Era for a Moment

If Heart had had balls...

... they would have sounded like Era For a Moment, no doubt about it. Don't get me wrong. I was a Heart fan, of sorts (until Roger Fisher came into the record store at which I worked and wrote 'Fisher Roger was here' on every conceivable surface, flesh and otherwise, in indelible ink). I had two of their albums--- Dreamboat Annie and Dog and Butterfly--- and I listened to their music when I didn't have to sometimes, though I certainly got enough of it at work. In Seattle during the Dog and Butterfly years, if you wanted CBS ad money, you played Heart. We played Heart. A lot.

They were good. Of course, they would have been a whole lot better if they had been a real band instead of a musical holding company supported by two rockin' females (a rarity in those days) and a whole lot of money. I can hear the screams coming out of Seattle as I type, but that's what I saw and heard. They may have been a band when they started, but they soon became a business. And musically? Take away Ann's somewhat formidable pipes and Nancy's signature kick and you have, what? Not Era For a Moment, that's for sure.


Ladies and Gentlemen--- Era For a Moment

Shelby Carcio fronts this impressive Massachusetts fivesome and she is frontman for the press as well, but she is hardly the whole story. Put her on stage and she is front cog on a five cog machine, the other four pistons pumping horsepower Heart only dreamed of. Crunching chords worthy of a rock crusher one moment, they turn on a dime the next, creating a dreamscape of guitars and voices. It is a heady combination and one can only imagine the highs and even bigger highs of banging heads or floating away. There is magic in this band.
Even sitting down with acoustic guitars...
...they rock!!!

Most vocalists have a hard enough time hitting notes in full battle gear and under ideal circumstances, so when Carcio hits hers somewhat effortlessly, sitting on a stool in a TV studio set up for news rather than music, that says something. Add to that the way they take a hard rocking cruncher like Calling You to an 'unplugged' level and you cannot help being impressed. Used to playing it full on with stacks of amps, they make it appear a simple adjustment, though musicians know it is not. You have to be good to make that transition. You have to be better than good to make it sound right.

Era For a Moment released their first album, Realize, in 2005. Between then and now, they navigated their way through four years of the equivalent of busting rocks--- late night gigs, countless hours of rehearsal, working contacts. That glorious life of a musician you think you know? It only exists on MTV and VH1. It is hard, hard work, not the least of which is writing the songs which set you apart. You think writing songs is easy? Try it sometime.

Well, they wrote eleven songs for their new album, When Earth Meets Sky, and what can I say? If I'd been lucky enough to have found the band from the beginning, I would say 'here we go again.' For myself and others, it is just 'here we go,' but that's enough. After hearing When Earth Meets Sky, I'm ready to go. I'm even considering catching these guys live, if they ever haunt my neck of the woods. The kids would probably think I was a narc. Then again, as good as I think these guys can be, they probably wouldn't even notice.

By the way, the twelfth song on the new album is a cover of Rockwell's 1984 hit, Somebody's Watching Me. When I heard it all I could think was, Rockwell never sounded like this.


- HubPages - review by Frank Gutch Jr.

There are a lot of good tougher modern rock acts out there where men fronts the most. Era For A Moment with Shelby Carcio in front is an exception and should be checked out if you’re into tasty and powerful guitars combined with fine melodies. I am really impressed with this bands sound that is somewhere between bands like Shinedown and Sevendust with classic hard rock influences in a modern version.
I am also glad that the band isn’t a copy of the multi selling Evanescence, which would have been really boring. Ok, there are a few similarities since both bands are playing a little edgier rock and have female vocalists. But Era For A Moment is more straightforward and muscular in their sound compared to the more mystical and Goth influenced Wind-Up band.
The songs on “Realize” are also on a high level with actually no fillers. Of the nine songs that we got ,the openers ”Strength”, ”The Fire” and ”Calling You” are the best ones in my opinion.
“The Fire” with some Korn influences is the first single and a good choice. Good that they took this one that shows what an edgy band this is. No cheesy rock/pop here, just plain hard rock with fat guitars and very driven melody. Lovely!
We’ll see what will happen to Era For A Moment, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if they should go all the way. They have a cool sound, write good songs and are very competent musicians. I can’t ask for more!! - Johan Wippsson

