Blog | Music/Arts: Long Island Sound & Beyond

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

The majority of indie rock band The Greater the Risk have college degrees but have chosen to make music their number one priority. The Richmond, Virginia-based quintet—lead vocalist Daniel Castillo, guitarist Ashley Drewes, guitarist/vocalist Blake Gillespie, bassist Nathan Wilson, and drummer Derek Ames—garnered Alternative Press’ Top Unsigned artist of the month last February, and just released their second EP, “Say What You Never Said,” which was produced by Bryan Russell (Envy On The Coast, Straylight Run, The Narrative).

“Our first EP was mainly a pop record,” says Gillespie. “It wasn’t too flashy, and really just showcased what was to come. But our latest EP is a big leap forward. Better hooks, melodies and, more importantly, better sound. Some songs have an indie rock feel as opposed to a pop feel, which definitely shows during our live performances. We’ve all improved musically, which will only improve our next record.”

Influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World, Anberlin, the Dangerous Summer, and Search the City, The Greater the Risk’s latest effort is “melodically-driven, hook-laden, and full of sweet licks.” Veterans of the Vibe Lounge, the quintet looks forward to playing their newest songs for the LI crowd on Saturday, November 5th. Expect to hear music from both EP’s and some surprise covers.

“We’ve covered the Killers before, and are working on a Jimmy Eat World gem for those who dig their sound,” admits Gillespie. “We like to keep everything original, so that means we’ll often play an intro part here or there, or add parts to a song to make it more enjoyable instead of just settling for a cover… Anyone interested in an Applebees excursion after the show, we’ll probably be down for it this time. I think we were a little thrown off by the excitement over the ‘Bees’ before, but we’re ready for you now!”

For more info check out: www.facebook.com/thegreatertherisk

When famed MC “DJ Boogie Bash” decided he wanted to take his act to the next level, “the best cover band in North America” was spawned. Boogie searched the Tri-State area for the most talented musicians he could find and moved the five of them into his Huntington house so they could study and hone their skills. The Bash combines a DJ with live instruments and humor, harmonies, exercise equipment, and hula-hooping (with or without fire) when covering everything from Michael Jackson, Britney and 50 Cent, to the Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga.

“From a musical standpoint, we are influenced by the Beethoven’s and Mozart’s of our time,” notes Saucy Bash, “including Ke$ha, the Backstreet Boys, and LMFAO. Visually speaking, the band is influenced by various infomercials of the past 20 years, workout videos and the underground rave scene. We try to be as stimulating as possible.”

You have multiple chances to be stimulated during this Bashoween weekend as the six-piece—guitarist Ziggy Bash, DJ Boogie Bash, bassist Bucky Bash, keyboardist Kitty Bash, vocalist/gazelleist Saucy Bash, and drummer Lumpy Bash—play three clubs in three nights: Friday, Oct. 28th at Ollies Amityville (ages 18+); Saturday, Oct. 29th at Finley’s, Huntington; and Monday, Oct. 31st at the Nutty Irishman in Bay Shore.

Expect to hear classic “mashups” (songs played back to back with swapped lyrics sharing a similar theme or concept) of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” mixed with the “Ghostbusters” theme, “Monster Mash,” and many others. Their costumes are a surprise—though you may still see some of their colorful exercise attire.

“The Bash is built for the type of wild party atmosphere that Halloween creates, and the clubs recognize that,” admits Saucy. “One weekend a year people can dress up, let loose, and go crazy, and The Bash is the perfect group to bring that out of everyone.”

For more info check out: http://www.thebashband.com and http://www.thenuttyirishman.com

Named after a children’s book, We Are the In Crowd are ready for the Noise Tour with Mayday Parade on Thursday night at the Nutty Irishman. (This show was originally scheduled for the, now closed, Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale)

The Poughkeepsie-based quintet recently released their first LP, “Best Intentions,” on which you’ll hear dual vocalists—Tay Jardine and guitarist Jordan Eckes—expressing different opinions on each song.

“The lyrics were all inspired by things we had gone through in the last year,” notes Jardine. “”We’re close friends and talk about everything together, so it was easy to relate to the situation even if it didn’t directly happen to one of us.”

With the exception of a few songs, which were co-written with producers Kenneth Mount and Zach Odom (All Time Low, Mayday Parade), composing was a group effort for Jardine, Eckes, bassist Mike Ferri, drummer Rob Chianelli, and guitarist Cameron Hurley.

“We do things this way because we like to have everyone’s input,” says Jardine. “Sometimes the process takes longer with more people involved but in the end, we’re all happy.”

Influenced by bands like New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, and the Starting Line, whom they were lucky enough to tour with in the summer, the pop-rockers will be playing songs off “Best Intentions” (which was one of Alternative Press’s most anticipated fall releases) when they hit the stage of the Nutty Irishman on Thursday, October 13th.

We Are in the Crowd will perform right before Mayday Parade, with The Make, You Me at Six, and There For Tomorrow opening.

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