Anthony Fama first came to the public’s attention when he burst onto the scene as the frenetic, hyperkinetic and histrionic lead singer of the dance punk outfit Doctor Bones. The man would scream, cry, sweat and even bleed to please the audience that was never satisfied and always wanted more. To have caught any of the shows with Fama as the frontman for Doctor Bones was an absolutely engaging experience, with the energy level turned up to top volume by Fama. It was akin to having our own local Iggy Pop, his stage antics were crazed, yet choreographed, but there was always a sense of danger. Fama brought danger back to local rock’n’roll for a few years while he fronted the band and it was damned refreshing. He was unpredictable, you never knew what he was going to do and that was wonderfully exciting. Since the all too soon demise of Doctor Bones, Fama has a assembled a new band with a far different presence called The Redemptions. No less emotionally intense or focused, Fama is, however, much more physically reserved in The Redemptions. It turns out that even when Fama is not flailing around like Iggy Pop, he still has amazing stage presence, because the man is a born performer. Fama is pursuing a different path with The Redemptions and evoking an early rock’n’roll/Americana vibe that suits his vocal range well, but he still has a few songs in the canon that would lend themselves to a previous Doctor Bones incarnation as well. This creates a touch of a schizophrenic vibe going on which actually works well. At some points Fama uses his deep voice and it has a great Southwest vibe that comes off as gritty road music–a bit like if Nick Cave sang Johnny Cash songs, at other points he does his punk crooner voice and its more straight out rocking. No matter what he does, Anthony Fama is one of the most captivating performers in the music scene today.

Doctor Bones Numbers EP Review
The Redemptions live Review