ERA FOR A MOMENT-Realize
Judging by the band’s name, I figured this was just another emo band. Then I saw the band’s picture, spied an Osiris tee shirt and figured they had to be a New England metal band. Luckily, I was right. At times, Era For A Moment sound like Disturbed with a female vocalist, especially the tracks The Fire and Pressure. The band lays down some good grooves that range from chunky to melodic and singer Shelby Carcio definitely holds her own with powerful vocals that sound just right- not girly like a pop star wannabe and not raw like some death metal bitch. Other tracks I thought were strong are Strength and Detach. The production sounds great for a self released disc. . My only real criticism is superficial, I don’t like the band name. If I were signing them to a deal, I’d have them change it. It sounds too much like an emo band name and that genre couldn’t be further from what EFAM are doing.
www.eraforamoment.com

- by: Samuel Adams

This CD is a welcome surprise—a dark, hard rock sound with a strong female voice at the front. Knowing absolutely nothing of this band before getting my hands on this release, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The music is creative, lively and thoughtful, especially the heavy guitar riffs and tight drumming. This band definitely has a European sound, and I was initially stunned when I learned that they are from the United States.
The first track, "Strength," begins with a soft, clean melody then goes into a gloomy and cool verse, setting the stage for the rest of the album. Song 2, "The Fire," has a powerful chorus and excellent guitar chugging. Shelby Carcio’s voice reminds me a little of Christina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil—not to say that the similarity is a bad thing, for her voice can very much stand on its own. Other standout moments on this album include the great opening to "Calling You," the breakdown riffs in "Backslide," and the creative drumming of "Pressure."
This band effectively captured that thick and somber mood while maintaining a melodic sound. One could say they sound like a beefed-up Evanescence. Era for a Moment’s CD is definitely worth the purchase. - Michael A. Liguori

ERA FOR A MOMENT's "Realize" starts out with a beautiful and intriguing guitar introduction and progresses into a thumping bass and drum rhythm which is
held together magnificently with melodic vocals, all of which continues throughout the 9 song record. The first single, which is Track 2, "The Fire" has been receiving incredible reviews and awards and consistently climbs the charts of both online music sites and radio. This is one record you simply must have. Beginning with the first intricate guitar licks of "Strength" to the hair raising vocals of "Again" and ending with the heavy hitting percussive open of "Detach," ERA FOR A MOMENT has rivaled it's competition of accomplished signed acts (such as Evanescence and Disturbed), while creating an ear-pleasing niche of their very own, all the while being an independent unsigned act. "Realize" shines with its originality, creativity and production. "Realize" was recorded, produced and mixed by Jim Foster (Nullset, P.O.D., Waltham) who is a genius when it comes to bringing out a band's unique recorded sound without making it over-produced and thereby not leaving the live performance lacking luster when compared to the recorded version. ERA FOR A MOMENT is a band ready to take the music scene by storm with dueling guitars of Tim D'Agostino and Matt Perry, that compliment each other beautifully, yet shine in their own respect. When you add the powerful front-woman Shelby Carcio, heavy hitting bassist Mike Uliano, and percussionist Johnny DeRienzo, you have a recipe for stardom that cannot be stopped. - Michele Paululis

By: Bob Donovan
Jan. 2007

After a long drought of national and international recognition of its Music Scene, it seems that Boston is on its way to a comeback! Sure, Boston has had a few good bands come from town for major recognition in the last few years (Staind and Godsmack), but back in the day, it was a serious Hotspot for bands like Aerosmith, J Giles Band, Boston, The Cars and many others! Back in the day, the scene unified, stuck together; the clubs were supportive and booked the best bands with newer bands having to take off nights and times to work their way into the system - venues were packed! After that, venues closed, club owners looked for the easy, cheapest way out and book unknown bands that didn’t promote but would play free and the attendance went through the floor.

