The Giving Moon
Saint Charles, Illinois, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Recently, the local indie rock band The Giving Moon entered and won the IamFest Battle of the Bands 2012 — Independent Arts and Music Festival sponsored by the Elbo Room in Chicago. The contest draws more than 100 independent artists annually from the Midwest to compete for two coveted spots to perform at The House of Blues in Chicago — this year, on Saturday, Aug. 25.
As one of the two contest winners, The Giving Moon will perform with a lineup of eight other independent artists that are prominent and up-and-coming on Chicago’s music scene. Details about the competition and bands participating at Iamfest can be found at www.battle.iamfest.com.
The Giving Moon is an indie rock band comprised of four members ages 13-14 from St. Charles. The band formed almost two years ago and has been active in performing at festivals and charity events in the Kane County area.
Each member of the band brings unique musical talent and personality to the group. Two of the band members, Sean Seales (lead guitarist and vocalist) and Ryan Brasley (drummer), will start their freshman year at St. Charles East. The other two members, Adam Suto (bass guitar) and Marcello Positano (rhythm guitar), will be freshmen at St. Charles North.
In order to qualify, the band had to excel at a number of levels.
On June 11, the band competed in the first round against seven other bands and took first place with a standing ovation from the judges and audience. The crowd commented on The Giving Moon’s talent and phenomenal performance. It then moved on to the second round, which was held June 15. The band was awarded second place, which allowed it to progress to the semi-finals. Its next battle was on July 7 at The Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. The group played a 45-minute set of all-original music at midnight, and it won a spot in the final round.
Final rounds
The final competition was held July 28. The band performed at 10 p.m. and was named the first-place winner of the competition at the end of the night. Taking second place was The Studs, a punk indie rock band that formed a bond with The Giving Moon during the competition. The two bands competed against each other in the last two rounds. The Studs gave The Giving Moon some nice plus plugs during their performance, telling the crowd that they were excited about playing in the finals but announced that they really came out to see The Giving Moon. The public can view the final round performances that were recorded live stream at http://gigity.tv.
The Giving Moon and The Studs will play gain together, now being awarded the first two spots at Iamfest 2012 at The House of Blues in Chicago on Aug. 25. Doors open at 2 p.m. and a lineup of 10 bands in total will perform that evening. The Giving Moon will play at 3:15 p.m. The show is all ages, and people can purchase advance tickets online at www.houseofblues.com for a discounted price of $17. Or tickets can be purchased at the door for $22 on the day of the show.
Fans from their local community have been a large part of The Giving Moon’s success in the competition. Band manager Suzanne Positano has made arrangements to have bus transportation available on Aug. 25 to take local fans downtown to The House of Blues for the show. For more information, look for details on The Giving Moon’s Facebook page or send an email to reserve a spot on the bus to spositano@live.com. Anyone interested in booking the band at their venue or event should email or contact Positano directly at 630-276-3825.
The Giving Moon will perform at several other upcoming concerts. The band will perform at 2 p.m. today at the Italian Fest in Addison. It also will be playing a full-hour set on Aug. 18 at Elburn Days. On Nov. 11, the band will headline for a benefit for veterans at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. For more information on other upcoming events, “like” the Giving Moon on Facebook and join their mailing list.
- Courier News- Sun Times
Recently, the local indie rock band The Giving Moon entered and won the IamFest Battle of the Bands 2012 — Independent Arts and Music Festival sponsored by the Elbo Room in Chicago. The contest draws more than 100 independent artists annually from the Midwest to compete for two coveted spots to perform at The House of Blues in Chicago — this year, on Saturday, Aug. 25.
As one of the two contest winners, The Giving Moon will perform with a lineup of eight other independent artists that are prominent and up-and-coming on Chicago’s music scene. Details about the competition and bands participating at Iamfest can be found at www.battle.iamfest.com.
The Giving Moon is an indie rock band comprised of four members ages 13-14 from St. Charles. The band formed almost two years ago and has been active in performing at festivals and charity events in the Kane County area.
