The Repercussions

Review of "Modern Sounds" LP
From Good Times, April 12, 2005 (New York)
By Sabrina Polidoro


The introduction to their first full-length album, Modern Sounds, says it best in describing what and who The Repercussions are. It reads: "The Repercussions are a reaction to the bland music scene surrounding them, a consequence of apathetic boredom toward originality in any form." The sounds of the 1960s and late '70s and early '80s punk give the background to this Long Island quintet.


Adding more to their unique sound are the vocals of Matthew Scott Roren. The hoarse intonations are the driving force behind most of the tracks. The Repercussions have a knack for entertaining. It is hard to not be able to get into each song on the album. The enthusiasm for their music is evident and apparent in the passion that protrudes from each track.


By its title alone, one might think that The Repercussions have recorded the quintessential ballad with "I'll Love You Til' I Die". However, that would be the farthest thing from it. Then again, who says a love song needs to be slow and romantic when it could be hard-rockin' and romantic. The Repercussions bring a new type of love song to the music scene and it is another reason why they stand out from the rest. Don't be fooled by the beginning of "Whole Lotta Empty" with its soothing melody in the first verse. It's just a trick. They're back to their unique habits once verse two comes around.


The complete 14-song CD is a high intensity, musically talented, lyrically well-written production. - Good Times Magazine

Eardrum Repercussions
From Newsday, March 24, 2005 (New York)
by Rafer Guzman


We don't have The Stooges, MC5 or The Germs anymore, but that's OK. We have The Repercussions.


What's that? You say you don't need another garage-punk revival band? OK - but if you don't go out and grab The Repercussions' latest album, "Modern Sounds" (ESCHE Records), you'll be missing one of the rowdiest, rockingest, funnest albums of the year.


The 14 tracks are built with the most basic blocks: solid rhythms from drummer Nick Berlingieri and bassist Sean Corkery, furious guitar licks from Matt Dallow and Dave Harrison, and the just-drank-Drano vocals of Matthew Scott Roren. The band kicks off with the nihilistic workout of "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright Because We're All Going to Die" and keeps sweating right up to the end (the satisfyingly juvenile "There's No I in Hoebag"). But these East Northport scruffs are smart enough to mix things up a bit. On "If Being Alone Was an Art Form," Roren does a funk-soul countdown ("Give it to me ... one time!"). The propulsive "Running (Barefoot) Through The Snow" ends with a chorus borrowed from The Police's "Can't Stand Losing You." And in the middle of the two-minute "Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads," Roren breaks the momentum to grumble, "Baby, I built a time machine/I went into the future/And it didn't work out."


Visit www.therepercussions.net - Newsday

Review of "Modern Sounds" LP
from The Long Island Press, March 17, 2005 (New York)
by Kenyon Hopkin


THE REPERCUSSIONS
MODERN SOUNDS
(ESCHE)
WWW.THEREPERCUSSIONS.NET
9/10


A swaggering, charismatic vocalist. A bassist whose middle name is "Don't f**k with me." A punk attitude combined with old-school garage guitar. Yeah, the Repercussions are pretty darn rock 'n' roll. The Smithtown area band (most of whom were in previous punk incarnation the Microwave Orphans) follows last year's Don't Fear EP with 14 tracks of foot-stomping rock action. Here, front man Matthew Scott Roren is still bitter about ex-girlfriends, which again provides some heartbreaking yet tell-it-like-it-is lyrics ("She always knew how to cheer me up/but she'd always try to bring me down") and song titles ("If Being Alone Was an Art Form, I'd Be the World's Greatest F**kin' Artist"). When a few choice words for failed relationships aren't in order, the music scene gets a spanking as well ("An A**hole is an A**hole"). Branching out, the band blazes through the country stew of "Bridges Aren't the Only Things That are Burnt" and a '50s slow-dance-styled intro to "Whole Lotta Empty," which summarizes the record with the sentiment, "There's nothing but a whole lotta empty where I used to have a heart." - Long Island Press

Facing up to The Repercussions
From The Sun News, June 25, 2004 (Myrtle Beach, SC)
by Kent Kimes


Come on baby, don't fear The Repercussions.


Embrace them and listen to them.


So says Nick Berlingieri, drummer for the New York-based garage rock band The Repercussions, which performs Monday at The Limelight.


The Repercussions, rounded out by vocalist [Matthew] Scott Roren, bassist Sean Corkery and guitarists Dave Harrison and Matt Dallow, are making a return engagement to the Grand Strand, having performed at The Lime Light in February.


