Member Since: 28/11/2005
Band Website: www.lonesharks.com
Band Members:
GENE CASEY guitar
CHRIS RIPLEY drums
PAUL SCHER saxophone
TONY PALUMBO bass
JOE LAURO bass
Past members, special guests: ANDY BURTON, TONY CAMPO, ALAN ST JON, DAVE KEYES, CHARLIE GIORDANO, piano, organ, accordion; STAN MITCHELL, DAVE DRISCOLL, drums; WAYNE SCHUSTER, BRIAN SEARS, SAL SAMARTINO, sax; MIKE SACCOLITI, DAVE POST, VIN CASEY, bass; PHIL GIULIANO, guitar.
Influences: In addition to ripping off CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, and anyone who recorded for SUN RECORDS the Lone Sharks gussy-up their joyful larceny with giddy attempts at swing jazz and pre-rock pop crooning.
Each member brings his musical obsession to the table: drummer Chris Ripley loves MAX ROACH, JO JONES and EARL PALMER.
Paul Scher adores the hot R&B soul sound of KING CURTIS, LEE ALLEN, and any number of horn greats.
Joe Lauro is a collector of pre-war jazz records and has produced several music-related film documentaries including "The Wildest: Louis Prima!"
Tony Palumbo's father was a NYC session guitarist in the 1950s and older brother Nick a major player in the swing revival in the 90s.
Still trying to write a good song, Gene Casey lists DON GIBSON, HANK COCHRAN, OTIS BLACKWELL, JOHNNY MERCER and FELICE & BOUDLEAUX BRYANT as inspirations.
Gene also makes use of theblog feature at MySpace to write about some of his faves, meanwhile sparing his closest friends and innocent bystanders endless bits of self-absorbed indulgence.
You are hereby directed...
Sounds Like:
It swings, rocks, rolls.
It croons like a lover's lullaby on a dreamy moonlit night. Likely, alcohol encourages said dreamy state so we urge you to tip your bartender before tipping over anyone else.
As only one member of the band was born below the Mason-Dixon line (and he plays the saxophone) this preoccupation with things southern is slightly perplexing to those who may have played Little League with the boys or shoplifted 45s at Valley Stream's Green Acres.
The minimal amount of chords to be found in most southern vernacular music may be the reason these men faithfully carry the torch for what one might call "roots music."
Of course, one might be referring to the popular TV '70s mini-series, "Roots" and be just as accurate, especially the part where Chuck Connors gets really nasty, although they actually prefer "Rich Man, Poor Man," particularly scenes involving Susan Blakely getting sloppy drunk and Nick Nolte knocking Ed Asner into a bunch of pastries.
Considering the irony that Gene was born in the shadow of the Gretsch building (ok, a really long shadow that reached Queens) and nowadays Gretsch products (such as the guitars and drums Gene and Chris play) are made in Japan, one might be tempted to envision a future wherein the Lone Sharks are honored as expatriate American music giants in the land of the rising sun.
This dreamy state is, too, helped by alcohol. Time to pay the tab!
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Record Label: Al Gore Information Super Highway Records
Type of Label: Major