Frank Cosentino pounds the pavement in his new blues-rock single Making The Rounds — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A musician’s life can sometimes be glamorous, but often involves a lot of time away from family, the rigoors of the industry, and trying to keep a stiff upper lip often in the face of doors being closed or slammed shut. The temptations touring and the road offer can also destroy many physically, emotionally, and mentally as an artist tries to survive for the original love of creating one’s art. For Toronto’s Cosentino, the challenges of being a songwriter and performer are starkly captured in this weighty single, a song Cosentino has truly lived.
“It’s the story of every songwriter, performer, and artist,” Cosentino says. “The struggles, the loss, the countless rejections that come to an artist trying to get his art out to the people. It truly is the nature of the beast. The result was a gritty song about the truth of the life of the artist.”
Cosentino, an artist with over four decades of experience in the business, says Making The Rounds emerged from working in Studio Cardinal Toronto with Juno-winning producer Derek Downham. Downham told Cosentino it was “time to write a song from scratch.” With a clean slate, Cosentino says “the riff was born, and the song literally wrote itself.”
“After dedicating four decades to touring, writing, and producing new music, I arrived at a personal crossroads and realized the need for a change in lifestyle,” Cosentino says. “I overcame the challenges of addiction and got sober seven years ago. With renewed inspiration, I returned to songwriting with increased focus and energy. The story of Making The Rounds symbolizes my journey. Throughout the process, my progress was evident, and I emerged as a stronger writer, player, and human.”
Making The Rounds, composed by Cosentino and Downham (who also produced the song), starts with a thick, infectious riff. Teeming with confidence and a groove that could go on forever, the song gets an assist from Downham, who plays bass in addition to keyboards and drums. It’s a track that brings to mind the work of Gary Clark Jr., Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and The Fabulous Thunderbirds, among others.
Cosentino has performed throughout Canada at major festivals and clubs. Inspired by seeing the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Toronto in 1968, he has gone on to release four albums and share the stage with Cowboy Junkies, Sue Foley, James Cotton, Jeff Healey and Duke Robillard, among others. His music has received airplay internationally.
Watch the video for Making The Rounds above, hear more from Frank Cosentino below, and visit him on his website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
