Music
The best kept secret in music
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Any December brings a refreshing sound to the abyss currently dominating the musical landscape with their release Hide & Seek. The band (A.J. Dicembre-vocals/guitar, Alexander Heinrich-piano, Travis Gruszka-drums and David Sousa-bass) has a piano dominated sound that brings a maturity and sophistication to the songs. “Alora” builds in tempo and dynamics before exploding with a gorgeous hook in the chorus. “Typical Love” is another song that uses dynamics to great effect. This time restraint is the key to the song. The bass and drums set the tempo but are never overpowering instead letting Dicembre’s wounded and pleading vocals mesh with the piano melody to drive the song home. “Long Goodbyes”, “What To Forget About”, the title track “Hide & Seek” and “Empty Puddles” round out the disc and are as impressive as the two afore mentioned songs. Independently produced by the band and engineered by Dave Camarda the live symphonic sound is commanding. One of the best local releases of 2004, Hide & Seek from Any December deserves a listen.
-Bob Silvestri- - The Nightlife
Any December- Hide & Seek- I caught the last couple of songs from Any December’s set at The Artvoice Street Festival last summer and was quite impressed. The CD floored me. A beautiful sounding disc with piano mixed upfront as the lead instrument. Fresh and innovative, Any December brings a welcome relief from the drivel passing for music these days.
- Bestofwny.com
Are you a fan of Ben Folds Five, Coldplay or Franz Ferdinand? Do you enjoy heartfelt lyrics and acoustic rock? If you do, there’s a good chance you’ll appreciate the music stylings of Any December, a Buffalo-based folk/rock group scheduled to roll into Meadville this Saturday Night for Students.
Any December is a collaboration of four separate musical talents. A.J. Dicembre strums guitar and sings lead vocals, Alexander Heinrich plays keyboard and provides vocals, David Sousa mans the bass, and Travis Gruszka joins in on drums. Before the four men started playing as a band, Dicembre had his own solo career playing acoustic guitar and using the stage name “December.”
A.J. Dicembre and Alex Heinrich had both been honing their own separate musical talents on a fateful day in Buffalo sometime in 1999. Heinrich had an impressively methodical approach to the piano, based on 13 years of musical training he’d received in Germany.
While Heinrich was overseas perfecting his piano skills, Dicembre was writing original music and lyrics. In 2003, the pair was joined by Travis Gruszka, a childhood friend of A.J.’s who grew up in the Owego, N.Y. area. The two were reunited while they were both attending college in Buffalo, N.Y. David Sousa later joined the group after being introduced by a mutual friend and completed the Any December lineup that performs together today.
The band name has an interesting history and reflects A.J.’s respect of his great, great, great grandfather, who arrived in New York City years ago. On his first day in the United States, he took a job on a boat dock on Long Island and was tragically killed before he even had the chance to register his family name with immigration authorities.
This left his son, whom he had brought over to America in tow, without a last name. Other immigrants that had spoken to him on the ship from Italy recalled that he was born in December, and his son’s name was therefore registered under the surname “December.” A.J.’s grandfather a few generations later decided to alter the name to Dicembre, which is Italian for December, in order to preserve the family’s heritage. Later after the band formed they changed the name to “Any December” to establish the band’s identity separately.
Any December enjoys playing live shows and are always hopeful that they can reach out and connect with the fans in the audience. They have a great time playing in front of a crowd and enjoy the special bond they feel with everyone that attends a particular show.
The band is especially excited about playing at Allegheny because apart from the fact that some of the band members have friends that attend the school, they’ve heard great things about the way bands are received at Allegheny. They hope to make such an impression on the student body that the recruit lots of new fans and are able to play for Allegheny students in the future.
Any December will be performing this Saturday, the 25th, at 8:00 p.m. in Grounds for Change. Opening acts will include Allegheny’s Chris Nagengaast and Root 5th.
- The Campus
Local college-rock favorites Any December just formed this past (you guessed it) December. In February, they took first place in Daemen College's Battle of the Bands. After only six months together, this precocious outfit is already celebrating the release of their debut EP, Hide & Seek. The six-song release presents a piano-driven, modern rock sound with earnest vocals and lyrics courtesy of vocalist/guitarist AJ Dicembre. In other words, the band sounds like a much younger (and maybe more serious) Ben Folds Five. Any December performs a CD release party this Friday (May 7) at Nietzsche's at 10pm. Local groups Today's Not Tomorrow, La Cachouette and League share the stage. - Artvoice Magazine, Buffalo NY
Seventy screaming fans, many of them Daemen students, came out on Saturday, Jan. 24, and showed their support for Any December during a live performance at the Tudor Lounge, located on Franklin St.
The acoustic rock quartet - composed of AJ Dicembre (vocals/acoustic guitar), Travis Gruszka (drums), Dave Sousa (bass/vocals) and Alexander Heinrich (piano) - put on a spectacle in the intimate, cozy, bar setting.
Dicembre's dulcet voice made it easy for die-hard fans to bop their heads in accordance to the music and sing along to the band's original lyrics.
Through his lyrics, Dicembre tries to "capture the feeling of when the song was written."
Songs like "Empty Puddles & Lullabies," "Blue," "Hide & Seek," "Typical Love," "And Maybe," "What to Forget About" and "Long Goodbyes," mostly speak of human experience and love.
Dicembre, an international business student, writes most of his lyrics spontaneously. When he gets an idea for a melody, he has to write it down, even if it means waking up from his sleep.
