Tearing Rock N' Roll up from its roots come THE KINGPINS. Brutal, frenzied, and rockin', it would be too easy and limiting to call them "just another Rockabilly band that no one has ever heard of." As the band shakes the very foundations of the select juke joints and beer halls that dare to play host to this wild bunch, you realize that and that you are witnessing something rare today: a unique, original Rock ‘n Roll band.
With over 100 years of collective professional experience, THE KINGPINS are fronted by singer/songwriter and showman extraordinaire Ace Filipini and feature Flamin' Dick Weatherholtz, (of Hot Rods fame) on guitar. Ace's longtime friend and cohort in the now legendary 200 Lbs. of Swingin' Hound, Trey LaRue simply dominates his bulldog bass, a true master of the style. No stranger to all that is truly reprehensible (and a former member of the Slut Brothers) is drummer "Mad" Mark Delucia.
THE KINGPINS like to joke about being "a supergroup" in that each member has been a respected musician in their hometown of Reading, PA for years. The band itself formed in 1999 when Flamin' Dick called Ace out of "retirement" for a throw-together jam. Having had so much fun doing it, they decided to form a band to play the music dear to their hearts: Rockabilly.
The fact that members are active in other bands makes each performance a special event and the band itself something of a mystery. Diehard fans will tell you THE KINGPINS "bring the show." Just don't bother asking them (or the band for that matter) when the next show actually is or whether they are still together. Let this be known and tell all your friends THE KINGPINS aren't going anywhere but up.
Unrepentant in attitude and fueled by fire, THE KINGPINS rock like no other band you've ever heard. They are fun, but they ain't nice. They mean business. A rare, original band that risks playing what they want to play, and, at the end of the night, you realize that you are better off for it.
But, please, don't dare call them "Roots" music. This band is the whole goddamn forest!
Rock 'N Roll has been like a religion to me. As a boy of four, you could find me in the family den, on my rockin' horse with a Victor record changer and a stack of 45's. My brother was the first neighborhood hippie and my uncle was a greaser, so the stack was flush with The Beatles, The Stones, The Animals (How great are The Animals?!), Dylan, Johnny Cash (more about that later), The Beach Boys, The Coasters (Is there a better Rock 'N Roll song than "Yakety Yak?" OK, maybe "Charlie Brown"), The Platters, plus stuff from pre-rock like "Fernando's Hide-Away" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky." You'll remember I fancied myself a cowboy... I'd throw in my own stuff, too, like "Dino the Dino" by the Flintstones, "Batman's Theme" by Neil Hefti, and "Monster Mash" by Bobby "Boris" Pickett and The Cryptkicker Five and rock those horse-springs for hours! It was then my fate was sealed: slave to the backbeat.
I got my first stereo in my early teens, and my brother, always the connoisseur, bought me Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On (with the insidiously clever, nonexistent title song appearing last on the label at 0:00)(To me, a detail like that is incredible important. You can't really totally understand that record without that detail.) When that first synthesized note from Headhunters popped its way out of the stereo, I couldn't believe my ears or have had a better XMAS.
I funked out throughout my junior high years. Every LP I brought home had a black face on it (or ass, if it was the Ohio Players), and I can't really say that you could understand it if you try to use today's pseudo 70's revival as your reference. It was just cool music for me; it wasn't "playa" or "pimp-daddy" cool – it wasn't old dressed up like new – it was just plain new.
But everything changed for me the day I took the plunge into Classic Rock and bought Smash Hits by Jimi Hendrix. Of course I knew who he was from looking at my brother's strange and mysterious album collection – but he was Rock, you know, and I was into Funk.
To this day, Jimi remains for me, clearly, the best Rock 'N Roll artist ever. Here's an artist who had it all! Stating the obvious, he played the bitchin'est guitar, but he could write; looked great; could jam and somersault at the same time; burnt, smashed, and blew up his equipment; and sang in a style that was often "not so mellow, in fact I'm trying to say, it's frightened like me." In the studio, Jimi sang behind panels, so that no one could see him.
