Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Alum Andrew Futral ’04 was the grand prize winner in the Pop music category and Matt Degroat ’03 was a finalist in the same category.
Futral’s winning song is entitled, “Praying for a Car Crash.” Degroat was recognized for his song “Get It On.”
The prestigious John Lennon Songwriting contest is an international competition begun in 1997 in which both amateur and professional songwriters can compete. Winners are judged based upon originality, melody, composition and lyrics. Entries can be made in 13 categories including Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, World, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Gospel/Inspirational, Latin, Elecronic, Folk, Children’s, and the new “Lyrics Only” category.
Futral and Degroat were in the Studio Composition program in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase and studied with Professor Dave Gluck. As winners they are eligible for cash awards, publishing contracts, studio equipment, a CD of their music, and more. Among the prizes Futral received were 1,000 CDs and $5,000 worth of recording equipment. He is also a contender for the grand prize, which will be awarded later. - Purchase College, NY
Discography
The Drive Home, released December 2005
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Andrew Futral began The Age of Rockets in 2003 after a small nervous breakdown and impromptu trip to Montreal Canada. His previous band having been together for 7 years had dissolved less than 24 hours before hand in a glorious explosion of fists and infidelity.
Andrew stumbled across a sound that is both soothing and terror stricken by accidentally crossing his chronic heart ache with his functional alcoholism. The Result is The Age of Rockets, a combination of pop melancholy melodies, ambient synth and glitch electronic programming, pocket orchestras and acoustic guitar.
The Age of Rockets Influences include: MId-era Radiohead (Kid A & OK Computer), Indie darlings: The Postal Service and Dntel, Icelandic Minimalist pop bands Múm and Sigur Ros, as well as Pre-“Jessie's Girl” Rick Springfield, Erik Satie, Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins, Red Wine, Dinosaurs, (his soul mate) Lisa Loeb and is currently standing right behind you (pause).
The debut full length synth pop CD “The Drive Home” serves as a requiem to the end of college and the very real, very imminent end of the world. It began as Andrew's final senior project as a student at the music conservatory at purchase college and after winning the 2005 song of the year in pop music category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest he was given the funds to properly publish and release it.
In the remaining 6 years before the world is destroyed in 2012 AD Andrew hopes to release many more albums and play many more shows, try every food there is and preform his freeform dance / spoken word rendition of the classic james bond film "from russia with love".
mischief managed
- Wilford Brimley, January 2006
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