The Blackbird Mafia

The Blackbird Mafia is a group of professional musicians in every respect from start to finish with a great work ethic. In the end, it's all about entertaining people and making them feel great and giving them a show to remember. It starts with a commitment to excellence and a commitment to paying homage to the great music, that for most of us, was the soundtrack to our lives. People expect to hear those songs played the way they were written and meant to be heard for the first time and this band captures that essence in every live performance. This band produces what we call... Overdose, High Energy Rock n Roll. We take the KISS approach to performing live. Gene Simmons once said " Don't just get up there and sit on a stool and play me a song, give me something to remember. Be the band I've always wanted to see" We know that people can go anywhere else to spend their hard earned dollars for a respite from the high pressure world of work and life in general. We strive to be THAT BAND that puts a smile on their face and help them enjoy an evening they will not soon forget by performing their favorites songs as close to the original as possible. We are a tribute band that pays tribute to all the greats, not just a single artist. We can do them all. We incorporate lights, smoke and on occasion even pyro if the situation is safe. Paulie even breathes fire on stage:) lol.
The Blackbird Mafia is a band that at its core is an arena rock band. We take that energy and somehow are able to shrink it down to even the smallest party atmosphere without losing that energy and gravitas. The band has the very latest professional gear in PA, lights, amplification and guitars and all the guitarists are Vintage Guitar endorsed artists. If an audience came to see us, what would they see? They would see a well rehearsed, on fire overdrive rock band second to none anywhere in the world. If a client hired us, what would they get? A band committed to making their event a success in every sense of the word, leaving an impression of professionalism and excellence that leaves their audience entertained and satisfied. We care about how our band looks and sounds in a live setting and we live and die by the saying; You only get 1 shot at a first impression. This is what we always take into account anytime our band performs and it means everything to us personally and professionally.

The Blackbird Mafia members are: Tony Larussa- Guitars/Lead vocals, Paul VH Guy DeFrancisco - Guitars/Lead vocals, Rick Taylor - Bass/Vocals and Anthony Larussa - Drums/ Vocals. The band was formed in 2018 and is based in Arlington Texas. Each member has extensive live and studio experience. Rick Taylor comes from Nashville and has been a session and touring member of many national recording artists. Paul Defrancisco was The Van Halen Guy on 97.1 The Eagle radio station in DFW for several years and also performs in XES Whiskey (Van Halen Tribute) Trio Grande (ZZ Top Tribute) and Kraig Parker (Elvis Tribute) Anthony Larussa is a studio musician and performed with the band Visceral for several years and has been a drummer from the age of 3. Tony Larussa has been in the DFW music scene for 30 yrs in the bands Thunderchild, Godfear, and Powerdown. Each member of the band loves to perform and give the audience the very best performance possible and the band has a very tight dynamic chemistry that's hard to come by. There is a combined century of experience in this band and aside from music all are very dedicated to their families.

We need as much electrical power as can be attained. We have 10,00 watts of PA, a light show and smoke machines and geysers. Our on stage backline amplification is pretty simple but stout. If portable power is required for outside performance at least a medium size commercial generator would be needed. If the client is providing PA, we require at least 4 monitor mixes with ample wattage for a live rock show and at least a main setup consisting of subs and 3 way mains that can project enough sound for a 500 seat venue. These are technicalities that can be ironed out based on each individual needs for the related show in advance.. If the show is out of town.. we require lodging, a food per diem and transportation as well as road techs to assist in the movement of gear.