Streetlight Manifesto: Difference between revisions

Streetlight Manifesto
The Streetlight logo
Background information
Origin	New Jersey, USA
Years active	2002 - Present
Members	Delano Bonner Mike Brown Jim Conti Tomas Kalnoky Pete McCullaugh Mike Soprano Chris Thatcher
Past members	(In order of departure) Stuart Karmatz Pete Sibilia Paul Lowndes Josh Ansley Jamie Egan Dan Ross Chris Paszik

Streetlight Manifesto is a third-wave ska band from East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. They released their first album, Everything Goes Numb, on August 26, 2003, which was distributed by Victory Records. The band also headlined their first ever show at Rutgers University in New Brunswick on December 9, 2003. Several of Streetlight's members were already well known among the New Jersey ska community for their roles in past ska bands from that area, most notably Catch 22's Tomas Kalnoky, Jamie Egan, Mike Soprano, and Josh Ansley, as well as One Cool Guy's Stuart Karmatz, Pete Sibilia, Dan Ross, and Chris Paszik. The line-up has gone through several changes since the band's inception and currently consists of Delano Bonner, who plays the trumpet, Mike Brown who plays the alto and baritone saxophone, Jim Conti, who plays the alto and tenor saxophone, Tomas Kalnoky, who plays the guitar and is a singer, Pete McCullaugh who plays the bass guitar, Mike Soprano who plays the trombone, and Chris Thatcher who plays the drums.

Though the band have enjoyed no mainstream commercial success, they have received acclaim in alternative music circles, and their debut album is currently in Interpunk.com's top 100 items, over 2 years after its release. In addition, they regularly sell out their live shows, and their first few shows at Rutgers and The Stone Pony not only soldout, but had people coming from afar afield as Minnesota and Canada. Their second album, a reworking of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights was released on March 7 2006.

Musical influences and style

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Streetlight performing at The Metro in Chicago, IL on June 12, 2005. From left to right: Mike Brown, Jim Conti, Mike Soprano, Delano Bonner

Since Kalnoky is responsible for writing most of the music, it is his influences that most affect the songs. He first writes them on an acoustic guitar and then fleshes out the song structure on the computer and hums basic hornlines, after which the rest of the band come in and add their parts to the songs, eg. the horn section refine their parts and add harmonies. In an interview he called the Stand By Me soundtrack his biggest musical influence, and says when writing songs that he looks to the 50s and 60s for insipration. He also mentioned that Nirvana were a big influence. In an earlier interview conducted in 2002 he mentioned the 50s and 60s, in particular specifying The Drifters as one of his favourite bands, and also describes the Squirrel Nut Zippers as a big influence.

When listening to their first album, Everything Goes Numb, the similarities between it and Keasbey Nights are obvious, as they both share the same style of songs: fast-tempo and brass-lead with walking basslines and rapid-fire singing that is characteristic of Kalnoky. There are also lyrical similarities, particularly in the case of the third track "Point/Counterpoint," which is similar to "Keasbey Nights" (also the third track of Keasbey), as they both have choruses mentioning guns and (bulletproof) vests. In fact, Streetlight have performed the two songs merged together live, with "Keasbey Nights" in the middle. When played like this the end of "Keasbey" leads well into "Point" as the bridge seems to form a response:

"Keasbey Nights":

When they come for me I’ll be sitting at my desk with a gun in my hand wearing a bullet proof vest singing my my my how the time does fly when you know you’re going to die by the end of the night.

"Point/Counterpoint":

So I waited by the phone but that phone never rang

And I sang so loud so I wouldn't hear the bang

When the bang never came and I never got the call: Fuck it! Thank you! I love you all!

In an interview with Alternative Press Kalnoky remarked that their next CD will "branch out in different directions. It'll have more of a world influence running through it, namely eastern European and gypsy sounds."

Critical reception

Streetlight received a largely positive welcome when they appeared on the music scene and managed to gather a big following with little to no promotion or advertising. Instead the legacy of past bands and their reputation for putting on a solid live show led to a fanbase that rapidly expanded. They have sold out shows in America since their very first gig at Rutgers University and also played to packed venues when they visited the UK in early 2005. A large factor in their success was the fact that Tomas Kalnoky wrote most of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights, which is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of third-wave ska. In fact after Kalnoky left many fans were disappointed with Catch 22's later offerings, not viewing them as up to the same standard as Keasbey. As such many current and past Catch 22 fans awaited Streetlight's debut with anticipation, hoping for a return to standard of Keasbey. When it was released it did not disappoint, and received many glowing reviews and numerous comparisons to Keasbey. It even received some good reviews from people who otherwise thoroughly disliked ska.

