Gramsci Melodic

Artist Information

Biography

Gramsci (GROM-SHE) Melodic are as difficult to categorize as their name is to pronounce. After hearing their studio album and seeing a live show, you’ll understand why they’ve been called “refreshingly original,” “champs of eclectic pop-rock,” “super fun...diabolical,” and “stunning.”

The band was formed in 2007 after singer and guitarist, Martin Rubeo, teamed with Sean Rayl (drums), Tony Willoe (bass), Greg Haduch (keyboard), and Joel York (synthesizers). The unique sound, for which the band is known, was a result of the members’ diverse musical backgrounds: Indie-rock Guitarist, jazz/latin drummer, Prog-Rock bassist, R&B Keyboardist, and New Wave Synthesist. In 2009, Eric Granata (guitar) joined the band, rounding out the current line-up.

Rapidly, the audiences grew, the opportunities emerged, and demo-CDs sold at an exponential rate. Before long, Gramsci Melodic, was performing at sought-after venues (including a stellar Memorial Day performance at the 10,ooo person capacity Station Square Amphitheater), opening for nationally revered acts (Rusted Root, Wiz Khalifa, Bill Deasy, Ryan Montbleu, Enter The Haggis, Mother Mother, The Red Elvises, etc.) while also being booked as headliners themselves.

The band was offered the chance to record with Grammy Award-winning, Audible Images, after producer, Hollis Greathouse saw the band perform in 2008. The resulting album (released in June, 2009) showcases the band’s perfect blend of pop-hooks, layered textures, thumping rhythms, and razor-sharp lyrical commentary.

Instrumentation

Martin Rubeo - Vocals, Guitar, keyboard
Gregory Haduch - keyboard
Tony Willoe - Vocals, Bass
Eric Granata - Vocals, Guitar, keyboard
Stephen Dusenberry - Drums

Discography

Gramsci Melodic - Gramsci Melodic (June 2009)

Links

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Buy the CD on Amazon
• Wikipedia
• MySpace
• Home Page

Audio

• New Delhi
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• Eggshell
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• New Delhi (Live at Club Cafe 2009)
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• Wong
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• Empty (radio edit)
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• Way Back To Christmas
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• How Do We Get There?
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• Spectre pt. I
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• Exits and Entrances
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• Swallowing
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• Happy Hour Culture
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• Feasible
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Lyrics

• New Delhi
• Wong
• Eggshell
• Empty
• Happy Hour Culture

Video

New Delhi

Photo Gallery

Press

• Album Review [+ Show ]
  

  "...Imaginative and colorful...look at Rubeo's lyrics (and) you'll find quite an imagination at work..."...Imaginative and colorful...look at Rubeo's lyrics (and) you'll find quite an imagination at work with arcane, fascinating original writing"
  
  Pittsburgh Magazine October Issue 2009
  

• Album Review by Rege Behe [+ Show ]
  

  "Antonio Gramsci was an Italian philosopher and political theorist who was imprisoned by the dictato..."Antonio Gramsci was an Italian philosopher and political theorist who was imprisoned by the dictator Benito Mussolini.
  No word on if he was a dancer, but Gramsci (pronounced grom-she) Melodic certainly knows the way to dance floor. Purveyors of bouncy, energetic synth-pop, the local quintet release its self-titled debut Saturday at Altar Bar in the Strip District.
  
  The easy comparisons are to bands like New Order and Duran Duran, but the music is more than a homage to '80s bands. There's distinct, millennial edge to Gramsci Melodic's sound that makes it one of the more intriguing bands in the region."
  
  -Rege Behe, Music Critic, June 12, 2009
  

• Album Review by Scott Mervis [+ Show ]
  

  Melodic Synth-Rock Gramsci Melodic has company on its travels. There aren't many bands in Pitt...Melodic Synth-Rock
  
  Gramsci Melodic has company on its travels.
  
  There aren't many bands in Pittsburgh, or beyond, who travel with their own mascot, but Gramsci Melodic has its own take on Steely McBeam in a dancing character with an oversized green head.
  
  He was even grooving in the hot sun earlier this week at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
  
  Gramsci Melodic, which formed in early 2007 with a nod to philosopher Antonio Gramsci (pronounced Grom-she), is a five-piece synth-rock band that draws comparisons to They Might Be Giants, Weezer and Fountains of Wayne.
  
