Former lead singer of Boston, his son to perform at festival
Fran Cosmo, former lead singer and guitarist for the iconic band Boston will perform the many of multi-platinum songs of the band including “Peace of Mind,” “Don’t Look Back” and “More than a Feeling” when his band Cosmo takes the stage today at 8 p.m. at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds.
Anton Cosmo will perform with his father, Fran Cosmo, former lead singer and guitarist with Boston, at the Western Pennsylvania Rib Festival tonight at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mutual. The band Cosmo will play at 8 p.m.
Cosmo will perform at 8 p.m. today at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mutual as part of the Western Pennsylvania Rib Fest. The band features Fran Cosmo, former lead singer and guitarist with Boston, and his son, Anton Cosmo.
Cosmo will perform at 8 p.m. today at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mutual. The band features Fran Cosmo, former lead singer and guitarist with Boston, and his son, Anton Cosmo, who will perform many of the multi-platinum songs of the iconic 70s super group.
When Fran Cosmo and Anton Cosmo step on stage to perform the iconic songs of Boston, it’s “more than a feeling” for the father-son musicians.
Fran Cosmo is the former lead singer and guitarist of the multi-platinum band Boston singing lead vocals on the band’s 1994 album “Walk On” and on Boston’s greatest hits albums in 2006 and 2009. Anton Cosmo, who knew by the time he was a teen that he wanted to be a singer/songwriter/musician, made his debut with Boston during a live performance at the Fiesta Bowl in 2002 and toured with the group for two years. Two songs written by Anton Cosmo were featured on Boston’s 2002 album “Corporate America.”
The band “Cosmo” will be performing many of the songs made popular by the 1970s super group, including “Peace of Mind,” “More than a Feeling” and “Don’t Look Back” when their band makes a tour stop at the Western Pennsylvania Rib Festival at 8 p.m. today at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mutual.
Fran Cosmo said having his son following in his rock legend footsteps is a thrill.
“It’s great!” he said. “Family has always been important to me. We have a great time on the road doing these shows.”
Anton Cosmo is joining father and the band on tour this summer that also will makes stops in North Dakota, California, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. Both Cosmos are taking from their solo recording projects.
Fran Cosmo is recognized by music industry leaders as one of the best melodic singers of his generation. Rock musician and engineer Tom Scholz and former Boston lead vocalist Brad Delp, both acknowledged that Cosmo could “easily and strongly perform the difficult parts” of the music Boston is known for. Prior to his death in 2007, Delp and Fran Cosmo traded off lead vocals when Boston toured and the two often shared vocals during live performances.
Walking into the spotlight was a thrill for the vocalist already had brushed with fame with the band “Orion the Hunter” and the song “So I Ran,” which hit No. 6 on the Billboard Charts. Fran Cosmo said he appreciates his place in rock history and the songs that remain popular with fans old and young alike.
“Being in Boston after Orion was perfect timing to further my career. Lots of tours made it even better. Lots of classic rock bands are very much still popular with the younger generation. Classic rock music will stay forever,” he said.
He further said he appreciates the fans that keep coming back show after show.
“My fans mean everything to me. I have many fans accumulated over the years. Lots of them come out and I always make time to sign autographs at my shows and hand out autographed guitar picks. The fans make a great fun show for me and the rest of the guys,” said Fran Cosmo.
Among Anton Cosmo’s musical influences are Peter Gabriel, U2 and Muse.
“They have a lot of color and depth to the music,” he said.
On his 2010 solo album “The In Between,” Anton Cosmo gives a nod to his influences, which he calls “visionaries.” He also wrote and produced a 2006 Cosmo album called “Alien.”
“A Beautiful Chaos,” Anton Cosmo’s 2011 solo project, was written from life influences and experiences.
“This journey of life is good and bad. Music is about feel. I try to capture the essence of what I am feeling at that particular time in my life and try to put it on audio for the world to hear. What happens from there is history,” he said.
Among his other work, Anton Cosmo’s song “Turn It Off” was featured in a national campaign that kicked off Launch.com (Yahoo!) in 2003 and in 2011 he became the spokesmodel and the face of “Famous Vodka.”
Anton Cosmo said he enjoys every opportunity he can get to perform with his father.
“It’s amazing because we know what the other one is thinking,” he said.
Cosmo is one of the 11 bands performing at the three-day rib festival, which also includes local and national grill masters serving up the best in ribs, chicken and other barbecued delicacies. Simon Event Management is producing this weekend’s event at the fairgrounds just outside of Greensburg that also includes a retail marketplace and kid’s zone.