Bron Don

BRON DON
DE LA COSMOS 8-SONG CD

• FROZEN SAHARA • BLUE
• HIGHER POWER • DE LA COSMOS • FUNKY JOINT
• WILD ROSE
• DREAMIN
• FROM JUPITER WITH LOVE

Singer-guitarist Mitchell Cardoza, guitarist-singer John Cattini, bassist Michael Cangemi and drummer Cody Flores deliver a stunning debut album with their new 8-song offering, De La Cosmos. Melding rap, hard rock, funk and psychedelia, this fierce foursome would put a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers to disgrace if they stood on the same stage. Cardoza’s vocals are tough and masculine while Cattini rips through the fretboard like a buzz saw. Drop in Cangemi and Flores tight rhythms and Bron Don sets the bar just a little higher in the rock and roll arena. Outstanding! [D.S.]
Contact--Facebook.com/bron.don.band - Metronome


Berklee College has always been fertile ground for young musicians to meet other players with similar interests and musical tastes. Bron Don is one of those bands. Influenced by different styles and genres before forming the band, singer/ guitarist John Cattini, singer-guitarist Mitchell Cardoza and bassist Michael Cangemi managed to find common ground musically that led them to making some very innovative music. With two albums under to their credit
and a third on the way, this is a band that music fans will be talking about for quite some time...
METRONOME: How long has Bron Don been together?
We formed back in January 2014, after our first semester at Berklee with a different drummer. Our new drummer, Colin Mohr, joined us in October 2014.
METRONOME: Who are the members of the band?
Mitchell Cardoza is the sings and plays guitar. He’s from Dartmouth, MA. John Cattini plays guitar and sings. He’s from London. I’m Michael Cangemi, the bassist and I’m from Scituate, MA. Colin Mohr is the drummer. He’s from Chicago. METRONOME: How did you guys meet?
The four of us met at Berklee College. John, Mitchell and I were put on the same floor during our first semester. John and I were neighbors, so we met pretty quickly and found out we each had a mutual borderline obsession with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Mitch and his dad parked behind my car during the move-in process at school on the first day, so we chatted a bi. Then I realized that Mitch lived a few doors down from me in the dorm. Right off the bat our floor had a strong chemistry. We all vibed with each other and bonded quickly.
Before going to Spain, our original drummer Cody Flores, decided to stay at the Berklee Boston Campus in order to pursue his academic and musical career. After holding auditions for a new drummer in October, we met Colin. He was an instant fit.
METRONOME: How did you come up with the name Bron Don? Does it have any significance?
I don’t think any of us will ever remember exactly what happened the day “Bron Don” was invented as a word, but we’ll give it a shot. One day, before we were even a band, our friends Sak
knew it except John. When we left the restaurant we were all talking about it saying “Dude, she was totally hitting on you!” So he asked us, “So I’m a Bron Don?” Nobody understood what he
but we went with it. After we recorded The Vibes Project, we thought the only name that would completely fit the music we made was Bron Don. METRONOME: Did you have a plan for
the band when you formed it? Get signed, etc?
When we formed, we had no idea what to expect. Mitch, John and I wrote and recorded a song for one of Mitch’s music tech classes at the end of the semester and it came out a lot better than we expected. We decided to meet up over winter break and record an EP under the name “Bron Don.” We went up to John’s house in Albany, New York for 5 days and wrote, recorded and mixed a five song EP that we named, The Vibes Project. We made a ghetto home studio in John’s room and literally lived in their for five days. After we listened to the final product, we were super excited about how it came out and immediately thought about our future as a band.
METRONOME: Is there a main songwriter in the band or is it a collaborative effort?
The songwriting process is pretty collaborative. Usually, someone brings in a progression or an idea then we jam it out and piece it together. In some cases, someone will bring in a completed song that we all work on and edit until we have a finished Bron Don product. When we have a song idea, we all have a good sense of what our role in the song is going to be. We come up with our parts while Mitch and John mostly take care of the lyrical aspects of the songs. Then we talk about how our parts fit together and what needs to be taken away, altered, or added. So yeah, its collaborative. We feed off of each others’ creativity.
METRONOME: How does the songwriting process work? Is it personal? Observational? A little bit of both? None of the above?
by Brian M. Owens
Man and Max along with the band went out to eat. The waitress was clearly hitting on John and everyone at the table
meant, so he explained. Bron Don meant “the coolest, most humble bro.” No one knew what the hell he was talking about,
I guess it’s a combination of both, but leaning a bit more towards the personal side. It depends on our mood. If we’re feeling emotional, then we write about wherever our is at. We reference nature a lot and
mind
use imagery, too. That’s probably because we tend to go on to the beach or into the
woods or whatever when we are stuck for lyrics. We will record a little demo with our iPhone then go listen to it outside and just see where our mind takes us. METRONOME: How many albums do you have out?
