| 3.20.2003
Steven Mancini, 39; love for rock started young
It was a far-out father-and-son event.
Douglas Magness, a guitarist in a garage band, took his 12-year-old stepson
to the civic center for a heavy-metal dose of glam and gothic rock.
Black Sabbath headed the bill. KISS opened the show.
Adolescent thin, with shoulder-length hair, Steven R. Mancini was enthralled.
"As soon as he could, he picked up a guitar and started playing,"
Magness remembered. "He was self-taught."
The Providence-born musician grew up with his step-dad's favorite artists,
including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf. Along the way, he
picked up some other favorites, like B.B. King and Eddie Van Halen.
Over a period of 11 years, Steven went to work in the seafood department
at the Stop & Shop grocery store on Manton Avenue; started a band;
and married Andrea
L. Jacavone, the manager of a family business, Jacavone Garden Center
on Atwood Avenue in Johnston.
Steven had no siblings. Andrea had 10.
"Andrea was that person in every family who had hugs and kisses
for everybody," said her sister, Michele Pistocco. Together, Andrea
and Steven "had this glow about them."
The couple worked part time at The Station in West Warwick, checking
IDs and doing other work. Steven also played guitar in a band.
Then, one night, Steven discovered just how small Rhode Island can be.
After talking to members of Skyhigh, a hard-rock house band, he discovered
the band's bassist was Keith
A. Mancini -- a distant cousin.
Keith had been playing in Skyhigh for more than a year. He also worked
in the warehouse of the Rhode Island Novelty Co. in Johnston.
Steven started a new band, Fathead, and Keith joined it.
Fathead became a regular band at The Station, and on some Saturday nights,
Steven, Andrea and Keith worked together at the club.
The band was so good, Fathead opened for Great White on Feb. 20.
After the gig, Steven, 39, and Andrea were going to Disney World with
Douglas and Barbara, Steven's mother.
It wasn't unusual for the two couples to do things together. Magness
built an addition -- a second story -- to his own house for Steven and
Andrea. He even built a music room for Steven.
"We were father and son and also the best of friends," said
Magness, who put down his own guitar, a Les Paul Sunburst, to make a living
as a heavy equipment mechanic. "Steve was living his dream."
-- Paul Davis
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