However, with bands like Era For A Moment and others based in the Boston area coupled with the growth of the yearly NeMO Music Conference, it seems that, finally, Boston could be on a rebound!


Era For A Moment isn’t here to see if it still works in Boston – they are here to MAKE IT WORK and they are doing so quite handily! They have broken free of the popular (amongst musicians) “cookie monster growl” vocals and same sounding guitars to develop a very powerful, melodic and polished sound. A sound that will sooth the souls of those longing for the “greatness” of the “classic rock days” while, at the same time, appeal to today’s power-rock and metal fans. Era For A Moment is amazing and better still, they are gonna put Boston back on the map! If they stick to playing shows with other talented, powerful, melodic and capable bands from the Boston area while performing throughout the New England area, Boston will make a stand and once again be known as a serious music hub. Era For A Moment will be leading the drive and be at the top of the heap!

Their music is very, very powerful and vocalist Shelby Carcio takes it with stride as her powerful voice equals the power of the music. She is not one of those vocalists who gets lost in the power of the music. The band is very solid, tight and their material is well written and performed. This sounds more like a band of former members of major artists with their extreme writing ability and overall structure and sound; very impressive indeed. Because of this talent, they are also able to step it down to a much slower tempo and still sound awesome! Killer guitars, strong vocals and a pounding bottom end that, when all put together, creates and unstoppable force and a very remarkable overall sound.

Era For A Moment has everything going for them; in Shelby Carcio they have a powerful female lead vocalist that can belt it out (and you can understand her!) or kick back and sooth the mellow soul. Also, she is beautiful! Then you have Tim D’Agostino and Matt Perry with amazingly powerful guitars and killer hooks. No guitarist ego here; these two guys are eager to work together and play off each other to build and create something intense! Holding the bottom end together are a couple equally talented and powerful musicians – Greg Donegan on bass guitar and Johnny De Rienzo on drums.

Some may argue and say “What makes this band any different than other good bands in the Boston area?” Simple, this band not only has talent and a dream – but they fully intend to make their dream a reality and do what needs to be done to make it so. No complaining about how it was or how it could be better. They get out there and kick some ass. When they aren’t on stage, they get off their ass and promote, promote and promote, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!!! They don’t squeeze their future plans of success in between parties, “being cool” and other activities. Their band is their life and they take it seriously! Era For A Moment is a hard working, career-minded band that fully understands success isn’t obtained by talking about it; it’s obtained by going after it and taking it!

There are many, many opportunities there for the taking in this industry for those who want to work at getting out there and making it happen. Some of the things up for grabs that Era For A Moment went after and took by storm are:



* ERA chosen to be one of the top 4 bands nationally to possibly get a chance to open for Bon Jovi at Giant Stadium



* 'Calling You' becomes the #1 requested song on XNDRadio.com: 3/10/06



* ERA chosen by XM Satellite Radio as the winner of Bon Jovi's 'Have a Nice Gig' contest, to open for Bon Jovi at the TD Bank North Garden on Dec 10, 2005: 11/28/05



* ERA asked to appear on WFXT FOX25 Boston's Morning News Program as the musical guest to play 'Calling You' acoustically on Friday, December 9, 2005: 12/2/05



* ERA achieved #1 spot on extraplay.com with 'Strength', followed by #3 slot with 'The Fire' 12/2/2005 (world-wide band exposure radio)



* ERA added to XM Satellite Radio: 9/30/2005



* ERA added to 107.3 WAAF-Boston 'MANTOWN 2006 DVD' (sold 12,000 in 2005) 9/25/2005



* ERA added into Extraplay.com's (Worldwide band exposure radio) rotation, stays in top 10 (by voters) for 10 months and counting