We have a 5-song EP and an 8-song album out. The EP is The Vibes Project and our latest album is De La Cosmos. We will be releasing another album this summer, hopefully with around twelve tracks on it. We recorded a few of the tracks already and have a lot more cooking.
METRONOME: Your new album, De La Cosmos is excellent. Very progressive? Was that your intention while you were recording it or did it morph organically?
Thanks! Yeah, it had a different vibe to it than our EP before it. We went into the recording process having no clue what was going to happen, just like The Vibes Project. This time we showed up at John’s place only having two some- what completed songs and two other song ideas. We were at his house for five days, and wrote four completely new songs and added lyrics to the two ideas we already had. We basically got to his house and just went with the flow. You said it perfectly, it morphed organically. METRONOME: How did you come up with the name for the album?
Mitch and I were making eggs in my kitchen one morning before we left to
go to John’s. We were discussing the album and we came up with the name De La Cosmos which translates to “of the cosmos.” It was the only name we could come up with that we all liked. We particularly liked how it rolled off the tongue, despite being grammatically incorrect. We then started sketching an album cover idea out and sent it out to our friend and artist, Des Snyder, who then worked off our idea. METRONOME: The music is a clever blend of hip-hop, hard rock, funk and psychedelia. How did those influences seep in to the songwriting?
We all have different influences and styles that we grew up playing, so when we write, those different styles come out and morph together. That’s what makes up the Bron Don sound.
METRONOME: You mentioned earlier that you and John had a borderline obsession with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After listening to your new album, I heard a heavy Chili Peppers vibe, however, you guys sound so much better than them. Were you expounding on their influence?
(Laughs) We don’t know about better than the Chilies, but they are definitely one of our overall main influences. We all have been fans of them for most of our lives and really respect them as musicians and individuals. We could literally talk about the Chilies all day.
METRONOME: Where did you record the album?
The album was recorded in John’s sister’s bedroom in Albany, New York. METRONOME: Who tracked it for you?
The album was tracked, mixed, and produced by us. However, for our next album, we will be getting a crew of friends together who are a few years older then us and are in the Music Production & Engineering program at Berklee to help us work on it.
METRONOME: How long did the recording process last?
The recording process took five days, then we spent about a month slowly editing and tweaking it.
METRONOME: I understand you guys are in Spain? What brought you there?
The women (laughs). Seriously though, we are doing a semester here at Berklee’s Valencia, Spain campus. METRONOME: Have you shot any videos for the new songs?
We are going to be recording a few music videos this semester here in Europe. Some for the new material and maybe a few for our older songs. METRONOME: Do you have more songs written for another album?
Oh yeah, we are cookin’ in the kitchen, so to speak. Call us Gordon Ramsay. METRONOME: What’s coming up for the band?
A lot... On this past Valentine’s Day,
the band was invited to record at the Ann Kreis Scoring Stage at Berklee College in Valencia, Spain. The session was produced by Emmy-award winning composer and producer, Stephen Webber, and engineered by Ian Kagey, who’s credits include working on the GRAMMY award winning production of Book of Mormon. The session lasted five hours, and we live recorded eight songs as a band. The session was attended by over thirty members of the Association of European Conservatories Pop-Jazz Platform. We plan to release the live recordings on a a full length album later this year. We’re going to call it Live Vibes. METRONOME: How can people find out more about you on the internet?
We’re on Facebook, just search “Bron Don.” You can stream our music and download it for free (or buy it) at www. brondon.bandcamp.com. We also have a YouTube channel with live videos and soon it will have music videos and vidoes from our time in Europe. That is also called “Bron Don.” You can also tweet us @ BronDonMusic and see some instagram posts @brondonvibes!
METRONOME: Is there anything you want to add before we close?
We really just appreciate anyone who takes the time to listen to our music and share the good vibes around with friends! If you like what you hear, then we hope to see you at one of our shows.
 -

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: BRON DON
Anna Marketti April 13, 2015 Featured, Local Spotlight, Local Spotlight Feature




Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity and offers countless charms, but skipping a Boston winter was certainly a highlight. As the sun beat down, making March feel like July, Valencianos were still wrapped in their jackets—but the students at the Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain were strolling around proudly in shorts. Through the glaring sunshine, Bron Don approached me, donned in their finest summer attire. Well, most of them. Drummer Colin Mohr was at home, sleeping.

