On a perfect June evening, we went to the Ribs-N-Rock Festival to listen to AC & The Heat. The music began, the atmosphere was electric and it was clear that this band is something special. When the show was over, we wished they would just keep on playing. They are that good. It is obvious that there is a lot of chemistry in AC & the Heat, and we were able to chat with Andrea Cicoretti and Nick Kosanovich to find out what makes them rock. Here is Part One of a two-part series:
Andrea (Yes! She is THE AC of the band) came from a very musical family. Live music was a huge part of her childhood with her dad and brother both being in bands. Her dad knew all the local musicians so their family parties and events always had a band. Andrea’s first introduction to music was through her dad, George Karas, who was in The Del Sinchak Band, a Youngstown Polka band. He was an accordion and bass player and also a talented vocalist. Her brother, Danny, played bass and sang in the band, Musical Collection. With so much music surrounding her as a child, Andrea was destined to do something great with music!
When she was ten, Andrea began taking keyboard lessons. Her parents made her practice one hour every day, even when she didn’t want to. She had to practice the keyboard before she was allowed to go to Mauthe Park to play or swim with her friends. Although Andrea loved going out and singing karaoke, it would be several years before she started singing professionally.
It all started about ten years ago when Andrea sang an impromptu song at Vincent’s Vine Bar during a show of Anthony Horvath’s. The bar owner loved it so much that he invited Andrea to come back to sing with Anthony on a regular basis. The two began singing professionally as a duo at local wineries and country clubs. Even though she is a naturally gifted singer, Andrea was a nervous wreck and didn’t feel comfortable at first. However, she had always been enthralled with watching musicians performing their craft and knew this was something she wanted to be part of.
Andrea’s favorite songs to perform are “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston (she loves it, and her late father-in-law loved and pushed her to learn it), “Crazy” by Patsy Cline (her dad’s favorite), and “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin (her hubby’s favorite). During AC & The Heat’s performance of Bobby McGee at the Ribfest, a man came up alongside us and was completely taken in by Andrea’s voice. He nudged my arm and said, “For a minute I thought that was Janis Joplin, and not many people can pull that off.” Andrea had the complete attention of the crowd and nobody wanted to miss a single beat.
Growing up, Andrea loved Donna Summers. The Carpenters were also her favorites and she would put their music on, get a hairbrush and sing, pretending she was Karen Carpenter and her two cousins were her backup singers. She also loved to listen to and sing along with KC and the Sunshine Band and Michael Jackson. Andrea’s favorite group to see in concert was The Scintas, a variety group consisting of musicians, singers, stories and comedy. She says they make you laugh; they make you cry. She first saw them at the Tangier in Akron, OH.
AC & The Heat released a new single shortly before we saw them perform it in June – “Guys Don’t Get It”. Andrea’s husband and Manager, Dean Cicoretti, searches high and low for new music from a pool of songwriters. What caught Andrea’s eye about this song was the beat, the music, its fun, up-tempo country/rock sound, and it fit her vocals well. It is hilarious to her how different men and women are, and the song goes right along with that. The album cover featuring a dog with his head tilted to the side, like he isn’t getting it, was Dean’s idea.
The band also has three other originals: “Finish What You Started”, “The Meantime Blues” and “The Last One”. Clips of all of their songs are on their website www.acandtheheat.com.
While Andrea says that her performances opening for The Gin Blossoms at the Ribfest and opening for Mr. Speed at the Goodyear Theatre in Akron, Ohio were two of her best, she also had an amazing show out on the water at Lake Milton, Ohio when everything was starting to open up after Covid. Nobody had been going out, and people were ready to get back into the music scene. Her stage was a pontoon boat with all the seats taken out of it. There were balloons all around, she was surrounded by other boats, and everyone could tune into a radio station in order to be able to hear the whole show. It was a magical night!
Andrea’s favorite thing about performing is getting on stage and connecting with a crowd. She loves being able to move people. She says life is so hard and she wants people to enjoy her music and get away from life for awhile.
Over the years, Andrea has had some great moments as a musician. One of her funniest memories is the very first time she met Nick – right before they played a gig together. She was singing with the band, Mane Atraxion, and they needed a bass player. Nick answered the call to come help out and they formed an instant connection; a friendship that will last a lifetime. That night, she was unaware that Nick’s vision in his left eye isn’t very good. The stage was tight, they were moving around, and Nick whacked her in the head with his bass. They both busted out laughing on stage and said we are going to keep on going. Ever since, she has been on his right side!
Andrea has taken vocal lessons from Roger Love, Hollywood vocal coach to the stars. On one occasion, she went to one of his speaking seminars at Zipper Theater in Los Angeles. She was called up on stage and told Love she is a singer, not a speaker. In front of more than 2,000 people, he asked her favorite song, began playing “Crazy” and she sang. The audience gave her a standing ovation.
Andrea’s career has not been without challenges. When she joined the 80’s rock band, Mane Atraxion, she had never sung Bon Jovi or Def Leppard. She loved being in the band so much that she put in all the work, practicing in her music room for hours every night. Finally, Dean barged into her music room and said, “I can’t take this anymore, you are so bad, and this sounds so terrible!” She told him he would just have to put up with it and kept practicing. Three or four months later, he told her he couldn’t believe she had done it, and it still wasn’t his favorite genre, but at least she didn’t suck anymore.
AC & The Heat is a relatively new band, starting rehearsals only about six months ago. The five band members have already become a family and plan to keep making good music, entertaining people, and having a lot of fun. They expect to start opening for bigger venues, such as amphitheaters in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. They’ve played the little bar stage for a long time and are ready for bigger stages.
The Heat consists of: Nick Kosanovich – bass player and Musical Director Rick Gresko – guitar player Chuck Forsythe – guitar player George Frazeskos – drummer and backup vocal Jason Volovar – keyboard player and backup vocals
Dean Cicoretti is the band’s manager and according to Andrea, the best organizer ever. She says she would never be doing this without his love, support and help. Dean brings out the best in her.
In addition to playing at some large private events, AC & The Heat has public events on their books. Their schedule can be found on their website www.acandtheheat.com
You can connect with AC & The Heat on YouTube and Facebook. Their single “Guys Don’t Get It” is available on iTunes, Spotify and all the major streaming sites. It is also playing on iHeart Radio.
Watch for our interview with Nick Kosanovich in AC & The Heat – Part Two!