It was the biggest audience for the first band since the RockYoFaceCase series has seen thus far.
‘This big of a crowd has never come at 9p.m. for the first band,’ Patrice Zapiti, creator of the show, said. She was right. The room was packed.
Breathing East set the bar high on Monday, Nov. 2 for the rest of the bands that followed, Trashed on Fiction and SlothBear. They hadn’t played a show since the summer and all they needed was a couple of practices and a sound check to get right back into it.
Nerves struck some of the members before the show, but once they started playing those emotions were lost and all you could hear was their perfection. Their blend of rock and alternative can capture anyone’s attention and make them fans for a long time.
The crowd gathered around the stage and everyone who hadn’t ‘ heard of them before started dancing and cheering. The audience moved to the beat of the drums played by Conor Harrigan. Will Stevens, bassist, brought about 20 groupies with him and they danced and cheered the whole time. Guitarist Mark Standish let his music do the talking when he was on stage and the audience certainly enjoyed it. AJ McIntyre’s, lead singer and guitarist, vocal range went through the speakers and proved that every member of Breathing East is incredibly talented.
Breathing East wasn’t the only new thing added to RockYoFaceCase. The show also had more entertainment for its guests between sets with a buffalo wings eating competition and sprite pong in the back. The winner of the competitions got a free t-shirt and their picture put up at the bar.
The band also had an unexpected treat for the audience. They brought junior Suzie Koneschusky on stage to sing with them for their song Bird Watching.
‘She sang on our CD for us and she’s super talented, so we’ve got to get her up here,’ Stevens said to the crowd. Koneschusky had no idea she was going to be singing that night and sounded beautiful nonetheless.
Not only are their instrumentals phenomenal, but their lyrics are deep and original.
‘It’s too hard to forget her, and too much to regret her, but enough to keep me patiently waiting and waiting for your body to whisper,’ McIntyre sang.
Their performance was only 30 minutes long, but left a lasting impression. Audience members went up to the band afterwards to congratulate them and ask where they could find their music. The guys were tired and sweaty from rocking so hard and had nothing but smiles on their faces.
Their music is not posted yet, but they announced that by the end of the month something will be. Add them on Myspace at www.myspace.com/breathingeast ,and for Facebook, type in Breathing East in the search box.
Trashed on Fiction followed Breathing East, and they were good, but unfortunately couldn’t keep all the members that Breathing East brought with them. Those who stayed danced to their music and liked their indie, alternative mix. Their sound is original and you can find them at www.myspace.com/trashedonfiction.
They kept more of a crowd than the last band SlothBear. Individually the guys are talented, but when they mix their sound together, it’s just confusing. One audience member said, ‘I have no idea what’s going on,’ to her friend when she was watching them play on stage. Shouting into the mic, off pitch, and riffs that just don’t fit together is what audience members were listening to. Check them out if you’d like at www.myspace.com/slothbear.
Next Monday, Nov. 16 the show looks promising with a lineup of R’mon-E , Mania In Urbania and PUi. Support your Stony Brook bands! Come out to these shows! ‘