After deciding on the library as our interview spot, I followed them warily. “Bron Don,” though not a colloquial phrase, evokes a certain image, which the band certainly embodies in both looks and sound. Shaggy haired, walking with a lazy gait, and smiling broadly, the boys of Bron Don are laid back and, as they describe themselves, “decent dudes.”

They admitted that the name “Bron Don” holds no significant meaning. But they readily relayed a story of a time they were getting dinner with some friends, and one of the members was getting hit on by a waitress, so he referred to himself as a “bron don,” which they extrapolated to mean “the humblest bro.” “It means whatever you want it to mean,” they explained.

“Our music is fun. Fun vibes,” frontman Mitchell Cardoza said. In keeping pace with the weather and their persona, guitarist John Cattini added, “Beach vibes.” The boys laughed, and Cardoza explained, “[Our music] is fun because the way we portray it, it’s like anybody could play it.”

Bron Don gets their thrill from live performances, where they claim their band’s personality truly shines through. Having played in both Boston and Valencia, the guys are notorious for their energetic shows that engage fans. Band manager Aly Sarafa said, “What I like best about Bron Don’s live performances is that they bring a vibe to their shows that sets the audience at ease. They’re somehow high energy and incredibly relaxed at the same time. This is a stage presence that grew organically through the friendship the band shares offstage, and I attribute it to their success in drawing new audience members each time they play.” But they’ve noticed differences between crowds in the United States and crowds in Spain.

“The drinking age is lower,” bassist Wolfgang Cangemi said, as the band exchanged knowing smiles. “Plus they appreciate live music more here. Like, unheard of live music. There’s a lot of people who show up who we don’t know. In Boston, not as many people come out. The problem’s the age. There are all these 18+ shows, and I mean most of our friends are over 18, but I live near Boston, and I also have friends who are still in high school. But here, there’s a completely different vibe. Anyone can come out.”

After meeting at Berklee back in Boston, the band made the decision to come to Valencia together. In fact, they’d all decided they wanted to study abroad before Bron Don’s conception. Spain has been kind to them—they’ve gotten a lot more recording done since coming here.

Bron Don have been working alongside producer Stephen Webber, who has collaborated with high-caliber artists and earned an Emmy along the way. Webber has motivated them to go above and beyond in their recordings. “That pressure made us write more songs because he wanted a brand new song, and we had to pump that out,” Cardoza said.

Though they don’t cite any influence from Spanish culture in their music, they hope to carry the energy from their live shows here back to Boston. “And a fanbase,” they added. “We’ve made a bigger fanbase here, with people from Berklee and Emerson. A lot of people know about us now because we’ve made a lot of friends here. Hopefully our friends will talk to their friends, and we can branch out more.”

For fledgling fans, or those whose interest is piqued but aren’t quite convinced that Bron Don is the band for them, the boys would like you to know this: “We’re decent dudes. And because we like what we play, and because it’s nothing anybody’s forcing us to do, I think people like it more. Because they can see that it’s genuine. We’re not trying to be anybody, we’re not trying to be pop stars or anything.”

They then went on to suggest they might become the next One Direction, accepting Zayn Malik, a former member gone solo, as one of their own. (Joking, of course. Or were they?)

You can check out their 2014 release De La Cosmos below and get it on their Bandcamp (“For free. Or you can pay for it if you want,” Cardoza said with a wink). Follow them on Facebook and Instagram, @brondonvibes, “if you wanna enjoy a nice laugh, and keep up with [their] zany antics.” They look forward to working on an album upon their return to Boston, in addition to playing live as often as they can. Until then, in the words of Bron Don, “Catch ya on the cul-de-sac!” - Sound of Boston