HeadSoup

HeadSoup was born, in a dorm room, as Fish HeadSoup. The name was soon shortened to HeadSoup. Not that the band has anything against fish, but it just seemed to roll off the tongue a little easier. All the members of the band share a deep passion for music. Add to that some slightly skewed but fertile musical minds, a dynamic voice or two, 10 strings and a drum apparatus and you have the ingredients of their humble beginnings. HeadSoup’s members came together from opposite ends of the country and consider themselves very fortunate to have found each other. The band’s focus has always been about serving the song with the ultimate goal to always treat whatever piece of music they are playing with the utmost respect. They constantly search out new forms of music and once they’ve “discovered” them completely immerse themselves in that form. A common denominator among the members of the band during their early years was that their households were filled with music. Each one of them wore out hundreds records from their parent’s vinyl collections. “We also loved the radio when we were young, with real live DJs that would talk to you about the music and the musicians, kind of like a friend with knowledge that we craved” says lead singer Nik Rael. The group was playing any club, gymnasium or VFW hall in the Philadelphia area that would have them and their loyal fans would always ask them when are you going to record some of their songs. At the time the band was just completely into the experience of playing live and hadn’t given much thought to recording. They started out by recording a couple of “demo” tunes and just passing them out to friends. Somehow one of those “demo cassettes” found its way to a Philadelphia area radio station and to the band’s shock and surprise the station began playing it. People called in requesting the two songs and the band realized that maybe it was time to look at recording a little more seriously. HeadSoup’s self-titled eight-song debut CD was released in the late ‘90s. Actually released might be too strong a word, they pretty much sold them at gigs out of the trucks of their cars. Even with this limited distribution it didn’t take long for the band to gain a strong regional following. As any group of musicians that has pursued their dreams will tell you, there are easier ways of making a living. The band has seen their fair share of trials and tribulations. They have slept on friends floors, played outdoor shows in torrential downpours, been forced to move out of their apartments in the middle of the night and have even on occasion been forced to live in their cars. On one cold dank night after a gig, a gang even tried to take their car with all their equipment in it. It was only through some curbside negotiation and a few bumps and bruises that they managed to salvage their gear and their “apartment." The band also played one of the last shows ever at The World Trade Center just days before the 9/11 attack. In 2003 the band moved to the Hudson Valley in New York and things have been looking up ever since. Their second CD "Worlds Fade Away”, produced by long time Van Morrison guitarist John Platania was released in early 2004 and received strong regional air play. This CD was released as by lead singer/writer Nik Rael rather than under the HeadSoup name because it began as more of acoustic CD than the band album it evolved into. “Worlds Fade Away “ is a HeadSoup album through and through and the band would like to apologize for confusing their fans in any way. Also in 2004 drummer, vocalist extraordinaire Steve Petrone joined up with Nik in HeadSoup. Steve is the former leader of the very popular Hudson Valley band, Andy Gootch. The band has spent the last couple of years touring and writing songs for their next CD tentatively tiled “E Sharp”. Radio and the Internet have been very kind to the band and we gain new fans everyday and we’d like to thank you all.HeadSoup's "Worlds Fade Away" CD is available from CDBaby.com and all online digital outlets.The HeadSoup Site is monitored by Big W Productions. Management - Ray Wilson - 917.922.1087