Transit Method

“You’re gay? You don’t act gay…”

That's a line we hear a lot. How does one act gay? Do we need to dress like the Village People and sing Madonna songs on stage? We’re a hard rock band. We like metal and progressive music. We like to wear black t-shirts and ripped jeans and scream about roaches invading your home. We like to thrash around and headbang and make a lot of noise! Why does this behavior make others assume we are straight?

MIKE

I’ve been playing in rock bands since high school. I was one of the better-known drummers in school, sporting a shaggy hair stoner look. Everyone assumed I was after chicks. Part of that assumption was welcomed because it deterred others from suspecting my homosexuality, but it was also a curse because it pressured me to hook up with girls. “How can you not go after groupies?!” I admit, I did indulge a bit, (sorry guys I don’t have my gold star) but after years of pretending to be into women, I soon realized that I wasn’t being true to myself. Men turned me on more, period. I would hook up with guys secretly in college, telling myself I was “bi” while hiding behind the excuse that girls weren’t into “dirty hippie stoners.”

In my senior year of college, I met the guy who became my first boyfriend and helped me come out to myself. A year later I began to come out to my family and close friends, and by the time I moved to Austin in January 2012, I was completely out as a gay man. For the first time, I was comfortable in my own skin, and for the first time I started exploring this new gay world.

Once in Austin, I would go out to gay bars and soon they all felt the same to me… dance clubs blasting the hottest pop remix, boys in tank tops, vodka sodas, drag shows, caged dancers… basically one giant stereotype. Don’t get me wrong - I do enjoy these bars. I have lots of friends who identify more with this scene and we all have a great time, but overall it’s not “my jam.” I don’t really like clubs in general. I found myself searching for other guys like me that like hanging out at divey rock bars with draft beer - dudes in Iron Maiden T-shirts, punk bands destroying the stage, crowd surfing and mosh pits, devil horns flying in the air… It doesn’t really exists, at least not specifically for gays. I’m not encouraging segregation, but if this scene was more prominent in the gay world, then people would be less likely to call me a “bad gay” for knowing every word of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” while never having heard a Robyn song.

MATT

When I was growing up, I had a hard time coming out. I didn’t exactly have an idol to look up to as a kid who loved listening to grunge and metal music. I spent hours posing as a rock star in my mirror; I’d pretend that tee shirts were long hair, wearing one on my head and head banging the day away. To me, the gays in music were only George Michael, Boy George, Freddie Mercury, and Elton John. But metal came with this expectation to be macho. Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, right? But gay sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll? Not exactly part of that equation. Growing up, I thought to myself, “Wait a second, I can’t be gay. I like Megadeth!” It wasn’t until I mustered up enough courage five years ago to tell my entire family and friends that I liked men that I started to discover who I am.

In some backwards way, I owe my guitar chops to the closet. I always have known I’m gay, but I chose to ignore it because I had this notion that rock stars had to be tough. So what I did instead was practice. I was hell bent on becoming the best guitar player. Years went by and my insecurities started to catch up with me to the point where I was becoming too depressed to even want to play music. And that didn’t make sense! Music was the very thing getting me through all of this. I decided it was time to make a change.

Once I came out my confidence grew, my songwriting improved, and I developed a charisma I never had on stage before. Hell, I even started singing and took up lead vocal duties in Transit Method! Being in a hard rock band that is two-thirds gay is awesome, not only because we get to smash the asinine gay stereotypes, but also because of the support and admiration we get from the audience. Plus Danny, the one straight guy in the band, gets all the girls!

In Transit Method, we say, “Fuck it, we’re gay and we like to rock, and that’s what we’re gonna do.” Some of our gay friends are put off by the aggressive music we play and never come to a show. Others really dig how hard we rock and admit to having grown up loving Nirvana and 90s grunge. And we think, “Yes! There are more of you like us! Let’s hang out!” And that’s where we are now. We’re a rising Austin rock band, and we’re loud and intense and we’re gay (mostly.) We want to be an inspiration to young gay musicians who feel like homosexuality isn’t welcomed in rock and metal. We want to reinvent the stereotype, or rather widen the image of the modern gay man. - Punk Out

Transit Method originally hails from New Jersey, but their Sabbath-influenced fantasy metal is right at home in the dirty rock 'n roll clubs of Austin. Founded by rock-obsessed brothers Matt and Mike Lococo in 2010, Transit Method relocated to Austin and recruited bassist Danny Cruz Borja, Jr. to complete their sound.

