My Friend Ben
West Islip, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
People like to say Long Island is musically stuck in the past, but here's a thought: What if that's a good thing?
Leaving aside the usual cover bands, grunge-era stragglers and hair-metal hangers-on, the region has at least a few top-notch bands that are finding new inspiration in old musical styles.....
.....and My Friend Ben, who tether their jam-band tendencies to catchy hooks.
My Friend Ben includes singer/Guitarist CJ Callari, guitarist/keyboard Mike Saganic, bassist Paul Constantine, drummer Joe Angeloro, (horns Ian Knauer and Kevin Vail,) and multi-instrumentalist Neil Galea (most of them are West Islip boys). Their self-released album "...til the Cows Come Home," features rolling keyboards, spiffy horns, and a never-ending funk groove that's sometimes mellow ("Butterflies") and sometimes sweaty ("Golden Clowns"). What's more, Callari's voice mostly lacks the faux-soul you hear in most singers of his ilk: He belts it out passionately and forcefully everytime....
full article here:
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-wwblurb4798228jun29,0,3220718.column?coll=ny-news-columnists
- Newsday - Rafer Guzman
Discography
My Friend Ben - Paper Dolls (2008)
My Friend Ben - 'til the cows come home(2001-2005)
Photos
Bio
www.myspace.com/myfriendbentheband
MFB is a Bluesy, Rock, Jazzy, Funk, Reggae outfit. Our influences are from all flavors of music including the Grateful Dead, The Band, Bob Marley, Allmans, John Scofield, Soulive, Beatles, Soul Coughing the list goes on.
I think one thing that sets us apart from many bands is our versatility on different instruments, it happens quite often where we switch up who's playing the guitar/bass/keys/pedal steel/horns on different songs.
1st studio album "Til the Cows Come Home" was released 2001 and our 2nd studio album "Paper Dolls" was release 2008. 3rd album in the works.
Links
