Home At Last

"Radio Silence," the new CD by Home At Last, is an exercise in versatility. The four musicians have been together for ages, and are capable of any style of music short of bebop or Renaissance plainsong, so selections range from outright rock ("Lady Renegade") to Beatle-like melody and lyrics ("So I Disappear") to avant-garde King Crimson instrumental ("Larks’ Tongues in Aspic"). Studio production techniques are greatly in evidence here, a natural evolution made necessary by Bruce Pike's increasing use of keyboards and electronic percussion and Charlie Andaloro's move to digital drums. They aren't four guys in a garage any longer, and the emphasis on studio enhancement will probably increase as HAL continues to work on their next CD. MTV is interested in them, an indication that their music is as contemporary as rock gets. A great listen, and fun to parse in terms of instrumental and studio techniques.

(NOTE: Cotton Kent is a pianist whose credits include having been a member of “Good God”, a jazz-rock fusion band that recorded for Atlantic. He’s also toured and recorded with Duke Williams and the Extremes. In addition, Mr. Kent appears on numerous recordings by such artists as the O’Jays, The Spinners, Lou Rawls, MFSB, SalSoul Orchestra, Major Harris, Blue Magic & The Trammps.)


- by Cotton Kent

Without pulling any punches, Vineland's Home At Last pulls off musical moves as muscular as anything commercial radio has to offer. While the days of smiley-faced rock music may very well be over, Home At Last continues to follow its snap-crackle-pop muse. The band's third full-length release, "Perfectly Good Cigar" on Smiling Moose Records, fuses the band's improvisational skill and live energy with line-perfect production. The record should create wider appeal for a band that has been laboring in obscurity.

Home At Last will play the "We Have It Made in New Jersey" Public Show at the new Atlantic City Conventionh Center in Atlantic City as part of a day-long event, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The show's name is appropriate for Home At Last.

With the band's longstanding composition of Pike, guitarists Ernie Trionfo and Steve Shurman, and drummer Charlie Andaloro, it's not surprising they produce sounds of a seasoned band: syncopated rhythms, dueling guitars, intricate harmomnies. Younger bands - don't try this at home.

One reason Home At Last sounds so technically far ahead of their local contemporaries is because they're likely the hardest working band in South Jersey. Playing [an average of] nearly three days a week, every week, for more than a decade set that standard.

by Anthony Mariani

- The Daily Journal

July 7th, 2007

Home At Last, a rock band from southern New Jersey (USA) has been occupying Top 5 spots at several Internet music sites with their cover of King Crimson’s “Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, Part Two.”

The most recent charts at the Artist Direct/UBL website has the group occupying the #1 spot, and at Songvault.fm, “Larks’ Tongues” is currently the #2 song on the rock chart. The band has recently received airplay in the Philadelphia (PA) and Chicago (IL) markets, and has also inked a licensing deal with MTV Networks in New York.

Comprising front-man Bruce Pike (bass/keys/vocals), noted session player and luthier Ernie Trionfo (guitars/vocals), Steve Shurman (guitars; MIDI and synth guitars), and Charlie Andaloro (drums; V-drums), Home At Last straddles pop, rock, and prog styles to produce a unique and challenging, yet readily accessible compendium of sounds and words.

Their Crim cover - informed by both the “Larks’ Tongues”-era and “Discipline”-era Crimsons can be heard in its entirety for free at www.myspace.com/halbandnj

It’s available on the band’s new CD “Radio Silence” at www.cdbaby.com/cd/hatlast

The “official” Home At Last website is found at www.freewebs.com/halband
- Krimson News