Berlingieri lined up his band's first Myrtle Beach gig when he was in town on vacation and began talking to local musician Dave Dominguez, who was tending bar at The Phat Joint.


"We were hoping to plant the seeds for a future summer tour," Berlingieri said in a recent phone conversation from Long Island, NY.


He gave a copy of The Repercussions' CD and promo kit to Dominguez, who went to work, piggybacking the New York quintet onto two Palmetto State gigs with his band, For the Sake of Prophet.


"I do that for a lot of bands," said Dominguez, a veteran of the local rock scene.


But, obviously, he saw or heard something in The Repercussions that he liked. "They showed heart," Dominguez said. "They're doing it like a band should do it."


When The Repercussions began making plans for a summer tour, Myrtle Beach was a must-stopover, Berlingieri said.


"We were lucky to find a place like The Lime Light," he said. "It reminds us of a place we play up here, with not much of an attitude and not much of a dress code."


The Repercussions' sound is a blend of 1950s R&B guitar riffs and power pop, mixed with the 1970s punk, do-it-yourself aesthetic.


"Their music is a little out there - but there's nothing wrong with that," Dominguez said.


The six original songs on the independently released EP, "Don't Fear The Repercussions" (which Berlingieri swears isn't a direct reference to Blue Oyster Cult's classic "Don't Fear the Reaper") are taut, energetic and lyrically in-your-face. The music recalls, in some ways, another New York outfit of more considerable fame, The Strokes.


"We appreciate The Strokes," Berlingieri said. "But we're more inspired by The Who, Rolling Stones, and early Beatles."


So enamored with the British Invasion, the band was initially called The Repercussions UK.


And taking a cue from the often visually oriented early U.K. rock bands and original punk acts of the 1970s, The Repercussions are an energetic group, bounding about the stage, pouring sweat and grit into the performance.


"We've got stage presence, and we play quick rock 'n' roll tunes," Berlingieri said. "We don't really enjoy bands that just sit there. You need to give a show and a performance." - The Sun News

Feeling the effect of '70s dirty punk rock
From Newsday, April 2, 2004 (New York)
by Rafer Guzman


If New York bands such as Stellastar* and The Rapture are getting famous by ripping off early '80s groups like The Cure and XTC, why not go them one better?


That's what The Repercussions must be thinking. On their new EP, "Don't Fear..." (ESCHE Records), they reach way back into the vinyl era, stealing the sounds of cruddy 1970s punk acts such as Black Flag and The Germs.


The result: Six rowdy, quick-and-dirty tunes that recal the high spirits and bad atttitude of punk's golden era, with Matt Dallow and Dave Harrison flailing at their guitars, Mitch Grafstein adding a thumping, hardcore bass and Nick Berlingieri battering his drums as if they couldn't have cost more than five bucks. Singer Matthew Roren spits into his microphone like an angry protestor, but most of that anger is aimed at himself.


"You didn't win, so you get me," he sneers on "Life's Consolation Prize." "I can't wait to see you fail so you'll just bring me home." Even on a song as puerile as "Big -- Contest," Roren finds the angst under all the joshing: "So I thought that I could win this hand," he growls. "But I guess I was wrong, just like I always am."


Still, The Repercussions enjoy a good time: "Do The Kenyon," apparently a reference to local DJ Kenyon Hopkin, has a charming, 1960s feel with a bouncy beat and Beatles-style harmonies. - Newsday

Review of "Modern Sounds" LP
from Under the Volcano, May 5, 2005 (New York)
by Chuck Foster


The Repercussions have been making noise and gaining notoriety since their debut in 2003. They were finalists in Little Steven's Underground Gargage Battle of the Bands last year, and they've been relentlessly touring through the South and New England. Now they grace us with the presence of a full-length album, and, to paraphrase Public Enemy, believe the hype! Somehow, they managed to cram their raucous live sound onto this little plastic disc called a CD. From the opening scorcher of "Everything is Gonna be Alright" to the closing stomp of "There's No I in Hoebag," loud, unbridled Rock n' Roll blares from the speakers at a furious pace. The Flamin' Groovies/MC5 twin guitar attack soars over the rumbling Motown/Stax soul rhythm section as the monotonic vocals rage stories of broken relationships with the sneer of Mick Jagger. Long Island isn't just for emo anymore. - Under the Volcano

Review of "Don't Fear" EP
From Good Times, March 1, 2005 (New York)
by Sabrina Polidoro


It's not that hard. Just follow the instructions left by the band and "don't fear" The Repercussions because their demo, Don't Fear, is effective at getting the job done.


