Blog | Music/Arts: Long Island Sound & Beyond

We’re here and now, but will we ever be again?
‘Cause I have found
All that shimmers in this world is sure to fade
Away again…

It’s been awhile since the alt-rock post-grunge band Fuel has been on the scene, but original lead singer Brett Scallions recruited guitarist Andy Andersson, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Kenneth Schalk, and the new foursome began touring together last week. You might recall late nineties hits like “Shimmer” and “Hemorrhage (In My Hands),” but Scallions is also writing some new music and the band expects to release a new record sometime this year—the rumor being summertime.

When Fuel hit the Paramount in Huntington on Friday night they’ll be playing with a number of bands: the opener will be the Soundgarden-esque Edisun, followed by Huntington’s own Verse the Empire, and L.A.‘s Venrez. “Fuelies” can expect to hear the classics, and possibly some new songs like “I Can See the Sun,” and “What We Can Never Have.” Music starts at 8pm: http://www.paramountny.com/shows/

For more info check out: http://fuelrocks.com/

Super Prime, who formed at Berklee College of Music, hit the Boston music scene in the spring of 2011, and the trio has already shared the bill with Marky Ramone, “the great-grandfather of the kind of rock [they] play.” Growing up, they were all in rock bands but their influences were as diverse as hip-hop, jazz, gospel, and electronica. So, what inspired the music on their latest EP, “Sun’s Out, Gun’s Out?”

“We we’re listening to a lot of Title Fight, Fall Out Boy, Such Gold and Blink in the van on the way to practice,” notes Bond. “We also watched a ton of YouTube videos and played way too many video games… Our lyrics are always inspired by real life experiences and feelings we think we need to get out in the open.”

The power trio—vocalist/bassist Austin Bond, guitarist/vocalist Adam Newall and drummer Marcus James—who were also influenced by Incubus and Drake, describe their music as “fast, melodic, fun and easy to dance to.”

“We like making people happy,” reveals Bond, “and we play for everyone, not just specific group of people. It’s becoming more pop rock than pop punk these days but thats okay.”

When the band returns to NYC’s Studio at Webster Hall on Sunday, January 15th, they will be sharing the bill with Long Island’s Patent Pending, and you’ll hear music from their first 2 EP’s, and “some really cool covers, like Fall Out Boy’s ‘Grand Theft Autumn,’ Lit’s ‘My Own Worst Enemy,’ and a few Blink-182 songs.” Look for Super Prime’s debut full-length, produced by Brian Charles (Bright Eyes) to drop in the springtime.

For more info check out: www.super-prime.com

You may remember the neon-red-haired singer as Adam Levine’s pick on “The Voice” when she belted out Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Now you can experience Casey Desmond’s talent firsthand when she hits The Mercury Lounge on Thursday, December 22nd to play songs from her upcoming record, along with some other surprises. Desmond will be joined by her right hand man, Taylor Barefoot, who is her guitar player, best friend, and the co-producer of her album:

“We were lucky enough to work on some tracks with Anthony Resta (Duran Duran, Collective Soul) and Karyadi Sutedja from Bopnique Musique, who produced and mixed my previous EP’s,” notes Desmond. “Stay tuned for Robots, Rockets, Animals, and Sex…. just maybe not all at once. As for collaborations, I co-wrote almost half of my album with Robert Ellis Orrall (Taylor Swift, Martina McBride), along with some other tracks. I’ve been writing with the act Hot Pink Deloreon/ Terravita, and working on a track with DJ Travis Stillwell.”

The Boston-based synth-dance-pop chanteuse, who has a degree in Fashion Design and collects vintage synths and keyboards, was greatly influenced by David Bowie.

“David Bowie is everything I idolize in a writer/performer,” admits Desmond. “He’s not only visually pleasing and extremely talented, but he’s also tapped into so many varieties of music and he did it well… Remember when the beautiful boy with an acoustic guitar became a glittery glam queen on Mars? Then, with a touch of funk and shoulder pads he dominated disco radio! I admire other favorites, but this time it’s all about the Bowie.”

The electro-pop singer would most like to tour with Lady Gaga, M83, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, or Goldfrapp. On Thursday night, Desmond will be performing with The Dance Party and Blackbells, and you can hear: “The entire new album that will be out in the new year… We also have a strange, and dark, rendition of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ for the holiday!”

For more info check out: http://caseydesmond.com/

The Maine will be bringing music from their newly released disc, “Pioneer,” to Gramercy Theatre on Friday, the 16th. The Arizona rockers—John O’Callaghan on vocals; Garrett Nickelsen on bass; Pat Kirch on drums; Kennedy Brock on guitar/vocals; and Jared Monaco on guitar—wrote the music for their 3rd studio album whilst on a farm in Gilbert.

“The farm was a place where we could make noise all night, and we could live together. We didn’t actually have the intention of recording a record when we first started writing,” notes O’Callaghan, who writes most of the music.

After writing 40 songs, the band narrowed it down to 13-tracks for the CD and were inspired by the band Wilco, who also decided to part with their label to maintain creative control.

“We definitely learned a thing or two from Wilco while watching their DVD. They fought to put out the music they wanted to and I think we felt inspired from their accomplishments to do the same,” reveals O’Callaghan.
The indie quintet, that describes it sound as “pop songs disguised as rock,” is influenced by everyone from Taking Back Sunday and Mayday Parade, to Nirvana and Wilco.

When they hit the stage at Gramercy on Friday night you can expect to hear a lot from “Pioneer,” and some surprises:

“We’ll be playing the entire new record in order,” notes O’Callaghan. “After that, we will take a few minutes to breathe and return to play some old songs and possibly a holiday song… We know a lot of faces around NY, and really are always blown away every time by the fans. Can’t wait!”

For more info check out: http://www.wearethemaine.net

The longtime frontman for funky bar band Circus Mind, Mark Rechler had a collection of dark rock songs that needed to stand on their own. So the Long Island native started the band Falling Water—guitarist Bill Titus, bassist Chris Crosby, drummer Dave Diamond and Rechler on vocals/piano/keys—to record his reflective bluesy, rock songs about addiction, loss, and seasonal affective disorder.

“I’ll be the first to admit that as the days get shorter and the shadows get longer, I battle with my own set of seasonal depression,” says Rechler. “’The Slow Down’ helped me release my demons and I expect it’ll find the same home among listeners battling similar situations.”

Elton John, Belle & Sebastian, Roger Waters, Wilco, and his favorite artist, David Bowie, influenced Rechler on Falling Water’s cathartic debut EP, “The Slow Down.” While it can be classified as Adult Alternative, the music is still appealing to younger listeners by combining modern synths and guitar licks with heavy key fills.

Rechler has made music for Discovery Networks and played with members of the Meters, the Neville Brothers, Soulive, and Bob Marley’s band. A former architect who designed and worked on “many of the funkier office and industrial buildings around Long Island,” Rechler says the name Falling Water is a “double entendre between architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous house and rain,” or tears.

When Falling Water plays Sullivan Hall in NYC for a CD Release party on Friday, November 18th from 8:30-10:30pm, you can expect to hear songs from “The Slow Down,” some new songs from their forthcoming full-length, and “a few cool, related covers.” So get ready to rock, and reflect, for the holidays…

For more info check out: http://www.fallingwatermusic.com