by Gary Wien
(ASBURY
PARK, NJ -- JULY 14, 2012) -- Just a few doors down from where the
magic first happened, Albie Monterrosa held a CD release party for his
new band with the hopes that lightning might strike twice. As Albie
& The Neighborhood rocked Chico's House of Jazz, it was like a
flashback to the early part of the last decade when deSol first hit the
scene. People were out on the dance floor, swaying to the mixture of
latin and classic rock sounds; the audience had a much more diversified
mix than usually found in the clubs around this area; and Albie, once
again, was showing why he's such a tremendous front man that lightning
just might strike twice.
On the liner notes of the band's
debut, "11-37 Jackson St.", Albie writes, "This record is dedicated to
the spirit of reinvention, transformations, and starting over. The
belief that when one door closes another one opens. It is our faith
that allows us to walk through a new door, into a new day. We give
daily gratitude to all that has been given to us inherently, and to that
which we work tirelessly for."
Monterrosa, who led deSol on a
tremendous ride for much of the last decade, looked like he was having a
great time back on stage. Some guys just have it. I could see it the
first time I saw him perform many years ago. He took his talent, his
vision, and his charisma all across the world. In my opinion, he was
perhaps the most successful musician from the area of the last decade.
While deSol never had the success they'd have liked in album sales, they
quickly became known as an incredible live act and landed spots on the
festival lineups of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits,
Langerado, All Good and South By Southwest. They took part of an Armed
Forced Entertainment tour visiting bases throughout the Middle East and
once had an amazing gig opening for REM in Mexico City. In other words,
sometimes success shouldn't be marked by album sales. For Albie, I
think success can be measured by the places they've seen, the memories
they made, the people they met, and by the number of fans they built up
throughout the world. The Neighborhood hopes to build upon that fanbase
and continue from where deSol left off.
As with deSol, Albie has
put together a tremendous band to work with. The Neighborhood is hot --
a bit smaller in numbers than deSol was, but they certainly bring it.
Led by Albie and his wife Sally Perez (who handles lead vocals on some
tracks and back up vocals on everything else), the band featured a
stellar lineup of musicians including John Bednar on guitar, Nerio
Mattheus on percussion, Tom Cottone on drums, and long-time Jersey Shore
bassist Rob Tanico (best known for his work with Mister Reality and
Highway Nine) who seemed to enjoy having more freedom on bass than he
usually does. If coverage of the band is anything like the press
thatthat deSol received, you'll hear an awful lot about the
Latin-influences in the music; however, classic rock fans will love the
guitar work found here. I hope that gets mentioned this time around
because there was some serious shredding going on during the guitar
solos.
With the crowd ready to go, the band began playing the
opening riffs of "The Fighter" from the new CD. After a few bars, Sally
Perez came on stage. A few moments later, Albie followed as the
audience roared. Some musicians just know how to work a crowd. They
make each show an experience. Albie is one of them who gets it. After
the opening number, he welcomed people to the show and spoke of his
return. "I wouldn't say I was on hiatus, let's say I was recharging my
batteries."
The band ran through several of the tracks from their
debut including "The Fighter", "Give Myself Away", "Angel Saved My
Life", "All Good In The Neighborhood","Chain Reaction", and "Boom Boom
Magic". Covers included "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" by Sly
and the Family Stone and "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley of Kiss.
With a nod to the deSol fans in the audience, the band also brought out
"On My Way" and "Blanco y Negro" to great response.
I think his
producer, Jon Leidersdorff of Lake House Music, put it best. After the
band's set, Jon said, "We see a lot of live music, but Albie just lights
up the room, doesn't he?"
He sure does Jon... he sure does. And it's great to see him back in town.
Saturday night was presented by PhanPhest, who will be bringing Albie & The Neighborhood back to Chicos every Wednesday night throughout the summer.
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