December 2001

Just got the roughs from the 3 new Alternate Realities tunes from Joel, they sound great!

More true to my original concept for the project, than the original set of recordings.

As we speak, I'm working out new arrangements. Last month being so busy, the recording schedule was inevitably pushed back. Thought I would have seen that coming....oh, well.

November 2001

As promised....here are the dates I will be drumming with Big Brother & The Holding Company:

November 21, 2001: Cyndee-Sue's Saloon, East Bethel, MN

November 23, 2001: On Broadway, Springfield, IL

Nov. 4th was the closing date for the San Diego run of Love,Janis. We played something like 40 shows, very cool.

October 2001

I was just invited by Sam Andrew of Big Brother and the Holding Company to be the sub for their drummer, Dave Getz, for a few shows in the mid-west in November. More details to follow.

The San Diego run of Love,Janis have been going GREAT. There have been standing ovations every night.

Thanks to everyone who came out and said Hi!

The bass tracks that Tony laid down for new Alternate Realities tunes are fantastic. The rhythm tracks were sent to Joel and I should have his guitar tracks back by the beginning of November.

A few more songs are in the works and recording should begin in November. Yeah I know....November is looking very busy.

September 2001

I will be the drummer for the San Diego production of Love,Janis.

The play runs from 9/22 - 10/28, stop by and say hi!

August 2001

Recordings for new Alternate Realities tunes begin 8/22.

As usual my drum tracks are first. Then, they are passed along to special guest bass player, Tony Franklin.

Joel Hoekstra will be guitarist on these new tunes. If you haven't heard of him yet I strongly suggest you pay his website a visit.

Also see him perform in the New York play Love,Janis or on the A&E tv show The Sandra Bernhard Experience Wed. 8/29

Supernova Radio presents Natural Highs and Strawberry Skies. Now featuring Irma's Reflection.

 MR.Lee

Had these words to say about our CD.

Also want to also give the thumbs up to Alternate Realities, an edgy, instrumental

outfit based out of San Diego. AR has released, Another State Of Mind..., a

self-produced CD of moody, at times haunting, post rock soundscapes worth

checking out. Visit Alternate Realities website for more information.  

September 2000

Our friends at High Times Magazine have Alternate Realities listed in the Hemp 100

Check out the August and October 2000 issue!

Review from SLAMM Magazine

Alternate Realities

Another State of Mind

(Another State of Mind)

Goes well with: Pink Floyd, the Doors, about three caps and

two stems

Alternate Realities? Another State of Mind? Judging by the name alone, you might expect yet another Dead-tribute or Zeppelin-cover band still operating out of mom and dad’s garage 20 years after their time. But these guys are damned good! Not only do they know how to play their instruments, they don’t assault you with the vocals -- which puts them one step ahead of most other local bands. Drummer Vinny Vinciguerra, bassist Mark Creitz, and guitarist Miff Laracy offer a completely uninhibited form of music; whatever lyrical emotion their songs may lack, they make up for with soulful and talented playing. No question about it -- these guys can jam. Rhythm is the foundation of Alternate Realities, and Vinciguerra does a good job of laying down a tripped-out, funky backbeat for Creitz and Laracy to improvise on.

What the hell? Give the local boys a try -- they’ll surprise you.

- Brad Melekian

6/22/00 Our new CD, 'Another State of Mind' is released.

For ordering info go here.

2/00 Featured as Undiscovered Artists for the February, 2000 edition of Guitar Nine Records on-line magazine.

Story in Blurt section of San Diego Reader:

"Back home we used to hang out and drink beer and eat chicken wings. There's not much else going on in Syracuse." Drummer Todd "Vinny" Vinciguerra is using part of his wasted youth in upstate

New York to help jump-start his musiccareer in San Diego.

A former telecom technician (he helped wire San Diego's convention center), he is now using his Wicked Chicken marinade to grease the wheels of the music industry.

"When I moved out here, everybody I ran into said, 'You gotta try these wings.' " He said he went on a search for wings at happy hours everywhere." They all sucked. They all tasted the same. I used to have these parties for boxing and football where I made my own wings. My friends told me I should

bottle the sauce. I talked it over with my girlfriend, and we decided to do it."

Wicked Chicken Wing Sauce and Marinade is now made commercially in a rented kitchen in El Cajon. Vinny says he uses ten secret ingredients but no butter or thickeners. "We distribute from Hawaii to Alaska to Connecticut to Florida.... Our Extra Hot with habanero chilies won ribbons at the Fiery Food Challenge in Texas."

Vinny said his Wicked Chicken sauce helped him get noticed at the recent National Association of Music Merchandisers show in L.A. "I passed out bottles of it. Everyone remembered me. Michael Anthony [Van Halen bassist] loved the sauce. His manager said, 'Stay in touch.' "

Unrelated to the wing sauce, Vinny said he scored a sponsorship deal from Trueline drumsticks of Vermont. "I got a couple cases of sticks. When I do clinics I have to talk about how great they are."

Vinny also teaches drums. "Through the support of my students and my wing sauce, I don't have to work for the man anymore." His sauce helped him meet other marinade entrepreneurs. "Cheech Marin has his own hot sauce. Evel Knievel was at this hot sauce trade show. I shook the hand that was broken twice. He was an idol of mine. He's got his own gourmet hot sauce called Happy Landing."

Upcoming shows will be listed on www.anotherstate ofmind.com

--Ken Leighton