Frank Marino

This month Ronan McCullagh checks out some psychedelic blues with an unsung hero who left the business but has returned to play again.

- Ronan McCullagh

At the age of 13 Frank Marino wound up in a mental hospital after getting involved with psychedelic drugs. Here he found a cheap Stella acoustic to keep his mind off the terrifying thoughts in his head. After a year or so he was incredibly proficient on the instrument, developing a deep relationship with it and often expressing how he felt that the guitar had became his lifeboat. Once discharged from hospital Frank began playing around Montreal with a trio called Mahogany Rush, which he named after one of his LSD experiences. Toting a 1961 Les Paul SG, bought by his parents for $75, and with bassist Paul Harwood and drummer Jimmy Ayoub, the group would take their amps and a generator, find a place and play. Large crowds would congregate, and