Perceived rivalry with Catch 22

Due to Tomas' history with Catch 22 and Streetlight's rapid rise to success many fans have speculated that there may be some animosity and rivalry between the two bands. In fact, both bands have lyrics on their albums (Everything Goes Numb and Dinosaur Sounds that were both released in late 2003) that could be interpreted as hostile messages to one another. In Streetlight's "A Moment of Silence", Kalnoky sings "If you hate me so much then stop singing my songs", which many fans took to be a reference to Catch 22 still performing songs which Tomas wrote on Keasbey Nights. Similarly the Catch 22 song "Regression / So Cold" contains several lines, in particular

I can't believe you're still mad about that.
I can't believe you're still living in the past.

which many believe to be directed at Kalnoky in reference to his departure from the band.

While it is not known for certain whether either of these lyrics were messages, there were certainly some bad feelings between Kalnoky and Catch 22 at some point due to his departure. In an early 2002 interview Tomas' response to whether or not he kept in touch with Catch 22 was "I tried to keep in touch. then I read something on the net that surprised/hurt me, so I stopped trying. That's all I'll say, sorry." However, since then both Tomas and members of Catch have stated on numerous occasions that they are on good terms (in fact Kevin Gunther from Catch 22 is Streetlight's booking agent).

History

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The line-up before Paszik's departure. From left to right: Jim, Tomas, Mike B., Chris T., Chris P., Mike S., Delano

Tomas, Josh, and Jamie first gained fame as one half of fellow New Jersey band Catch 22. Tomas became particularly notable as he was responsible for writing most of their debut album Keasbey Nights, which is regarded as one of the top albums of the third wave of ska. After Keasbey all three left, at separate times and for their own reasons. When Catch 22 recorded their second album, Alone in a Crowd, it was with a considerably different line-up; without Tomas the band had a different sound.

Shortly prior to Streetlight Manifesto Tomas gathered a large number of musicians—including Josh and Jamie, several members of One Cool Guy, his brother Achilles, and several of Achilles' orchestra friends—to perform on the Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution EP, A Call to Arms. Included on the five track, independently released CD is "Here's to Life", a song which Streetlight Manifesto reworked and included on Everything Goes Numb, and a new version of Catch 22's "Dear Sergio", which includes a new verse and a minor renaming to "Dear Sergio:". Both Streetlight and the Bandits are members of The RISC Group, a collaboration of artists to self produce and retain rights to their music.

Recording to touring

Streetlight's first recording consisted of a four-track demo EP, featuring the songs "Everything Went Numb", "Point/Counterpoint", "The Saddest Song" and "We Are the Few", all of which were re-recorded for their debut album. The line-up that recorded the demo consisted almost entirely of musicians from the project Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution: Josh Ansley (bass guitar), Jamie Egan (trombone & trumpet), Tomas Kalnoky (guitar & vocals), Stuart Karmatz (drums), Dan Ross (alto & baritone saxophone) and Pete Sibilia (tenor saxophone). It was this recording that got the band signed to Victory Records, the same label as Catch 22.

After the demo was recorded Stuart Karmatz left and was replaced by Paul Lowndes and Jim Conti took the place of Pete Sibilia. This line-up then recorded Everything Goes Numb, but changed again before the band could perform any live shows. Paul Lowndes left so Chris Thatcher joined the band as his replacement, and has been with Streetlight ever since. On the album, Jamie Egan played both trumpet and trombone, but as he would not be able to do this live Mike Soprano joined on trombone. This line-up then performed at Streetlight's first ever show: headlining at Rutgers University on December 9, 2003. They also played several other shows before the year ended, and in 2004 embarked upon the TNT (They'll Never Tour) Tour.

More line-up changes

Unfortunately Streetlight had grown more successful than they had anticipated, and in September 2004, Josh Ansley announced his departure to pursue an acting career. Although a September 19, 2004 show was listed to be his last, he was not at the show. Instead Chris Paszik played at the show in his place. The show, held at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is also notable for being the first live performance of the BOTAR song "Dear Sergio:". The next departure was Jamie Egan, who left on January 22, 2005, right before Streetlight Manifesto began the Ska is Dead 2 tour, headlining alongside MU330 and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. Egan left to spend more time with his family and the students of North Brunswick High School in North Brunswick, New Jersey, to whom Egan teaches music. Delano Bonner came in to play trumpet starting January 25, 2005, performing at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Unfortunately the SID tour was bracketed by departures as Dan Ross had planned to leave afterwards to pursue a business career, and was forced to leave early just before the end of the tour due to a family crisis. He has been replaced by Mike Brown, whose first live show was at the start of the European tour, and didn't play an American show until May 31, 2005 in Baltimore.

