Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
These locals rank high on the Why Dont They Have a Label Yet? list. They've been gigging around frequently for over three years and released a very promising debut EP in 2002. Some of those songs are reprised on Light FM's first full-length, This is the Beginning of My Golden Age, and they're worth hearing again, but the new ones are even better. Guided by dead-on songwriting instincts a la the Cars or the Cure, the band offsets the catchy with the dark and heart-wrenching, backing unshakable melodies with unexpected grandeur. Yeah, I know it's early yet but I think this'll hold up as one of the best pop records to come out of Chicago this year - Chicago Reader
Their name may suggest the type of music broadcast in a dental office near you but Light FM's debut is anything but. The Chicago band pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible. Singer-songwriter-vocalist-guitarist Josiah Mazzaschi doesn't veer into the dark territory forged by Billy Corgan, but he does share the head Pumpkin's knack for creative song structures, studio grandeur and sweeping proclamations ("come on, to eternal youth we go"). The marriage of heavy synthesizers, theremins, and guitars summon references, from the Cars to Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, but Mazzaschi and band plays harder and with more punk energy. Their upbeat psychedelic pop make them one of the most refreshing bands currently out of Chicago with a lot of promise to come. - Daily Herald by Mark Guarino
Judging from the title of Light FM's new CD, pop-rock tunesmith Josiah Mazzaschi sounds like he's banking his future on its success. And a bright future it is. The dazzling 11-song cycle, a blend of Tommy Keene - style melodies and Cars keyboards, is the best local release in years, and one of the year's best anywhere.
Mazzaschi is the post-punk antidote to radio's latest disease. His songs are understated yet powerful, often exploring plaintive themes while dressed in pop clothing. (How many people can craft a catchy chorus out of the line "You make me feel like dying"?) While emo-mania is now safely viewed in the rear view mirror, Mazzaschi is not afraid to share a little self-pity; instead of the lame lyrics typically associated with the genre, he coins classic couplets like, "When I die I'll find a place in heaven / Where the amps go up to 11."
Mazzaschi's white-fuzz guitar tone complements keyboardist Chris Frantisak's surreptitious new-wave synth hooks. And just when Golden Age flirts with formula, the four-piece band turns dark. In "Town Underground," a driving bass, horn, synth and guitar paint a somber portrait of loss and denial. "Eli Miller" gains a creeping momentum with unadorned space-age synth, and "16 Below" roars into a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - like frenzy.
Without a clunker in the bunch, This is the Beginning of My Golden Age might just prove Mazzaschi to be a prophet. - by Phil Rockrohr
Judging by "Eli Miller," the first track from Light Fm's This is the Beginning of My Golden Age, the band is a big fan of The Cars. But peeling back the layers on its debut album unveils a dense mixture of electronic tinkering and a desperation to be something more than just another Chicago power-pop ensemble. At times the tone borders on a laboring alt-rock ultra-sincerity ("Dig My Digital Friendz," "Town Underground"), but when Light FM do it right ("16 Below") they catapult themselves to the top of the class. Think Fountains of Wayne for High School graduates. - around hear
Discography
Songs from the album have been used on the WB's "One Tree Hill" and ABC's "Life as We Know It". The song, "Eli Miller" is on the top ten for over a month on XM satellite radio's, "Best of Unsigned".
Music from the CD are also available as ringback tones for Sprint cellular users.
The CD is available for sale through their web-site and is distributed through Southern, Parasol, Carrot Top, Insound, Choke, Interpunk, and Awarestore.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Light FM started as an outlet for some of Josiah Mazzaschi's home recordings after the break-up of his previous band Motorhome in 1999. Motorhome was successful in the mid nineties opening for acts such as Alanis Morisette, Hum, Everclear, and Chevelle. They recieved an A- in Entertainment weekly and had worked in the studio with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins.
Light FM evolved from Mazzaschi's home recorded sketches with the finalization of a group: keyboardist Chris Frantisak (Urge Overkill, Bonmots), marathon drummer Matt Espy (The Reputation, Atombombpocketknife, Motorhome), and bassist Brian Barbier (The Mens Group). They have played sold out shows opening for Earlimart, Longwave, Kevin Tihista, Verbena, Weakerthans, We Ragazzi, The Lilys, Brendan Benson, Lucky Boys Confusion, Flashing Lights, Skeleton Key, etc.
The band has just released their debut CD, "This is the Beginning of My Golden Age" which has been described as, "one of the best pop records to come out of Chicago this year" by The Chicago Reader's Monica Kendrick.
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