I was solely into Hendrix for several years. I collected everything I could get my hands on. He introduced me to the poetic lyric, and I still marvel at what he could do with a Dylan song. But like everything else, I overdid Jimi. I knew I had to put him down for a while. That's when I started reading about this Punk Rock thing.
Like the first Hendrix record I bought, I felt guilty of something when I bought the Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope. With its brash cover of primary colors, replete with a dead cowboy and hungry vultures, I remember holding it at the hip, like a concealed weapon for which I had no permit, and walking up to the counter of Record Revolution. I thought for sure the cashier was either going to call the police or "the nice young men in the little white coats." I played it, loved it hard for a few weeks, and then hid it away, totally overwhelmed by its power. After a couple of months, I dared to share it with my friends who, of course, loved it too. Finally, I had found a music that was current and my life changed. I became the first punk rocker in my neighborhood, and, yes, people hated me for it.
At that time, every article I read about The Clash said they dressed like some rockabilly named Gene Vincent (what and who the hell is that?), so I looked him up at the college radio station where I hosted "Solid Gold - The Best of New and Old." By the end of the next 28:08, the total time of The Bop that Just Won't Stop," my Rock 'N Roll brain damn-near exploded! The energy and excitement that emanates from that wax is palpable! It's the same kind of energy that I loved in Punk Rock and you can find it in Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and any great Rock 'N Roll. Soon enough The Cramps and The Blasters arrived upon the scene, and I've been a 'Billy ever since.
What does any of this have to do with The Kingpins? Everything! Those in the know – who know the sco' – know the song's the thing, and I'm tellin' the whole round world right now, I have always prided myself in my songwriting. For that reason, I never had any interest in being in a cover band from the very start. I came later to "the band thing" than most, but when I did, I got immediate recognition for being original. Ace and the Chain Gang was my first band back in the late 80's. The now legendary (from what I am told) 200 Lbs. Of Swingin' Hound increased the recognition regionally, winning the Delaware Valley Music Poll for Roots Rock in 1994 and 1995. Regardless of what anyone thinks they know, I still love The Hound and its member for who they are and what we were. We broke up in 1996 and Trey I went on to form Ace's Wild, who have the distinction of opening up for my hero Johnny Cash. Like so many other musicians with "sad tales," I was just about signed to a small, Lancaster-based, indie label when Robert Gordon, a known commodity, got the nod. I retired from performing for a few years, but never stopped writing music. I'd bet I've written 400 songs by now. For all the shit they say about me -- good and bad --the songs are the essence of my art and the thing of which I am most proud. The Kingpins, or as I like to call them, The Goddamn Kingpins, are my way of "keeping it alive."
I would like to thank all our fans who have supported us over the years and hope those about to rock with The Kingpins for the first time -- at a show or by ordering our CD—have, like me, no regrets in the end.
Keep Rockin', Ace
In 1956 I started playing guitar at the age of four. My mom, sister, and two older brothers all played guitar, so it was a normal thing at our house to have a guitar in your hands. When we weren't singing and playing, we were busy punching each other.
The first band I played in was with my two brothers, Butch and Doug. I was twelve years old, anxious and scared to death, but loving it! We played a few private parties and a couple of wedding receptions.
After a score of high school and local bands, playing all types of music -- from Hendrix to Hank -- I started Flamin' Dick and The Hotrods in 1985. Some twenty years later, we are still goin' strong!
Back in 1999 I decided that I needed to find more creativity in my music, so I called up Ace. Here we are 6 years later, kickin' out the hardcore rockabilly of The Kingpins.
Armed with tree branches for sticks, "Mad" Mark Delucia was banging on trashcans and buckets by the age of eight. At 10, he started lessons at school. By 12, bored with only a snare drum, his father bought him a full kit, and he immediately started jamming with the neighborhood kids. At 14, he formed his first band Scratch with childhood friend Steve Pieja. They played a lot of churches, but the highlight of their young career was a gig at Berks County Prison. The band evolved into Hunter and the boys started gigging at local nightclubs and bars. Being only 14, "Mad" Mark was driven to the shows by his mother and father.
