We’ve said it before: Idle Vice is going to make it. This outstanding five-song EP is further proof that it’s just a matter of time before this quartet will be on the road again, or signed to a major label. This is a tremendous disc is one of the best we’ve been privy to in months. Charisma, style, attitude, and rock & roll ethic, Idle Vide has it all going on.
Good heavens, is this music original. From the great title to the outstanding recording job – yeah, it’s VuDu Studios again, like that’s any sort of a surprise; Mike Watts is a friggin’ genius – there’s a little something here for any rock fan. Unlike a lot of bands, Idle Vice isn’t a carbon copy of something else that’s going on at the moment. They’re not emo, they’re not hard rock, they’re not alt – they’re Idle Vice, and they’re forging their own identity as a tighter-than-tight melodic modern rock band.
The Huntington-based band – Matty Lupinacci (vocals), Branden Gallagher (bass), Jayson Howard (drums), and Justin Fentrich (guitar) – has already toured the east coast and are planning a three-month national tour to move this EP. It shouldn’t be hard; with stick-in-your-memory cuts such as “Cast Away,” “You’re Game,” and “The Verdict,” this is a band that features lyrics as deep as their music is catchy. And they appear to be proud products of the region: The inner liner notes feature a photo of a “Greetings From Long Island” postcard. Hey, cats, we’re proud of Idle Vice, too. This disc is easily one of the best local products of 2007.
For more information on this superb band, log on to idlevicerock.com or myspace.com/idlevice.
– Syl Nathan
Rock Stars Of America? From even a cursory of glance at these aging area musicians, a more appropriate handle for this band would be Musically Ambitious Local Guys With Day Jobs. Puh-leeze, guys: Actual rock stars are signed to major labels and are at least 15 years younger. Bad, bad, bad band name.
Which isn’t to say that this debut disc isn’t worth your time. Right from the opening notes, it is apparent that the Farmingdale-based RSOA is serious. The disc is produced by Jim Bonnefond, who in the past has served as a producer and engineer for such artists as Kool & The Gang, Jimmy Cliff, and many others. Engineering was by Dan Grigsby, and Sterling Sound’s Ted Jensen mastered the disc, which sonically sounds major label. The packaging, complete with a six-page booklet with extensive liner notes, belies the lofty aspirations of this project.
The band itself – Bart Griggs (vocals and guitars), Robert Coren (bass, drums, and piano), Marc Kronenberg (keyboards), and Richard Charschan (guitars) – is actually pretty refreshing, eschewing the area’s hair band bent for a more melodic style which features the outstanding lead work of Charschan. Although the back cover claims the disc should “be played at maximum volume,” the diversity of rock styles here is more than impressive and enjoyable at any listening level.
Highlights include the rocking “When Evil Walks By,” set closer “River Song” (a killer hook here), and the moody “Changing Of The Guard,” while the lesser tracks “Love And Money” and “I Heard You’re Leaving” are too plodding to be as pleasing. There are some interesting songwriting constructs here, though the vocals often sound like an afterthought. Rock Stars Of America may have a laughably bad group name, but if they continue to release classic rock-style music of this quality, no one’s going to have the nerve to snicker at these veterans.
For more information on Rock Stars Of America, log on to myspace.com/rockstarsofamerica.
– Syl Nathan
