By Nicole Minieri
New York City based prominent punk rock band Tied For Last will cross the East River and rock the shamrock with a powerful resurgence this Friday night at Shillelagh Tavern in Astoria.
Tied for Last band members include Westchester natives Steve Scollard (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy D’Angelo (lead guitars, vocals), Jen Chappell (bass, vocals) and Andrew Busone (drums, vocals). Created in 2001 by Scollard and D’Angelo, this hard-edged, yet urbane seasoned quartet is currently circuiting the metropolitan area promoting a jam-packed playlist containing self-penned power cord anthems and a host of new tunes from their anticipated third studio release.
While spectators can count on Tied For Last to promise and deliver their typical in-your-face crowd-pleasing gig Friday night, they can also count on the band to drop conspicuous hints of musical maturity and progression when staging new songs from their forthcoming CD. Granted, “Starring at the Bottom,” “Lead You On,” to “Jimi’s on the Radio,” undeniably mimic the band’s signature PDQ sound; however, “Can’t Stop Drinking (About You),” “Hi Honey I’m Home,” and “That’s How She Rolls,” are some of their latest singles that clearly cue just how much this band has artistically evolved and overlapped across varying and sub-genres without losing a firm grip on their punk rock roots.
“Some of the new songs invoke a bit of country, ’50s style rockabilly, ’60s garage rock and some have more of a raw, fast classic punk sound. Almost all of the lyrics [to these songs] have a tongue-in-cheek quality… [And] range from a tribute to roller derby girls, to sitcom dads wreaking havoc, to the Cold War, to alcohol. Thematically, there are some Cold War/Pop Culture connections and nuclear bomb/nuclear family juxtapositions as well,” explained Scollard. “We’re a little more sure of ourselves and our writing, so you can tell we’ve grown a bit musically on the newer material. But, we also wanted to keep the same fun attitude we’ve had in the past.”
Their infectious “fun attitude” parlayed into lyrical hooks against a backdrop of intense stage energy is what initially helped punctuate the burgeoning band in New York City’s underground punk rock music scene. In 2004, Tied For Last released their debut CD, Sorta Live, a recorded live studio demo that impressively sold out multiple pressings due to fan demand and spawned “Eve of Destruction,” a classic protest song that is the bands biggest international hit to date.
By the following year, Tied For Last featured on the line-up at major music festivals while performing to packed out audiences at New York City’s finest punk meccas, including CBGB’s and The Continental’s famous final concert series.
“I could have thrown down my guitar, never touched it again and would have been more than satisfied,” said D’Angelo, referring to playing at both landmarks bid farewell.
The band’s first full-length studio CD, Kickass Yes-Man Corporate Hacks, was recorded and released in the traditional punk rock “DIY” manner and yielded to another significant single. The energetic catchy song, “Achiever,” appeared on the movie soundtrack for the documentary film, Over the Line–an Achiever Story, directed by Eddie Chung in 2007. Subsequently, the band toured the eastern seaboard and was selected to be the opening act for iconic California punk/surf power trio “Agent Orange.”
Tied For Last has maintained their momentum since then by playing regularly in mid-sized classic New York City punk rock clubs alongside camaraderie bands like “The Bloody Muffs” and “Aunt Hildegard,” in addition to receiving a considerable amount of airplay on mainstream and independent radio stations. And, with the imminent release of their self-produced third studio release, the band is getting ready to kick it into high gear on the road this fall with a New England and Mid-Atlantic States tour.
“We are planning a lot more gigs to support our new CD this time around, and in places that we have not yet been too,” said Chappell.
Plans to shoot their first formal music video for “Can’t Stop Drinking (About You)” will come to fruition once recording is complete. Although the CD is slated for an early 2012 release, live versions of some songs can be downloaded from their official website and press singles will be given away at special future shows.
“We are all extremely happy in the direction the band is headed,” said Busone.
If Tied For Last continues to stretch their musicality to the outer limits while preserving their core just like The Ramones, who pioneered simple stripped down sounds with elements of pop accompanied by unconventional lyrics all crammed in two-minute songs that ignited the entire punk rock movement, then as history would have, Tied For Last, will certainly last.
Yet when asked how they would like their band to go down in punk rock history, Busone replied, “As four failed comedians playing in a band!”
For more information on the band visit their website at www.tiedforlast.com
