SUNY Potsdam Press Release About My Band: Behind Bad Luck!

23Mar08

My fair university wrote a press release about my band, Behind Bad Luck!’s incredible show at the Knitting Factory!

SMALL TOWN BAND “BEHIND BAD LUCK!” TAKES A BITE OUT OF THE BIG APPLE

Potsdam originated, self-proclaimed small town SKA band “Behind Bad Luck!,” all students of SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, rocked New York City’s “The Knitting Factory,” March 1.
For aspiring artists like those in “Behind Bad Luck!,” SUNY Potsdam provides a cozy home where they can focus on perfecting their craft and testing their art at small, local venues. However, the chance finally surfaced for this small town band to transition to the fast- paced, talent-quenched streets of NYC, “Behind Bad Luck!” was up to the challenge.
The band members include freshman John Pizziruso (electric guitar) of Massapequa; senior Jared Brickman (electric bass and general manager) of Syracuse; sophomore Ben O’Brien Smith (percussion) of Willston (VT); freshman Jon Wibben (trumpet) of Kings Park; freshman Hugh Stuart (trumpet) of Penn Yan; freshman Luca Fustioni (trombone) of Pleasantville; freshman Scott Kopstein (alto saxophone) of Franklin Square; and freshman Devon Toland (baritone saxophone) of Kings Park.
“Behind Bad Luck!” found its beginnings in a “Facebook” group titled “I Want to Start a SKA Band,” in which Pizziruso invited musicians he had met at The Crane School of Music. “We identify our training at Crane as an influence on our compositional style and musicianship,” said Brickman.
SKA combines elements of Caribbean “mento” and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line, accented guitar or piano rhythms on the offbeat and jazz-like horn riffs.
Utilizing Crane as a convenient and well-appropriated place to practice, “Behind Bad Luck!” is provided with all of the space and equipment that they need.
“For the tunes I write for the band, I apply a lot of the knowledge I gained from my music theory courses. Along with the composition techniques, the ear training involved in Crane’s aural skills courses helped me hone my ability to write music as I hear it in my head,” said Brickman.
“Behind Bad Luck!” was able to attain the gig at “The Knitting Factory,” located on the lower West Side of Manhattan at 74 Leonord Street when the band was able to play with King Django, a reggae-dub artist who is also a promoter for a monthly reggae-SKA-dub showcase at “The Knitting Factory” in New York City.
“He was so impressed with our sound that he invited us to play in the March 1 showcase,” said Brickman.
Since the fall of venue “CB GB’s,” “The Knitting Factory” has become the iconic venue in New York City. It plays host to a large range of genres that generally target people in their teens and 20s. This venue has seen big names such as “My Chemical Romance,” “Fall Out Boy” and “Beck.”
“This was a huge step for ‘Behind Bad Luck!’” said Brickman. “We got a taste of some big league action.”
The crowd responded better than expected. For the first time in the history of the showcase, the room was over sold: 210 tickets sold for a 200 maximum occupancy space.
“When we went on stage, the audience packed up to the front and cheered our arrival. Come downbeat, a large portion of the audience was dancing, and by the end of the show, there were kids literally hanging off the pipes on the ceiling rocking out to our music. After our last song, people were chanting our initials ‘B! B! L!’ and demanded an encore. There was an incredible response to our music. It was an unforgettable experience,” said Brickman.
The band played a 40-minute set with the highlight being their single “Soviet Russia.” “The audience, made up almost entirely of people that we did not know, sang along word for word,” recalled Brickman.
Brickman describes the music scene is New York City as “alive and meaningful to many.”
“The people in the crowd that night paid $12 to see us and the other bands play. Their energetic dancing and singing reflected their strong interest in the show,” he said.
To find out more about “Behind Bad Luck!,” visit www.behindbadluck.com.