Each member of the band brings unique musical talent and personality to the group. Two of the band members, Sean Seales (lead guitarist and vocalist) and Ryan Brasley (drummer), will start their freshman year at St. Charles East. The other two members, Adam Suto (bass guitar) and Marcello Positano (rhythm guitar), will be freshmen at St. Charles North.
In order to qualify, the band had to excel at a number of levels.
On June 11, the band competed in the first round against seven other bands and took first place with a standing ovation from the judges and audience. The crowd commented on The Giving Moon’s talent and phenomenal performance. It then moved on to the second round, which was held June 15. The band was awarded second place, which allowed it to progress to the semi-finals. Its next battle was on July 7 at The Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. The group played a 45-minute set of all-original music at midnight, and it won a spot in the final round.
Final rounds
The final competition was held July 28. The band performed at 10 p.m. and was named the first-place winner of the competition at the end of the night. Taking second place was The Studs, a punk indie rock band that formed a bond with The Giving Moon during the competition. The two bands competed against each other in the last two rounds. The Studs gave The Giving Moon some nice plus plugs during their performance, telling the crowd that they were excited about playing in the finals but announced that they really came out to see The Giving Moon. The public can view the final round performances that were recorded live stream at http://gigity.tv.
The Giving Moon and The Studs will play gain together, now being awarded the first two spots at Iamfest 2012 at The House of Blues in Chicago on Aug. 25. Doors open at 2 p.m. and a lineup of 10 bands in total will perform that evening. The Giving Moon will play at 3:15 p.m. The show is all ages, and people can purchase advance tickets online at www.houseofblues.com for a discounted price of $17. Or tickets can be purchased at the door for $22 on the day of the show.
Fans from their local community have been a large part of The Giving Moon’s success in the competition. Band manager Suzanne Positano has made arrangements to have bus transportation available on Aug. 25 to take local fans downtown to The House of Blues for the show. For more information, look for details on The Giving Moon’s Facebook page or send an email to reserve a spot on the bus to spositano@live.com. Anyone interested in booking the band at their venue or event should email or contact Positano directly at 630-276-3825.
The Giving Moon will perform at several other upcoming concerts. The band will perform at 2 p.m. today at the Italian Fest in Addison. It also will be playing a full-hour set on Aug. 18 at Elburn Days. On Nov. 11, the band will headline for a benefit for veterans at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. For more information on other upcoming events, “like” the Giving Moon on Facebook and join their mailing list.
- Courier News- Sun Times
For Adam Suto, the bassist in the St. Charles indie rock teen band The Giving Moon, the level of energy in their shows sometimes depends on the crowd.
“If the audience has high energy, then we have high energy,” Suto said.
But he and his bandmates are heeding some valuable advice from rock legend John Cafferty whom they met Saturday night.
He told them they should always focus on their performance and not worry about the audience.
“He said if you do a good job, they’ll do their job,” said The Giving Moon’s drummer Ryan Brasley.
The Giving Moon is comprised of four freshmen from St. Charles high schools — two from St. Charles North and two from St. Charles East.
The band opened up for Eddie Money, Edgar Winter and John Cafferty at the Arcada Theater in downtown St. Charles on a recent Saturday night in front of a packed auditorium.
“It was a really good evening for an older crowd,” Brasley said.
After the show, Giving Moon band members went backstage to meet the rock patriarchs.
The teens said they were grateful to play with the rock legends and for a chance to make more of a name for The Giving Moon.
Ron Onesti, president and CEO of the Arcada, said part of his mission is to provide a venue for local talent, as well as big national acts.
“I always try to give local acts opportunities to be showcased in front of large, musically appreciative audiences and to be exposed to a national act environment,” Onesti said. “... I do it because I believe more people, especially in my industry, should do as much as they to open doors for people with great talent and passion. If we don’t, we all truly miss out.”
Besides Eddie Money, the Arcada has hosted other well-known artists such as Bret Michaels, Kevin Costner’s band and Frank Sinatra Jr.
Performers vary in their feelings about allowing local artists to open up for them.