* Garageband.com: 'The Fire' earns #3 All-Time Most Rocking Track in Hard Rock



* Garageband.com: 'Calling You' earns #5 All-Time Best Female Vocals in Hard Rock



* ERA added to 'The Underground' on Z98 (Clear Channel) - Sioux City, IOWA: 4/27/05



* ERA FOR A MOMENT's CD 'Realize' delivered to 28 digital distribution companies including; MSN Music, Apple iTunes, BuyMusic, Yahoo Music, Rhapsody, Bitmunk, MusicNet, MusicNow, Sony Connect, PassAlong, Chondo, Ruckus, MP3tunes, DigitalKiosk, etc: June 05-January 06



* ERA has sold over 3,000 CD's since the release of 'Realize'



Accomplishments and achievements are what make a successful band. Era For A Moment seems to have no problem racking them up!

Something I don’t generally do when I do a feature is to print the band’s press kit. However, Era for a Moment has a very interesting story in their press kit about the band and its members. So, below is a excerpt for Era For A Moment’s very own EPK:

“A female fronted rock band, Era For a Moment is the combined talent of Shelby Carcio (lead vocals), Tim D'Agostino (guitar), Greg Donegan (bass), Matt Perry (guitar), and Johnny DeRienzo (drums). The band, which formed in January 2002, has been described as a stronger Evanescence with the grit of Sevendust. A three-song demo was released four months later with producer/engineer John Ellis, who worked on records with some of the top national bands such as Godsmack, Tribe of Judah and American Hi-Fi. Their three-song demo got them minimal exposure and allowed them to get their feet wet on the club circuit. For several months they steadily built their fan base by playing as many venues as they could fit into their schedule.

As an unplanned turn of events, Tim, who was in the Army at the time, was called for duty and headed to Iraq for over a year. Undeterred from the potential major setback, the band decided they would keep in touch with Tim as best as they could, and hired a fill-in-turned-permanent second guitar player (Matt Perry), and the band kept pushing along. Their loyalty to each other allowed them to wait for Tim's return, however long it would take. Their original plans of hitting the studio to record a nine song CD would be on hold temporarily. Era For a Moment kept writing new material, as did Tim on an acoustic guitar with an mp3 recorder he used in the desert, and they traded ideas on which the band could work. Finally, Tim got home safely in the spring of 2004 and the band got back to work harder and more grateful than ever, and released a nine song CD with producer Jim Foster who is known from the national artist 'Nullset.'
The release of their new disk 'Realize' created a lot of attention for the band, and in another turn of events the original bass player released himself from the band due to personal reasons. Seeing how Era For a Moment has dealt with hard times before, this was a situation they could handle. They were fortunately able to hire a new bass player, Greg Donegan, who entered the band quickly enough, that the band did not skip a beat and had no interruptions with their scheduling.

From the band's new CD, the song 'The Fire' quickly shot up garageband.com's top 10 hard rock music chart for eight weeks, followed by Best Female Vocals for ten weeks. Before that reached its peak, garageband.com had another song by Era For a Moment, 'Calling You', reach the #7 all-time spot for female vocals. Shortly thereafter, in the fall of 2005, XM Satellite Radio added the band to a show called The Radar Report, which airs on XM52, 'RadioUnsigned' to help expose them to as many people possible. XM called the band in December 2005 to announce they had chosen them to open for rock icon Bon Jovi. This was a sold out show at the TD Bank North Garden in Boston. The band landed the show as the result of their submitting the song 'Calling You' into the 'Have A Nice Gig' contest. This 'gig' has exposed the band to a previously unattainable audience size and widened their fan base considerably.”

You can learn more about the band and hear their music on their official website at: http://www.eraforamoment.com and on their MySpace page at: www.myspace.com/eraforamoment

Discography
You can hear the bands full length CD "Realize" on and see video on:
www.myspace.com/eraforamoment

To hear older tunes, check out www.garageband.com/artist/eraforamoment - Indie In-Tune Magazine