Piso’s Cure is a newer band on the Quad-City music scene. The five-piece R&B outfit consists of Frankie Fontagne (bass, vox), Chrissy Boyer (vox), John Sorensen (drums), Logan McDaniel (guitar), and Jacob Palmer (keys). We sat down with them to chat about their first few months in action, including a debut at the 2021 Mississippi Valley Blues Fest and how to best prepare for their first show of 2022.
The Echo: How did Piso’s Cure come together?
Frankie Fontagne (FF): Chrissy and I have been friends, and we always talked about hooking up in the future and doing some stuff together, musically. We just didn’t know what it was going to be.
I ran into Jacob, Logan, and John at an open jam over the summer. I saw them playing and thought, “These guys have such great personalities and such great playing styles.” They were playing the kind of stuff that I like, and we just clicked. They knew me from the bass and signing videos I posted over the summer.
John Sorensen (JS): I actually saw you for the first time at Gypsy Highway.
FF: Did you really? SEE! I went up to them and said, “I want to play with you guys. Let’s do something.” and then I called Chrissy! Finally, we had these guys that wanted to play some R&B and wanted to play the music that would really suit our singing style. I knew it was time to put it together. It is not an ironic story, but it’s a pretty cool one.
The Echo: It is fascinating how people find each other.
FF: Exactly! It was perfect timing for everybody. We met at Thirsty’s on Third, and we were thirsty for music. When I heard them playing, I fell in love with them, and I haven’t felt that way about anyone in the Quad Cities in a while. It was very special. Chrissy needed something fresh and new. Even just being females in this music scene, and the type of music we’re cultured with, and our desire to sing that music, we finally have that opportunity.
Chrissy Boyer (CB): It was great timing! I was looking for something to fill the void of the Candymakers, and this timing was everything.
The Echo: Wait, was your first show the Mississippi Valley Blues Fest?
FF: YES!
The Echo: How did that come to fruition?
FF: I’ve played in a couple of Blues Fests and played in blues bands. I ran across John Resch, who happens to be a good friend of mine and is a musician himself. He approached me about Piso’s Cure being in the Blues Fest. It was a last-minute thing, but it was perfect timing. I knew the band would say yes as soon as he asked, but I had to ask them first. The band was very receptive to it, and it was a great challenge because we are not a blues band. But we had a great time introducing Piso’s Cure to the community. I mean, what better way to start your whole career off as a band than at the Blues Fest.
CB: I thought, “We better bring it.” Because who the hell gets booked to do Blues Fest their first damn gig. This could be really wrong or really right.
The Echo: This is truly some cosmic timing.
FF: It really was! I mean, we looked beautifully that day, we played beautifully, the crowd was freaking amazing.
Jacob Palmer(JP): We had great reception, blues band or not.
The Echo: How has the landscape of getting out and playing shows looked like since?
CB: Frankie and I have that extra added benefit of being really well connected. Even though we don’t have a catalog of content to put out on social media, you know, I don’t think we’re going to have problems booking gigs.
The Echo: You guys have the Capricorn Bash coming up this weekend at Gypsy Highway. What’s the story behind that?
FF: I specifically named it Capricorn because it’s my birthday on Saturday. I was looking for a reason to party! I would love to do my birthday partying with Piso’s Cure. What better way than to spend a cold winter night than to get out and celebrate anybody who has a Capricorn birthday than to come dance and feel good. It sucks being in the house in the wintertime.
The Echo: That’s awesome! What can people expect on Saturday then?
FF: A GOOD TIME! We’ll be playing good dance tunes.
CB: “Music for the soul. Music for the sooouuul.”
FF: Chrissy. Chrissy is a great singer. She brings an element of R&B. Her sultry voice brings something to the scene that the Quad Cities doesn’t really have. We’re bringing something different. People are going to feel good while they’re there.
CB: That’s the goal: making people feel good. That’s the meaning of the name.
The Echo: Let’s dive into the meaning of the name. Your social media header is this cool vintage bottle. What’s that all about?
JS: I live in an old house that was built in 1900. These old medicine bottles were sitting around, and one of them was called “Piso’s Cure.” I just found out about it like a year ago. It was the best-selling drug in the United States in the late 1800s. It was one of those quack doctor drugs. It had like morphine, opium and hashish, and all sorts of crazy shit in it.
I liked the word “cure” and having that in a band name because obviously, music can be healing. Piso in Spanish means floor, so we kind of interpret that as a connection to the dance floor.
I was hanging onto that band name and just kept thinking, “I want to be in a project that performs a lot of music that people will want to dance to.” And then I met these beautiful souls.
The Echo: 2021 seemed to be a pretty successful year under your belt as a band. What does 2022 look like?
Logan McDaniel: After this show, we have the Road to Summercamp Battle of the Bands at the Redstone Room. We’ll be competing with four other bands, and the winner gets a slot at Gypsy Highway.
FF: We have some offers for other shows. Right now, it’s finding a good flow with everyone’s schedules and what’s actually producing for us right now. We’re figuring out what direction we want to go as a band. I love that we talk through things to make sure they’re going to be beneficial to us as individuals and a band.
CB: We took a lot of time between that first gig and the next. As a new band, it takes a while to actually have enough material to do a full night and do it well.
FF: We’re working on our originals. That’s definitely a direction that Piso’s Cure is working toward. We want to do some recording and get in the studio. That’s a long-term goal for this band.
The Echo: What do you want people to associate with the name Piso’s Cure?
JP: The word “cure” is something we take literally. We honestly believe that music has healing power on a physical and metaphysical level. We’re really about generating that kind of spirit when we play. It’s a really contagious thing. Most people who have heard us play are picking up on that.
CB: If people want to hear good music, get out and dance and honestly just forget about a shitty day, come party with us. Get your ass to Gypsy Highway on Saturday. You’re not going to hear this music from anyone else in town.
Find more details about the band’s upcoming shows on their Facebook page and find specifics on the Jan 15 show here.