“Some don’t care as it is old hat,” Onesti said. “Some don’t want to ‘clutter’ their show with other performances, and some like Eddie (Money), Bret Michaels and other are very supportive. They will talk with them before the show and sometimes hang with them after, giving tips on their performances.”
The Giving Moon was already making a name for itself before Saturday’s performance at the Arcada.
The band has played about 40 gigs, so far, since last summer at local festivals, such as Swedish Days and the Kane County Fair.
They also won the competition for the Independent Artists and Music Festival this year.
They went up against 120 bands, all of whom were college-aged and up.
“We were the youngest band,” said Sean Seales, lead guitarist and vocalist for The Giving Moon.
Because of their status at IAN Fest, they were invited to play at the House of Blues in Chicago.
Seales and Brasley, who are neighbors, started playing music as a garage band when they were in third grade.
They met Suto and their rhythm guitarist Marcello Positano in middle school.
They decided on the name of The Giving Moon because they wanted to give back to the community through their music.
Today, the band’s playing an average of four to five gigs a month.
“It’s been pretty busy since February of last year,” said Amy Brasley, Ryan’s mom who helps market the band.
Despite this, she said the band members still manage to keep their grades good at school.
Brasley said they sometimes get tired, but he feels it’s worth it.
“(Music) is what we love to do the most,” Seales said. “It’s our free time put to good use.”
The band has a single on iTunes called “Darkness” and Seales said they hope to release their first album soon consisting of about 13 songs.
All the band’s songs are original and written by Seales.
“I sing about having good times,” Seales said. “It’s energetic and upbeat.”
He said he gets inspiration from classic rock, such as Bob Dylan and groups like Radio Head.
Brasley said Onesti is looking to have The Giving Moon come back to the Arcada for a future show.
Meanwhile, the band has plenty going on this month.
The Giving Moon will be playing on Dec. 15 at Even Flow Music & Spirits in Geneva.
- St. Charles Republican
Competitions Give Bands Chance to get their music out - Kane County Chronicle
The Giving Moon, a band made up of students at Thompson Middle School in St. Charles, was declared the winner of a battle of the bands event at the Arcada Theatre on Feb. 25. The band is comprised of lead guitarist and vocalist Sean Seales, drummer Ryan Brasley, bassist Adam Suto, and rhythm guitarist Marcello Positano. The event raised money for the Smiles for Steve Foundation. The Giving Moon won 10 hours of studio time at RJ Recording & Sound in Geneva. - Kane County Chronicle
Discography
Single released- The Darkness
EP released May 18, 2013- The Wild
Photos
Bio
The Giving Moon is an experienced and talented alternative rock band from St. Charles, IL. We create original music inspired by both classic rock musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin with influences from alternative rock bands including Radio Head, Modest Mouse, The Strokes, Foster the People and Cold Play.
We released a 6 song EP, The Wild, with our producer Gary Hoey on CD in June 2013. We have performed at major venues including House of Blues Chicago, Whisky A Go-Go, Hard Rock Cafe and music festivals throughout the U.S.
We had the amazing opportunity to perform the opening show for Eddie Money, Edgar Winter, and John Cafferty at the Arcada Theatre last Dec. A week later our band was invited back to the Arcada to perform another opening show for Gary Hoey, noted as one of the top 100 guitarists in the world, who later became our producer of our first EP, The Wild. We recorded drums at Studio Metronome and guitar, vocals and keyboard at Wazoo Studio.
We have won several competitions in the Chicagoland area. We were finalists in this years Battle for a Showcase at the SXSW sponsored by KMA Management in March 2013. Last summer we won FIRST place in the Independent Artists and Musicians Festival (IAM FEST 2012) sponsored by the Elbo Room in Chicago. We competed against over 120 bands from the Midwest. On February 25, 2012, we were awarded first place in a Battle of The Bands held at The Arcada Theatre in St, Charles, IL.
Our band started out as a two-man garage band back in 2007. Our first concert was held for neighbors and family to help raise money for St. Baldricks, a charity that helps defeat childhood cancer. In 2009, we added two new band members and continue to play concerts for charities, which is a priority for our band.
Links