  Singer-guitarist Martin Rubeo started the project making homemade demos and then added the full band of drummer Sean Rayl, bassist Tony Willoe, keyboardist Greg Haduch and synthesizer player Joel York to play nearly 100 shows within two years and win the 2008 Pittsburgh Rock Off.
  
  Now, Gramsci Melodic issues its 11-track debut CD, scattering its attention among driving synth-rockers like "Eggshell," dreamy ballads like "Way Back to Christmas" and a '70s funk workout called "New Delhi."
  
  
  
  Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09162/976493-388.stm#ixzz0I8MhFlQq&C
  

• Album Review by Andy Mulkerin [+ Show ]
  

  Local band Gramsci Melodic combines synths, politics and upbeat rock on new release For a band th...Local band Gramsci Melodic combines synths, politics and upbeat rock on new release
  
  For a band that plays largely danceable rock with a heavy dose of synthesizer -- a band that's mainly quite upbeat -- Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci seems an unlikely namesake. While politics play into some Gramsci Melodic songs, the political message is augmented and offset by the lighter aspects of the band, and just as many songs are about relationships or narratives. "It's about fun first and foremost," Rubeo says. "Then I slip in some of the politics."
  
  Like the green-headed mascot sometimes seen bopping along at shows, the Gramsci name is simply another facet of Rubeo's life and art. All the seeds that went into the founding of the band show in the forthcoming self-titled full-length: the distaste for experiences in corporate America, the end of a relationship, formal training in electronic music -- and a basic desire for simple and upbeat rock.
  

• Album Review by Scott Tady [+ Show ]
  

  "What’s up with the big green-headed guy? That H.R. Pufnstuf-meets-snaggletoothed-Frankenstein dude ..."What’s up with the big green-headed guy? That H.R. Pufnstuf-meets-snaggletoothed-Frankenstein dude who dances on stage and in the crowd during Gramsci Melodic shows?
  
  What started out as a logo morphed into a live-action mascot for Gramsci Melodic, the Pittsburgh alt-pop band that’s been building a buzz through recent gigs at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and as part of the “Fallen Not Forgotten” benefit show Memorial Day at Station Square.
  
  We’d suggest they focus on their synth-pop songs, which have buoyancy befitting a Saturday night in the Strip. Though, the album’s standout track is the fuming indie-rock number “Happy Hour Culture” that slams Corporate America for treating workers as disposable commodities.
  
  Singer-guitarist Martin Rubeo and the band’s mascot’s designer, Doug Ceccerelli, formerly worked cubicle corporate jobs until being cast aside in one of those large-scale layoffs where the top-tier executives kept their jobs.
  
  They’ll get the last laugh if the ambitious and gifted Gramsci Melodic continues its climb."
  
  - Scott Tady, Entertainment Editor, Beaver County Times
  June 12, 2009

• General Review by Kurt Renauer [+ Show ]
  

  "Gramsci Melodic has the potential to be your next favorite band. The music has pop tendencies as fa..."Gramsci Melodic has the potential to be your next favorite band. The music has pop tendencies as far as vocals go; however, to classify them as pop would simply be an injustice. Viewing the distinctions between all of their indirect influences and comparisons proves they listen to a good share of pop, but also a good amount of independent music. To say their sound is 'out there' would be an understatement."
  -Kurt Renauer, Music Writer
  The Duquesne Duke
  Read the full article at:
  http://www.theduquesneduke.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=7367e2f1-ff87-4b72-b471-9dd46c2125f2&page=1#cp_article_tools

• General Review by Andy Mulkerin [+ Show ]
  

  “(Gramsci Melodic are)…up-tempo, melodic, lyrics relatable but not dumbed-down. Look for Gramsci to...“(Gramsci Melodic are)…up-tempo, melodic, lyrics relatable but not dumbed-down. Look for Gramsci to turn heads locally and beyond in the future.”
  -Andy Mulkerin, Music Critic
  CP (The Pittsburgh City Paper)
  

• Concert Review by Hughshows [+ Show ]
  

  “These guys are super-fun. They have a funky feel to them. See them soon!” -Hugh, HughShowsRedux ...“These guys are super-fun. They have a funky feel to them. See them soon!”
  -Hugh, HughShowsRedux
  Online Music Critic and Blogger

Setlist

Set Length:
up to 3.5 hours

Gramsci Melodic has a set rotation of original songs that are each catchy, funk-laden, and foot-pounding; with lyrics that are in-depth yet accessible. They also perform various unexpected covers spanning the past 40 years of pop music.

Basic Requirements

Calendar