In the late 70's, Mark hooked up with future Kingpins band mate, Flamin' Dick, and formed Freighter. The band played all the local hot spots and biker bashes, and even spent some time in the studio. If you need a good laugh, track down a picture of
Mark started playing music full-time in the early 80's when he joined the Allentown-based Bang Gang, a Top-40 band. Playing 5 to 6 nights a week, the band was known for its diversity and male-female mix.
By the late 80's he joined Southern-rockers Impact who eventually evolved into the very popular, totally raucous Slut Brothers.
In 1991 Mark moved to Clearwater, Florida and joined The Steinhardt- Moon Band, featuring Robbie Steinhardt of Kansas on violin. After touring around FLA for a few years, Mark returned to PA and rejoined The Sluts until they disbanded in the late 90's.
After all that rockin' it is easy to understand why Mark took a break from music for a few years. Before long, he caught a show by The Kingpins and immediately came down with a disease for which there is no known cure: the dreaded, most loathsome "Rockabilly Fever." Mark joined the band in 2003.
I've had an interest in music from an early age. Growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was exposed to a wide range of musical influences. My first love will always be Rock 'N Roll. Bands such as The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones were what made me want to play bass.
I started on electric bass and made the switch to upright about 12 years ago. I've been in a lot of bands over the years, playing a variety of music from Blues to Rock to Reggae.
In 1994, I had the good fortune to meet Ace and learn about Rockabilly. Playing in 200 Lbs. Of Swingin' Hound opened up a whole new world of upright bass style to me—one that I am very lucky to have learned.
These days I try to incorporate all the different music I've learned into The Kingpins style. The most important thing in music, though, is to never put yourself before the songs, for without them, you don't have any reason to be in a band.
ACE FILIPINI - RED HOT AND BLUE (2005) Due out in the fall of 2005, this career-spanning compilation of more gems from The Kingpins frontman, including never before released studio recordings from Aces Wild! and brand-new acoustic Ace. TRACK LISTING- 1. The Call That Never Came 2. I Want Mary, Want Her 3. It's Hard For Me 4. Who Is Mine? 5. She Is There 6. This Ain't No Tune 7. I Always Knew Someday I'd Fly 8. Good Girl Gone Bad 9. Hot Lips 10. Home 11. (Have You Seen My) Baby Fair? 12. Always Love, Love Always 13. Lost And Alone 14. Let's Get It On 15. Time Goes By 16. I'm Lost In The Real World
BAD LIVIN' WITH THE KINGPINS (2001) The band's first recording let it be known there was a new force to be reckoned with! Look for a re-release in time for XMAS. TRACK LISTING- 1. Bad Livin' 2. Maybelline 3. Nearly Perfect (Too Far From Seventeen) 4. "The Deadly Medley" - Lonesome Train; Pipeline; & Baby, Please Don't Go 5. Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette
200 LBS. OF SWINGIN' HOUND (1995) This first and only, much-sought-after recording from the now legendary rockabilly band is said by many fans to never leave their CD players. TRACK LISTING- 1. When Your Baby's Got The Blues 2. Nearly Perfect (Too Far From Seventeen) 3. 30 Lovesick Days 4. Rock 'N Roll Party 5. Hot Lips 6. The Cold Bed Blues 7. Single Again 8. Lies 9. Lifetime Guarantee 10. I'm A'Gonna Get 'Ya
ACE FILIPINI - AMERICAN ORIGINALS, 1987-1994 (1995) When originally released, this collection broadened the scope of what was previously know of this prolific songwriter. It features the favorites "Jigsaw Woman" and "Marijuana Mama" and special guest performances by guitarists David Cullen and Kenny Gerhret. Currently available on cassette only. TRACK LISTING- 1. I Want To Live 2. Right Now I'm Thinking Of You 3. Is This What Makes You Tick? 4. Good Girl Gone Bad 5. Susan's Song 6. Jigsaw Woman 7. Marijuana Mama 8. On The Hill 9. Please Say You Love Me
Email: ace@kingpinsrock.biz
Phone: (484) 256-8925