Gramsci Melodic

"...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
- Pittsburgh Magazine (October 2009)

“(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)
- CP (Pittsburgh City Paper)

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
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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.
- Pittsburgh City Paper

"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
- Tribune-Review

"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 - The Beaver County Times

"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 - The Duquesne Duke

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