Kristy's Corner Store

Date and Time: MAY 03, 2008 @ 12PM
Venue: HOFSTRA MUSIC FEST
(HOFSTRA UNIVERITY - INTRAMURAL FIELDS)
Regular Admission: FREE SHOW
Age: ALL AGES
Note: Sharing stage with Bayside (Main Headliner), Farryl Purkiss, Kristy's Corner Store, I am Alaska, The C4 Movement - BandScapes

"The first band was Kristy's Corner Store (http://www.myspace.com/kristyscornerstore). They were really very good in my opinion, however I would hardly classify them as metal. They fit more in the rock category. The lead singer had a wonderful voice and that blended very well the other instruments. Just coming into the bar not knowing what to expect, I must say that I was impressed by how well they performed." - Music Scout BlogSpot

"KRISTY’S CORNER STORE met each other for the first time in 2006. Realizing each member viewed music in the same way and had the same goals to achieve, the band began to write. They entered into a battle of the bands in NYC for their first show and walked away in first place as thousand aires. Since that show, the band has entered and won many other battles and has been continuously gigging around the tri-state area. KCS is also getting ready to release their E. P. this summer and start supporting it. The band has developed an expanding fan base in New York and New Jersey and is ready to travel and reach out to people all over the country. Having a wide and diverse variety of musical influences, KCS is definitely something fresh and new. You can expect tight drums, smooth bass lines, thunderous guitars, melodic keys, and soulful singing while partying at one of their shows. KCS is so thankful for what they have and the people that support them and look forward to the future and improving music." - Get-A-Way Ent.

It is said to be one of the biggest events of the Spring Semester on The College of Saint Rose Campus, and students have waited all school year for it: Rose Rock. Last year was a great success for Matthew Scherr, Vice President for Social Activities in the Student Association, who was able to book Eve 6 as the headlining band for the concert. However, with much hype from last year's performance comes great anticipation for this year's.

A poll was posted on Blackboard, in mid-November, where students could vote for their top pick to headline Rose Rock 2009. Nominated performers ranged from bands such as The Starting Line and The Academy Is… to solo-acts like Fabolous. After the voting was completed and the choices tallied, the winning spot went to Say Anything.

"We had a lot of participation this year, so thanks to everyone who voted," said Scherr.

There were over 800 people who voted and the majority was for Say Anything. The band will be performing at the event, which will be held on Saturday, April 25th from 3-9 p.m., following Relay for Life.

The band hails from Los Angeles, Calif. Their singer/songwriter, Max Bemis, is famous for his fun and outrageous lyrics while the band is known for its upbeat music tempo. Their genre falls in the pop/punk/emo category, with most of their songs consisting of guitars and vocals.

Say Anything has toured with such bands as Hellogoodbye and Saves the Day, and their latest album, entitled "In Defense of the Genre," was described as "a truly magnificent sophomore effort" by music magazine Alternative Press. They are currently signed to J Records and have previously been on the Doghouse Records label.

"I'm so excited for Rose Rock this year. I had such a great time at it last year, even though I wasn't a big fan of Eve 6. So, now that one of my favorite bands, Say Anything, is going to be performing, I think it's going to be even better," said Stephanie Braddock, sophomore.

Scherr has promised to make this year's event bigger and better than last year's, so students can expect to have an even better time.

Rose Rock last year was considered all around as a success, with the attendance the highest it had been in many years. Aside from headliner's Eve 6, other bands performing included Aficionado, A Sound Decision, The Peeps, Unspoken, and Kristy's Corner Store. In addition to the live music, there was also sumo wrestling, funnel cake, and a barbecue open to Saint Rose students with a meal plan.
Although students can prepare themselves for an unforgettable afternoon on the campus green, they should also keep an eye out for an added flare.

"This year should be different. We'll have all new artists, a new theme and much more," said Scherr. "My committee and I will be working very hard to ensure another great Rose Rock, while hopefully spicing it up a little more this year," said Scherr.

Since Rose Rock was such a big event last year the committee headed by Scherr is looking to make it even better this year by raising money to ensure its success.

"This year's Rose Rock is promising to be the best ever. We are very proud and very excited to be bringing the nationally acclaimed band Say Anything to campus. Unfortunately, because of the current economic conditions out efforts in providing other components needed to make the show possible are in jeopardy," said Scherr "To help make it an even bigger success and financially secure, the Student Association is currently looking for cash donations and help to host this event from other clubs and businesses in the surrounding area."

The other bands that will perform at this year's Rose Rock will be decided later in the semester, as well as more details about what other kinds of activities students can expect at the event.

For more information about the Rose Rock headliner, Say Anything, visit their official MySpace page at www.myspace.com/sayanything, or go to iTunes and download some of their hits like "Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too," "Alive with the Glory of Love," and "Shiksa (Girlfriend). - The Saint Rose Chronicle

They didn't intend to form a band. Not at first. It was 2006 and they were freshmen at Five Towns College. They'd just moved into the dorms.

Sam Propper walked into the dorm room next door to his, and was happy to see a Sublime poster on the wall. It was one of his favorite bands. Jared Tuttle, whose room it was, was sitting there, playing the guitar.

"He's good," Propper thought to himself. Propper also was a musician; he played the bass. The two immediately became friends.

Not long after, Tuttle and Propper met two other freshmen, Nick D'Alessandro and Scott Gulden. D'Alessandro was a singer, a really good one, Propper discovered, and Gulden played the drums.

The four decided to play at Five Towns's Downbeat Café, the after-hours morphing of the school cafeteria, where students recite poetry on the stage there, or sing karaoke, or perform music.

"The audience was really into it," Propper said. "The next day when I was walking around campus, everyone's singing our songs! People came up to us asking us where else we play, and if we had a demo of our music. So we decided to go for it."

They named the band after the place where the four first met—Kristy's Corner Store, a convenience store in Deer Park. A few weeks later they added Will Tolentino on keyboards.

Their first "real" gig was in 2007 at the Battle of the Bands at the Knitting Factory, where they won $1,000 that night.

Since then, Gulden and D'Alessandro have graduated from Five Towns and both live and work in Brooklyn. Tuttle dropped out and Propper is still finishing his degree.

"We're going to die trying to make it," Propper said.

Propper said that he's learned a lot from being in a school so diverse. "I couldn't help but be influenced by everyone's styles of music." D'Alessandro and Gulden had a big urban hip hop influence growing up, as well.

They were all influenced by funk, rock, reggae and soul music, Propper said. Some of their favorite bands? Maroon 5, Primus, Sublime, The Bled, Led Zeppelin, Rage Against The Machine, Al Green, Marcus Miller, The Roots, George Benson, Ray Charles, Les Claypool, Otis Redding, Bob Marley, the Fugees and many others.

They started by sharing a love of Sublime, and then studying their influences as well—Led Zeppelin and "old funk," Propper explained.

The band is trying to make an EP. They are finishing up the recording and mixing right now.

Their next show is at the National Underground in New York City Monday at 9 p.m.

They are also on Facebook and YouTube.

"We're still getting our stuff together," Propper said. "One day at a time." - Dix Hills Patch