Meet The Rosenbergs (The Rosenbergs in general)

Member Name: neinel

Product:	The Rosenbergs in general
Date:	01/03/01 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the most unique, stylish and likable bands around today; the sheer dedication they have shown to make progress; simply put, an excellent band.

Disadvantages: They haven't become famous by a long way....yet.

I first stumbled on to this New York four piece rock band in 1999 and have considered them to be perhaps my favourite band since. They class their music as 'power pop' - not pop as in trash like Britney Spears and Westlife but rather adrenalin fuelled indie rock. Upon my first listen I immediately heard echoes of the Foo Fighters but their sound demonstrates a uniqueness and brilliance that puts them into a league of their own. Led by the charismatic David Fagin, The Rosenbergs have had such a struggle that, musical prowess aside, they deserve all the credit and success that they will hopefully achieve in coming years.

They started out around 1995, led by vocalist/guitarist Fagin and bassist Evan Silverman. After many adverts in local New York papers (which included hilarious exaggerations that implied they had major record company interest), they finally got a group together by recruiting drummer Travis Huff and lead guitarist Bobby Gilmartin. They toured the US and the UK and financed it all themselves, usually having to sleep on people's floors due to lack of money (there's dedication for you). The band was starting to gain recognition thanks to their songs being played on various American TV shows and films. Still unsigned, they then independently released their 7 track debut "Ameripop" in 1999 which met great critical acclaim and set them on the road to being noticed by the press and a loyal following both in the US and the UK. They won an unsigned band competition at New York's K-ROQ radio station, the DJ at V99 played their track "Soaked In Polyester" to 90,00 people on two consecutive days, the editor of Rolling Stone in the US called "Ameripop" his #2 pick and the Daily Mail in the UK rated it one of the top ten albums of 1999!

Then, in 2000, a record company called Farmclub approached the band offering them a deal 'they simply couldn't refuse'. In the contract, however, there
were clauses that meant the band would have to sign over all master copies of songs recorded and lose their website to the company. Sounds like more of a kidnapping than a deal and The Rosenbergs not only told Farmclub to take a run and jump, they also exposed the cowboy company for what they really are via their popular web site and mailing list. Not at all disheartened by this they carried on and soon after they were approached by Republic records. Their PR man was a famous ex golf pro (the band will not give any names) but they didn't come to a deal. While David and Evan were excited about the progress the band were making, their fellow band members, Travis and Bobby no longer seemed to be interested. They soon left and David and Evan found replacements in dedicated lead guitarist Joe Mahoney and drummer Joe Darone.

They then spent a period writing new material but found they could scarcely afford to tour any more. Enter a lifesaver named Diane from Baltimore who, as a dedicated fan, financed a whole tour for the band. In between gigs the band started recording their new album, "Mission: You" which was since released on 20th February 2001. The Rosenbergs were still in the limelight thanks to frequent interviews with magazines and the Farmclub incident, which brought them to the attention of many including Courtney Love, who is now a big fan of the band. It was at the Internet Music Expo in New York that David and Evan met Robert Fripp, owner of Discipline Global Mobile records. Allegedly, Fripp approached David and Evan and told them that he didn't even need to hear their music, from what he heard them saying on the panel (about Farmclub presumably) he knew they were a band he wanted to sign. And signed they were, with an innovative deal that allows them to keep all master copies of their work, should things turn sour between the band and the record company.

The emergence of Napster was to prove very useful to The Rosenbergs al
so. Napster financed a college tour for the band as well as advertising their music to millions of users from the Napster program and web site. On top of this, the first 10,000 copies of their new album to be sold contained an extra 'Napster' copy to give to a friend (the only difference from the master copy being a condensed inlay card) - a touch of class. Presently, the band is still on their Napster tour and both of their albums are on sale ("Ameripop" can be picked up in the UK from both Virgin and HMV but "Mission: You" is only on sale in the US and on the internet at present). They have filmed a video for their forthcoming single "After All" and commercial success beckons. They deserve to be successful but even if they aren't, it will take nothing away from the brilliance of their sound. The Rosenbergs are a breath of fresh air in comparison to the domination of Rap, Hip Hop, Punk and fabricated chart rubbish. Their tunes are instantly likable extremely catchy without being too poppy. I urge you to check out The Rosenbergs as soon as possible and guarantee you will soon be addicted to their unique sound before you know what has hit you.

Find out more at http://www.therosenbergs.com

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