"Life's Consolation Prize" is one of the strongest songs on the demo, although it features a lot of cymbals. The lyrics are clever and unique, a quality that is prevalent throughout the demo and vocalist Matthew Scott's voice is a pleasure to listen to and works tremendously with the sound that the rest of the band produces.


"Heather in Pleather" brings bassist Sean Corkery to the forefront with a strong bass line during the chorus, and "Do the Kenyon" is a well-composed piece.


The majority of the songs on Don't Fear are fun to listen to, since it seems the sound of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones has made its way to the streets on Long Island. The guitar licks are clean and crisp and the bridges are well composed. Each track flows well into the next, producing a similar sound throughout the 16-minute experience. Each song pulls the listener in more and more. Their latest album Modern Sounds is due out now and should be just as good as Don't Fear, if not better. - Good Times Magazine

Local Sounds Worth a Listen - Best Local Bands of 2004
From Newsday, December 31, 2004 (New York)
by Rafer Guzman


Even without the No. 3 debut of Taking Back Sunday's second album and the eagerly awaited release of Straylight Run's debut, this would have been a phenomenal year for Long Island music. Here's a list of the best- and if you don't see Head Automatica, Antigone Rising and L.P., that's because I tried to omit major-label players and emigres to Manhattan. Locals only, dudes.


10. The Repercussions, "Don't Fear" (ESCHE) Lowbrow punk played with heart, guts and other parts of the anatomy. Singer Matt[hew Scott] makes misery sound hilarious (check out "Life's Consolation Prize"), while the band crashes along like a runaway vehicle in an action-comedy. Loud, crummy, and totally life-affirming. - Newsday

Manhattan hipster-cool vs. Island scruffy-punk
From Newsday, July 2, 2004 (New York)
by Rafer Guzman


In the battle of the bands at The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale on June 24, it was a fight between the scruffy Long Islanders and the super- cool Manhattanites. Though Long Island lost the battle, it won its own small war.


The event was sponsored by Little Steven's Underground Garage, the syndicated radio show hosted by musician-actor Steven Van Zandt (hear it on WAXQ/104.3 FM Sundays from 10 p.m. to midnight). Over the past several weeks, the show has hosted band battles around the country in the usual hot spots (Chicago, Boston), but also in under-the- radar areas, such as Providence and Long Island. That seemed to offer all those nonhipster bands out there a fighting chance.


But from the start, the Manhattan bands had the edge. Barely a handful of Long Island bands were picked for the three-day finals at The Crazy Donkey - and only one, The Repercussions, made it to the last round on Thursday. (Unless you count Bona Roba from Woodside - but they essentially sounded like a Manhattan band.)


Walking through the venue, it was easy to spot the New Yorkers: They were skinny, long-haired and stylishly dressed in vintage jeans and impeccably ratty T-shirts. The singer for The Martinets wore a white tuxedo shirt with pink ruffles down the front. One band, Headquarters, showed up in spiffy black suits, a la Interpol. Nope, definitely not from Long Island.


Each band offered minor variations on the same sound: Raw but danceable rock that borrowed heavily from The Strokes and The Rapture. The front men consistently exuded metropolitan cool, singing in strangled voices, yet barely moving. Headquarters sang a tune called "Models Love Rock Stars" that was meant to skewer the shallow hipster scene, but only proved the band was immersed in it.


All those poker faces got a good slap from The Repercussions, an East Northport five-piece that recalled the early, chaotic days of punk, when nobody was too cool to make fools of themselves. Singer Matthew Roren showed up wearing a delightfully hideous mustache and an ill-fitting brown suit, then yawped his way through absurd songs such as "Heather in Pleather" and "If Being Alone Was an Artform I'd Be the World's Greatest -- Artist."


Roren was the only singer to actually move around the stage, jump into the crowd, and graciously introduce his band mates, one by one; drummer Nick Berlingieri closed the show by whacking at his kit with one hand and chugging a beer with the other.


Alas, the winner was The Soft Explosions, a New York band playing Stones- style rock with a country tinge. One of the judges, Eric Bloom (lead singer of Blue Oyster Cult), said he was rooting for The Repercussions, but the other judges were wowed by The Soft Explosions' highly skilled female guitarist. - Newsday