Article on Rick Sciaraffa

I was surprised only to find a small obituary and no article on the death of Rick Sciaraffa of the White Rabbit Friday. But finally the Express-News seems to have caught up:

Sciaraffa promoted local bands

Web Posted: 05/12/2007 02:16 AM CDT

Carmina Danini
Express-News

For the past decade, Richard Frank "Rick" Sciaraffa Jr. could be found most nights at the White Rabbit, the club on North St. Mary's Street that attracted young people to bands playing modern rock, ska and alternative rock.

Sciaraffa sold the club to his father Richard in 2005 but still owned a third interest.

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the club's opening. The club expanded to San Antonio from Austin's Sixth Street in May 1996.

Rick Sciaraffa, 44, died Thursday at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital.

The cause is unknown but Sciaraffa was found unconscious at his home May 2 by his father.

Visitation will be held at the White Rabbit, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., today from 1 to 3 p.m., with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery.

Sciaraffa brought a lot of bands together into the club, said Erica Vigliante, a concert promoter with Twin Productions.

"He pushed bands to work. He had a love/hate relationship with a lot of bands," she said. "Some loved him, some hated him. But he really worked hard to bring local bands together with national bands on the same bill."

Vigliante, who also performed at White Rabbit with her band DesDemona, said sharing the bill with national bands gives local bands exposure.

"He worked as hard to promote local bands as he did to promote national bands and he did that for 10 years," she said.

A graduate of Keystone School, Sciaraffa received a law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law but limited his practice to entertainment contracts, his father said.

In addition to his father, Sciaraffa leaves a daughter, Christina Sciaraffa; a sister, Juliana Sciaraffa Lee, all of San Antonio; a brother, Stefan Sciaraffa of Houston and his grandmother, Mary Sciafarra, also of San Antonio.

His mother, Bertie Condra Sciaraffa, preceded him in death.