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AFICIONADO

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About Me


Aficionado formed in 2004 with the intent to take over the world.
Aficionado boasts a 10 member full-time lineup, including a flautist, two trumpets, and a visual director. Unconventional instrumentation and elaborate arrangements help define a band that is otherwise impossible to pin down. By incorporating progressive elements into pop-oriented songs, the music appeals to a broad audience. Musical intricacies, odd time signatures, and over-the-top vocal harmonies play to the tastes of some, while others are drawn in by catchy hooks and easy-to-follow pop-song structures. With influences ranging from classic groups such as The Beatles, Yes, Jethro Tull, and King Crimson to more modern bands such as The Flaming Lips, Muse, The Polyphonic Spree, and At the Drive-In, Aficionado has a timeless appeal all its own.
The band devotes an incredible amount of time to arranging the music, and feels the accompanying live show should have just as much effort put into it. That commitment becomes clear the moment Aficionado takes the stage. Often compared to a rock & roll circus, the stage-filling ten person lineup takes command of the audience and guides them through a genuinely unique experience. The pomp and bravado of vocalist Nick Warchol flows seamlessly into the infectious energy of the instruments and provides the circus with its tailor-made ringmaster. Guitarists who double as whirling dervishes anchor the whole affair in the world of rock, while less conventional instruments such as flute add an exotic flare that forces the audience to broaden their palettes. Visual director, Face, immerses the crowd deeper into the sensuous world of Aficionado through custom-made lighting rigs and arrangements.
The band's newest recording, a full length release entitled Circus Music, was self-recorded, self-produced, and mixed by members of the band. Nearly all members have a general knowledge of recording and are multi-instrumentalists. This was crucial when creating a record that truly represented the band as a whole. Every nuance is present, while still accounting for the vibrancy of the live experience. Aficionado spared no expense when capturing their creation. A studio was essentially built from the ground up and tirelessly filled with high quality recording gear. The result is an album which showcases Aficionado as a monster of a rock outfit. If Led Zeppelin were members of the happiest cult on Earth, In Through the Out Door would have sounded like Circus Music.
View Aficionado's EPK
Like every other usigned band, we're asking you to vote for us so we can play at the warped tour!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/15/2004
Band Website: aficionadomusic.com
Band Members:
Nick - Vocals

August - Guitar

James - Guitar

Dustin - Bass

Mark - Drums

Richard - Keyboards

Marissa - Flute

Craig Von Dutra III - Trumpet, Synth

Chris T - Trumpet

Face - Lightshow

Influences: Yes, Kansas, Arcade Fire, Refused, Polyphonic Spree, Muse, King Crimson, Vaux, At the Drive In, Flaming Lips, Radiohead
Sounds Like:
"Wow. I don't know what just hit me. Psychodelica, trippy, meatloafish and The Doors are all mixed in there."
-Tim Towner, The Daily Chorus

"...one of the Capital Region’s most original acts"
-Metroland, Best of 2007

"...theatrical vocals, flute, and lush arrangements...sizzling electric and acoustic guitar passages"
-Pete Pardo, Sea of Tranquility

"A ten-piece (yes, really, ten-piece) storm of chaos...despite a raging cold and a mountain of work waiting at home, I found myself wishing that the set was longer" -Julia Woodward, The Cornell Daily Sun

"The story of Aficionado is a perfect example of what’s wrong with music today. Here is a humble, extremely talented and ambitious group of musicians who truly have something worthwhile to share. But the recognition and fan base they should have is prevented by the commercial garbage fed through radio and honored at the Grammy Awards. Aficionado prove that quite often, the most important and original music is being made by those who work endlessly for what they love, but, unfortunately, are also the ones you’ve never heard of."
- Jordan Blum, Delusions of Adequacy

Type of Label: None

My Blog

Haunt 2/11 review Cornell Daily Sun

Published on The Cornell Daily Sun (http://cornellsun.com) Local Bands Rock the Haunt By Julia Woodward Created Feb 14 2008 - 12:00am Monday night (yes, I know it's an weird night ...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:02:00 PST

It’s Raining Men ....

...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:03:00 PST

Recording Update

Today is January 17th. We're still down in Lancaster, PA working on our upcoming record.  We've been down here since the second week in December and we've been working almost nonstop.  Final...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:26:00 PST

RECORDING A FULL LENGTH!

We're all heading down to Lancaster, PA to record a full length during December/January. We leave the 13th of December, and most of us will return sometime in Late January.  We plan to do all the...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Sat, 24 Nov 2007 01:09:00 PST

Aficionado feature in Schenectady Gazette

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Posted by AFICIONADO on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 09:09:00 PST

VOTED BEST PROG BAND in METROLAND (best of 2007 issue)

Hey everyone.  This might be kind of old news, but i just wanted to post it up here.  A couple months ago, Metroland voted us the best "nouveau prog band" in the capital district.  This...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:30:00 PST

For those of you who have not seen the News 10 Report from when our Bus got blown up....

This is for all of the people who never got to see the News 10 Report from when our bus got blown up last May. Go Here. Once you do, click on the Link that says "Torched Tour: A Local Rock Band's Bus ...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:36:00 PST

Writing & Recording

Now that we're almost home for tour, we have changed over to writing & recording mode. Within the next few months, our show playing is going to be a little sparse. We're going to focus mainly on f...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:40:00 PST

Bell County Silence Summer Tour II

We're about to finish up the last 2 days of the Bell County Silence Tour.  The tour didn't go as smoothly as planned. We had some last minute cancellations, and some brake problems, which caused ...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:37:00 PST

Summer US Tour w/ Titans

We just got back from a month long national tour with the band Titans (www.myspace.com/titanstitanstitans)...and I must say, we all had a fabulous time.  Titans is made up of a group of amazing p...
Posted by AFICIONADO on Wed, 08 Aug 2007 06:38:00 PST