"Sometimes I just can't sleep until I get it down on paper," he said. "It's like a blesing and a cuse at the same time."
With a book filled with at least 200 pages full of original lyrics, Dicembre says he scraps at least 99 percent of them.
Even though most of what he writes ends up on paper, he loves to improvise on stage. "It's just amazing because you're writing on stage as you're playing," he said. "I feed off the crowd and the crowd feeds off of me."
Although influenced by bands such as Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows, Ben Folds Five and Coldplay, Any December's sound is like no one else's. With the help of Daemen alumnus Alexander Heinrich and his piano, Any December becomes an original, piano-driven modern rock band, which truly makes them unique.
Recently, on February 6, Any December took first place in Daemen's annual Battle of the Bands competition, and didn't walk away empty-handed. The band won a $500 cash prize that will go toward studio time and enhancing their web site. this April, Any December will be playing at The Tralf, located in Buffalo's theater district, which is where Our Lady Peace played at a about a year ago. A date has not yet been announced.
Be sure to visit their website, www.anydecember.com for information on upcoming shows, including a Valentine's Day Special on Feb. 14 at 8 pm at Exposure.
Without the support of their fans, Dicembre says Any December wouldn't have made it this far. "Everyone is so supportive, " he said. "We're so lucky to have the best friends and fans that are at every show, cheering us on." - The Ascent, Amherst NY (Antoinette DelBel)
Any December announces CD Release Party at Nietzsche’s, Buffalo, NY on May 7, 2004, releasing its debut EP “Hide and Seek”
April 10, 2004 (Cheektowaga, NY) – Buffalo based acoustic rock group Any December will release its much anticipated debut EP “Hide and Seek” on May 11, 2004. The CD release show will take place at Nietzsche’s, May 7, 2004 at 10 p.m. Tickets are available directly from the band or at the door for $6.
The show at one of Buffalo’s most respected live venues, located on 248 Allen Street in downtown Buffalo, will also include performances by Buffalo natives Today’s not Tomorrow, La Cachouette, and League. Following the event, the record will be available in local record stores, as well as directly from the group.
The Western New York area has seen a recent surge of independently produced, exhilaratingly fresh rock music. Any December’s music draws in listeners through A.J. Dicembre’s captivating voice, real emotions, and a truly light and animated acoustic sound. “I feed off the crowd, and the crowd feeds of me” says Dicembre, the group’s charismatic front man. “Hide and Seek” captures the band’s incredible stage presence that has excited audiences at venues across Western New York in the past months.
Any December is: A.J. Dicembre (vocals/guitar), Alex Heinrich (piano), Dave Sousa (bass), and
Travis Gruszka (drums)
For additional information, contact A.J. Dicembre, at aj@anydecember.com, or visit anydecember.com
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- Any December
Discography
Hide & Seek (EP, 2004)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Sound
“Fresh and innovative, Any December brings a welcome relief from the drivel passing for music these days…Any December brings a refreshing sound to the abyss currently dominating the musical landscape with their release Hide & Seek. The band has a piano dominated sound that brings a maturity and sophistication to the songs…The live symphonic sound is commanding.”
-Bob Silvestri – Night-life Magazine
“The six-song release presents a piano-driven, modern rock sound with earnest vocals and lyrics. The Band sounds like a much younger (and maybe more serious) Ben Folds Five.”
-Mark Norris – Artvoice Magazine
The Name
Long, long ago, Dicembre’s great, great, great grandfather arrived in New York City, alongside many other immigrants from Italy, his son in tow. His first day in the new world, he landed a job at a boat dock on Long Island. Tragically, he was killed on that very first day of work, before he had been able to register his family’s last name with the immigration authorities. People he had traveled and had spoken with him on the long voyage knew that he was born in December, got married in December, and that his son was born in December. Given that he also died in December, his son’s last name was registered as “December.” Later, A.J.’s grandfather changed it to Dicembre (December in Italian) in order to preserve the Italian tradition of the family. To pay homage to his family the band name “Any December” was born.
The Story
Lead singer/guitarist AJ Dicembre and pianist Alexander Heinrich had several years of collaborative music and numerous shows under their belt, when in late 2003 the idea of Any December was born. It was time to give the music depth, a larger audience, and the devotion it deserved.
What started out as a small basement project on a cold night after Christmas, soon exploded into an obsession of writing, playing and recording, driven by their endless motivation and dedication to original music. Joined by A.J.’s long-time friend Travis Gruszka (Drums) and newfound friend David Sousa (Bass), Any December began to quickly turn heads. Their debut EP “Hide and Seek”, released in May of 2004, was an incredible success. The band was soon the featured artist in online magazines, radio shows, and most importantly the CD player of their fans. Any December hit the road, playing across New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, picking up momentum on the way. Bills with artists such as The Bacon Brothers and Courtney Love gave Any December the opportunity to play in front of thousands at a time. Critics and fans alike fell in love with Any December’s brand of melodic, acoustic rock, driven by the extraordinary song writing and vocal qualities of its charismatic front man A.J. Dicembre. In November, Buffalo’s music community presented Any December with the 2004 Western New York People’s Choice Music Award for “Best Original Rock Band,” while honoring Alexander Heinrich as “Best Original Keyboardist” for his performance on “Hide & Seek.”
With the summer 2005 addition of the incredibly talented guitarist Jeff Woods, Any December marches toward the release of their first full length album in Fall of 2005, which will be entitled "Departures".
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