The Color Fred
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The Color Fred

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"The Color Fred-Bend to Break"

The Color Fred - Bend To Break
Label: Equal Vision Records
Release: October 30th, 2007

First off, I just have to say congratulations to the next guitarist of Taking Back Sunday. When you leave the band, or the band breaks up, whatever project your involved in will turn to gold. This may not be completely true, but after the successes of John Nolan (or what I would call success despite them being dropped), and based on the future success of Fred Mascherino, he will skyrocket as well. Which brings me to the debut record of Frederick Paul Mascherino, and his backup band, known completely as The Color Fred.

So let's tell a hypothetical story of you rushing to the store the day Bend To Break comes out and picking up the 80% post-consumer waste recycled paper record made partially of paperfoam. You see Fred staring back at you earnestly saying "buy me, buy me". You digress, and 5 minutes later you're in your car driving home from the Best Buy or FYE location you were just at. You put it in and your first thoughts are, "This is Taking Back Sunday without Adam." That was my first thoughts about this record when I heard the record opener "Get Out". It even featured backing vocals from "friend" PJ Bond (who I must say is a beast live). Next, you hear "If I Surrender" the bands first single, and song they made the video for you may have seen on Fuse or MTV2 and such. By this point, it's known that Fred ain't playing around and he's head serious about this project. Even going as far as telling you "i'll give you so much satisfaction, you'll drown in it", granted he may have been talking about someone else, but not in this case. The third track, "Hate To See You Go" is where I started hear traces of Dashboard Confessional, and if you listen closely, some Breaking Pangaea. After a piano-based track in "It Isn't Me" and soft-toned "Complainer", we hear a minute long, muffled track called "The Tragedy". These three tracks show on it's own how Fred has progressed from his youth to today, as a musician, songwriter, and vocalist. Later on, we get to track 9, my favorite track, "Minnesota". It would've been a great TBS song, and Fred himself said it was a personal favorite. I'm sure you can figure out what it's about, with lyrics like "And as Hemmingway said the sun it also rises/ I only saw it set except those all nighters/ And do you want to stay up, I know where this ends up/ I saw you commin in the front door/ I couldn't tell what you were thinking/ But I would bet on it for damn sure/ We were about to get into it again".

One thing you are going to have to realize, is The Color Fred is not Taking Back Sunday. This record does have a few flaws, it took me a few listens to really get into it. Seeing him live also helps enhance the music and really understand it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought this record is kind of boring. But give it a chance, and you'll see what I mean. It's a valiant debut effort and this band will be a stable for years to come. - Nathan Lint- Absolutepunk.net


Discography

Single- If I Surrender
Album- Bend to Break- October 30, 2007

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Bio

This started as a side project, Breaking Pangaea. That then turned into The Color Fred which was mainly Fred playing guitar and singing. Fred was backing vocals and guitar player in Taking Back Sunday. Now The Color Fred is a full-time project. This band in no way mirrors Taking Back Sunday. There is a more folker, upbeat, power pop feel to The Color Fred. On the 30th of October of last year, Bend to Break, the first full-length LP was released. The whole album was actually recorded mainly by Fred. Vocals, guitar-you name it-Fred played it.