Saccharine

New York City’s Saccharine is not a garage band. Saccharine is not a punk band. Saccharine takes absolutely no influence from The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth or The Ramones. You will not find the members of Saccharine in vintage suits or sporting the same haircut they had in the fourth grade. Saccharine will not be sending their CD in for review to The Village Voice and they don’t give a flying fuck whether or not they’re part of the “Brooklyn scene.” Does this sound like a New York City rock band to you? Didn’t think so.

Saccharine is about one thing: Rock. All 4 members grew up glued to the radio, wanting to do only one thing—play rock n’ roll. Picking up their instruments at an early age, they’ve all played in rock bands ever since. The members of Saccharine have shared the stage with a wide spectrum of bands ranging from Anthrax, Cheap Trick, Thursday and Bon Jovi, to Foo Fighters, The Misfits, Dashboard Confessional and The Fixx. Each has toured regionally or nationally, with hundreds of live shows between them.

Formed in the summer of 2001, Saccharine has toured the Northeast for 3 years. The quartet has built an impressive regional following and regularly gigs at many of the tri-state’s premier venues including The Mercury Lounge, Arlene Grocery, The Chance and BB King Blues Club. Saccharine’s music has been featured on New York’s K-Rock and 104.3 among other commercial rock stations as well as on numerous college stations.

The Saccharine sound invokes heavy guitars, prominent vocals, a tight, dynamic rhythm section and creative songwriting. The songs of Saccharine lean heavily on dynamics and emotion. Stylistically, the songs pull you in with their lyrics, then take you on an emotional ride. Most of the songs focus on human relationships and conflict with conventional idealism and dogmatism. “I try to write songs that mean one thing to me, but also allow the listener to relate through their own experiences” says John Gaenzler, Saccharine’s lyricist and principal songwriter. Saccharine takes their influence not from their peers, but from the legends—the masters in Zeppelin, The Beatles and The Who, along with Cheap Trick, U2, and Peter Gabriel.

What makes Saccharine unique? Guitar player Alan Levine believes it’s that each band member contributes his own energy and sound to a single goal. Drummer Mike Maenza feels the songs are the difference, adding “Quality songs… we’re not trying to re-invent the wheel here.” John adds, “I’m not really sure exactly what it is that sets us apart, although I think it has a lot to do with individual personalities and style…We’ve been told that we sound a little like any number of bands, but not a lot like any one band. And the bands people say we do sound like—they’re never the same.” Bass player Dennis Greeley adds, “We’re always working. We never settle. Hard work unlocks potential. At least that’s the idea.” The 4 members of Saccharine are all in agreement that their songs and live show are the true strength of the band.

Why the name? “Before we started the band, I always saw the word used ridiculously in literary reviews and musical commentary” John Gaenzler remarks. “I said this has got to stop. Someone needs to name their band Saccharine. And, OK, it just sounds cool.”

What’s next? Saccharine just released their debut CD “You Will Feel Nothing” on Jaunt Records. The radio campaign will begin in June. They will follow the release with an extensive Summer/Fall tour. Look for them in your neck of the woods soon!