
Janel– Out of all the places you performed, do you have a favorite?
Michael– I’ll mention several. We play at the Jersey Shore for many years during the summer. Wildwood became a second home to us. The clubs in Wildwood. We were lucky enough to play several venues in the area. The Lehigh Valley and the Reading Silo. Then in the winter time we would go down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and play several clubs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Janel– Thank you so much Mike. It was an honor to interview you and be able to watch the band.
Michael– Thank you so much.
MAGNUM REVIEW:
Magnum, August 6, 2017 at Muskfest Café.
Every year Musikfest descends on somewhat faster than we think. As summer slows down just a little bit. The sounds of people, kids, dogs barking and music fills the air. Local bands and the famous ones such as Santana roll into the Lehigh Valley to deliver music that people love. The band Magnum formed in 1978 did just that! They performed at the Musikfest café on the third floor to a packed house. It was sitting and standing. Most people were standing and excited. I arrived and was absolutely thrilled to see this legendary band perform. I wondered around the café and spoke to some fans who said they were just so “excited” and “thrilled” to hear Magnum. The band started on-time and it is always interesting to watch bands set-up. It takes time and as the cover band Sunshine Symphony made their off-stage with their equipment. Magnum made their way to the stage, setting and doing a brief sound check. The band is made up of former and original members including: Lon Warner, Dave Werhiser, Steve Weiss, Michael DeFrank, Jeff Smith and Kjell Benner. As the band took the stage, Musikfest Café seemed to fill up even more. A collection of people of all ages showed up. Clapping, singing, cheering and just having a blast. There was a bar with drinks and food so people could also grab some food and a drink. There were a lot of couples who were dancing and seemed to reminisce for the music that made them smile.
The band started off with Billy Joel’s “Allentown,” which is actually about Bethlehem and the decline of the steel. Rumor has it, Billy Joel said, “Living here in Bethlehem,” didn’t have quite the same ring to it. If you take some time and actually walk around Musikfest or around Artsquest, there is a lot of art and things to do now for every age and interest.
The band was so energetic and I must say thank to the most AMAZING people I had the honor of sitting with! They were so excited and had already had the songs they hoped that Magnum would play picked out so a HUGE Thank you to Jim, Jan, Morgan and Tim and Ann. They were absolutely wonderful!
Magnum also performed Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” in which the crowd erupted. The fun and just dancing in front of the stage or in your seat for those of us who had to do that was just as much fun. The band was so thankful and they thanked the fans and mentioned how happy they were to be in the Lehigh Valley. They played two of their own songs, “Hot Nights” and “Public Memory Number One.” Both great songs. They also played some of the Boss’ work, well the possible second Boss of New Jersey, (Next to James Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano) they played a Springsteen song and really did it justice. Each one of them seemed to be having a blast and the crowd was exhilarated to be having fun, dancing and cheering.
They also performed some David Bowie’s song, “Suffragette City,” and a classic Prince Song “Let’s Go Crazy” in which let’s face it we all had a blast and wanted to go crazy! So no one could possibly be disappointed with this amazing band. They did such a good job. The crowd was thrilled and as usual, Musikfest staff and the Bethlehem and Allentown police officers were keeping an eye for out everyone. Magnum is amazing and they started with a standing ovation and ended with a never-ending one so may they keep rocking!
LIKE THE MAGNUM USA FACEBOOK PAGE https://www.facebook.com/MAGNUM-USA-98729734512/
Band Members
Magnum Lineup Through The Years
Original Lineup(1978):
Charley Lippincott – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Butch Samolewicz – Bass, Vocals
Steve Weiss – Guitar, Vocals
Dave Werkhiser – Drums, Vocals
Lonnie Warner – Keys, Vocals
1980:
Tommy Zito – Keys, Vocals
Butch Samolewicz
Steve Weiss
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
1982:
Tommy Zito
Butch Samolewicz
Michael DeFrank – Guitar, Vocals
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
1986:
Tommy Zito
Kent Warner – Bass, Vocals
Michael DeFrank
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
1987:
Robert Mason – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Kent Warner
Michael DeFrank
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
1988:
Robert Mason
Rory Castellano – Bass
Michael DeFrank
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
1990:
Jeff Smith – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Kjell Benner – Bass
Michael DeFrank
Dave Werkhiser
Lonnie Warner
Key Support Personnel:
Dave Sestak – Manager/Agent
Jay Thomas – Sound/Road Manager
Rico Corcoran – Sound/Lights/Bass
Ed Waldick – Lights/Road Manager
Carlos Negri – Sound
Jimmy Mattera – Follow Spot/Merchandise
Ted Adams – Lights/Drums
Joe Pokojni – Sound
Mitchell X – Lights/Monitors
Dan McElroy – Lights
Tom Higgins – Sound/Monitors/Stage Manager/Bass
Todd Lanz – Monitors/Stage Manager
Terry Koch – Lights
Tim Nagle – Follow Spot/Death Defying Truck Driver/Drums
LD(Lonnie Ball) – Monitors/Stage Manager
Keith Smith(RIP) – Lights
Tom Makl (RIP)–Video Tech
Randy Fiedler- Sound
Ryan Fiedler- Monitors
Steve Manning AKA “The Mole”- Lights
