Upon first listen to The Parlor Mob, I was instantly taken by their fast paced, angst ridden rock and roll. They are one part mellow, one part rock, one hundred percent amazing. The Asbury Park, NJ quintet is composed of Mark Melicia (vocals ), David Rosen (guitar), Paul Ritchie (guitar), Anthony Chick (bass), Sam Bey (drums). The band has been together for seven years.
In that time they have been through a lot. They released an album by themselves, then signed to a major label, promised the world, and then dropped with only a four song EP.
With nothing left they decided to give their music away for free to anyone who would listen. In 2007 Roadrunner Records noticed the band and signed them. The guys hesitantly agreed, as they were still in the wake of an extremely messy music industry experience.
They traveled to Echo Mountain Studios in September of 2007, and made their first album, entitled And You Were A Crow with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon). They completed it on Halloween and released it in May of 2008. The band toured for the next two years straight. This was the time where we undoubtedly found ourselves as a band.
With all their touring they found the only way to express themselves was through their live show. They found an outlet through performing and in effect the band become stronger than ever.
After tour they went back home to begin their writing for the new album. However, the shift from tour to home proved to be a hard adjustment to make. It was at this time that they parted ways with their bassist Nick Villapiano. Being home was a new pressure they had never experienced. It was emotional stress that gave them an inspiration for their new album. They new they needed to get back to a state where they were fulfilled.
The new album took more time to master, and they all ran out of money. They were broke again, living off of scraps and fighting to exist. It was coming to a point where they weren’t sure if they wanted to go on. However, they forged on. After writing with no bassist for a while, they asked their longtime friend Anthony Chick to help out temporarily, but they ended up asking him to join the band permanently.
In the winter of 2010, they finished writing Dogs. From February through mid-March 2011, they were at Wire Recordings in Austin, TX recording with their friend, producer Matt Radosevich who engineered their earlier album. They had to fight to get Matt to produce the record, and he had to fight to get the job. Together it was an album they both felt strongly about making.
This past October marked the release of their sophomore album Dogs on Road Runner Records. This album is a culmination of all the trials and tribulations the band has been through over the past years. The album is 12 tracks of infectious, charismatic rock songs paired with some slower numbers that have a real rawness about them. Listening to this album you can’t help feel everything they have gone through. This album exudes the passions and struggles the band has had over their career. With this release they are sure to claw their way to the top.
Stand Out tracks: “Into the Sun,” “The Beginning,” “I Want to See You,” “Hard Enough,” “Cross Our Hearts”
ESBMusic had the chance to catch up with the band to talk about their musical
ESBMusic: Describe your sound and your musical influences.
TPM: We are a rock band from Asbury Park, NJ. Our influences vary considering
that there are five of us and we are all writers. My personal influences
fall more on the rock, hard rock, and metal side.
ESBMusic: Your bio describes your struggles as artists, what advice would you
give a band just starting out?
TPM: Just practice and play as many shows as possible. Work on writing the
best songs you can and do what comes naturally.
ESBMusic: You’re from Asbury Park, NJ what’s your favorite venue to play in
your hometown and do you hang out there?
TPM: The Stone Pony is my favorite venue to play in Asbury. I do hang out
there when there is a show, but unless you are going to see a band it’s
not the type of place you just go to hang out.
ESBMusic: October marked the release of your sophomore album, what were some of
your inspirations while working on this record?
TPM: I think a lot of inspiration came from growing up. Things had changed a
lot in my life over the year or so it took to write this record. I
think when the writing process began I was personally searching to find
inspiration in other music, in movies, and art. But in the end I think
what I found most inspiring was just the bond I had with the band and
the amount of material we were all producing for the record.
ESBMusic: What’s your favorite thing to do when with your not working on your
music?
TPM: I like to record/produce other bands. I’ve been doing it for years, and
that is also a giant source of inspiration for me. I also love to cook.
ESBMusic: What artists are you listening to now?
TPM:
Currently I’m listening to:
Graveyard, “Hisingen Blues”
Matthew Sweet, “Girlfriend”
Only Living Boy, “Hide Nothing”
Le Blorr, “Bim Bom Ep”
Witch, “Witch”
For more information on The Parlor Mob check out their official website, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter pages. Get Dogs now on iTunes!