European tour

In April 2005, the band headed overseas to Europe for their first tour outside North America, however they were to be wrought with personnel difficulties. Before the tour had even started they were a man down as Delano Bonner was unable to fly out due to not being able to attain a valid Visa. He was eventually able to obtain a Visa from the British Embassy and fly out to perform the last few UK dates, however just after he got there Jim Conti had to return to America due to a family emergency. This meant that Streetlight only played one date with the complete line-up, and after they had finished the UK portion and headed over to mainland Europe had to make do with a 2-man brass section as Delano's Visa was only valid for the UK. The band also mentioned having received no label support for the tour, and that it had therefore set them back financially. Rob Thatcher said in a post on the unofficial forum that it might be due to the fact that Streetlight were doing things by themselves. Despite these setbacks the band said they had thoroughly enjoyed the tour and vowed to return later that same year.

Robbed

On the night of October 2, 2005, while the band slept in their hotel rooms, their van was broken into and emptied by robbers. The thieves then proceeded to detach the band's trailer—containing their instruments and merchandise—and drove away with it. In total around $80,000 (£45,540) worth of instruments, merchandise, and personal belongings were stolen. Following the robbery, the band was forced to cancel their following four shows. At their show in Washington DC on October 7, 2005 they announced that they were basically “starting at square one again”. On their website, they announced that they were probably going to have to get “real jobs” to work off the cost of the stolen belongings.

On the night of November 9, 2005 Streetlight Manifesto were robbed again while on tour in Paris, France. This time only their rental car was broken into and about $4,000 (£2,290) worth was stolen, including "the one expensive piece of equipment that wasn't stolen in last month's debacle, a 24 track hard drive recorder we've been using to document our live shows". This robbery had nothing to do with the riots taking place in Paris at the time.

Current projects and the future

The band is currently in the middle of recording new material, both for Streetlight and the Bandits, as well as touring in support of other bands. So far Streetlight have teased a few new songs at live shows, 2 of which were recorded at a show at The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, New York on October 9, 2005. In a news post on the Streetlight site Kalnoky has also hinted at plans for a future tour of Australia and Japan, although not even a rough date has been announced.

Discography

• Streetlight Manifesto Demo (2002)
• Everything Goes Numb (August 26, 2003)
• Keasbey Nights (March 7, 2006)

Members

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Streetlight performing at the Ottobar in Baltimore on February 17, 2005. From left to right: Chris P., Tomas, Dan, Jim, Mike S.

Current

• Delano Bonner - Trumpet
• Mike Brown - Alto and Baritone Saxophone
• Jim Conti - Alto and Tenor Saxophone
• Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar and Vocals
• Pete McCullaugh- Bass Guitar
• Mike Soprano - Trombone
• Chris Thatcher - Drums

Former

(In order of departure)

1. Stuart Karmatz - Drums
2. Pete Sibilia - Tenor Saxophone
3. Paul Lowndes - Drums
4. Josh Ansley - Bass Guitar
5. Jamie Egan - Trumpet
6. Dan Ross - Alto and Baritone Saxophone
7. Chris Paszik - Bass Guitar

Crew

• Chris Knowles - Sound Engineer for live shows (formerly Merchandise)
• Jeff Smith - Merchandise
• Rob Thatcher - Go-to Guy

Tours

2004

They'll Never Tour Tour

• July 7 - August 29
• Support from Big D and the Kids Table

2005

Ska is Dead 2 Tour

• January 29 - March 17
• Joint headlining with Voodoo Glow Skulls
• Support from MU330

Ewerope Tour

• April 17 - May 13
• First tour outside of North America
• First European tour
• Support from Phinius Gage
• Shows in: England, Scotland, Wales, France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland

Tour Between the Other Two Tours Tour

• May 31 - June 18
• Support from Gym Class Heroes and Whole Wheat Bread (WWB US Only)

No One Quit Since Last Tour Tour

• September 12 - October 9
• Support from Bedouin Soundclash and Whole Wheat Bread

No Child Left Behind Tour

• October 20 - November 23
• Second European tour
• English support from Uncle Brian and $up
• Shows in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands and England

Please Stop Robbing Us Tour

• November 26 - December 02
• Support from The Tossers

2006

The Bamboozle Festival

• May 6
• Fall Out Boy headlining

This Better Work or We Are Dead! Tour 2006

• May 8 - May 20
• The Aquabats headlining
• Support from No Trigger

Summer Tour

• July 1 - August 13
• Reel Big Fish and MxPx headlining
• Support from Whole Wheat Bread, Transition, and Tom Brousseau

See also

• Gimp

External links

• Streetlight Manifesto official website
• Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution official website
• The RISC Group official website
• RISC Group Store
• Victory Records official website
• Unofficial Live Videos
• Unofficial Forum
• Streetlight Manifesto discography at MusicBrainz
• Template:PureVolume
• Streetlight Manifesto at AllMusic