One of the greatest strengths of Transit Method is their ever-progressive live show. When these dudes lock into a jam (and they frequently do), there's a palpable sense that they're having as much fun as the audience watching them. Not taking themselves too seriously while playing seriously proficient music is part of the band's charm. They're not interested in putting on airs or blowing smoke, their mandate is melting faces.

Transit Method is gearing up to release their first music video for "Artificial Genesis", the opening track from their 2014 LP, Celebrate Mutations. The video features the band performing in the rain in an abandoned and vandalized putt-putt golf course, under a bridge along train tracks, and in a graffiti-covered shopping center that was never finished. The video was shot by Kenny Lewis for inclusion in a documentary called "If You Don't Love It, Change It" where he shot footage of 50 bands in 50 states.

Transit Method will celebrate the video release this Friday with a release party at Red 7. They will be joined by fellow bands the Satalights, Modal, and Aurora Wilde. - Do512

Celebrate Mutations is the second release by Austin-based Transit Method. Originally hailing from Belle Mead, New Jersey, they released their debut disc in 2011. They moved to Austin in 2012 and subsequently downsized to the trio of Matt LoCoco (lead vocals, guitar), Matt Ficarelli (bass), and Mike LoCoco (drums). The mostly instrumental songs on Celebrate Mutations flow seamlessly from one track to the next, fusing grunge, progressive rock, and heavy metal into something quite enjoyable and at times melodic. There is some odd phrasing, and unconventional song structures percolate throughout the five tracks. The disc opens with “Artificial Genius” with the tried and true I-IV-V-I rock chord progression, and over the first four minutes you experience some aggressive and powerful electric guitar. Then Matt’s Mars Volta style vocals enter the mix. “Radioface” is the second track and also the album’s first single, released in July 2014. This leads into “Root Rot,” another high-energy instrumental, followed by the raw power of “Parachute” with its heavy bass line and some Ozzy influences. When the closing track “M.T.B.” begins, you being to wonder if Transit Method has jumped the track as it opens with a pleasant acoustic guitar intro. This rapidly gains momentum and builds to powerful riffing. “M.T.B.” is an excellent choice to close the disc and in my opinion the best track. I also detect a bit of West Coast psych phrasing ala Love's Forever Changes. Overall quite an excellent effort for their sophomore release. - Exposé Online

Transit Method hails from Princeton, NJ and has recently released their debut album. The disc is titled Spun Into The Fabric and, for the most part, is made up of Progressive rock songs, however there are little bits of other genres, even a slight bit of funk at times, infused into the music that give this band a little something extra to offer.

“The Annex,” is a slower song that is a bit dark sounding throughout the beginning but does brighten up after the first minute of play time. There is a snare drum that plays periodically throughout the song and brings something special to the song, which I think makes it a little more fun.

Transit Method seems to speed things up on the song, “Only Vision.” The vocals and lyrics not only match well together, but also bring slightly more happy feelings than those brought on by “The Annex.”

“This Too Shall Pass,” is where that small infusion of funk I mentioned is brought in. The track is about not fretting what is currently going on in life because it will not last forever. The song’s slow pace makes it easy to take the songs message to heart and just relax. The slowly sung lyrics sound perfect.

Transit Method is a band that is just starting out but seems to be doing quite well. Their sound is not focused on just straight up progressive rock and has a little bit of versatility to offer listeners which is always a good thing, especially for a newer band. This album seems to have something for the progressive rock fans and fans of other genres alike.
- Ashley Arseneau from MuzikReviews.com (Aug 07, 2011)

Transit Method hails from Princeton, NJ and has recently released their debut album. The disc is titled Spun Into The Fabric and, for the most part, is made up of Progressive rock songs, however there are little bits of other genres, even a slight bit of funk at times, infused into the music that give this band a little something extra to offer.

“The Annex,” is a slower song that is a bit dark sounding throughout the beginning but does brighten up after the first minute of play time. There is a snare drum that plays periodically throughout the song and brings something special to the song, which I think makes it a little more fun.

Transit Method seems to speed things up on the song, “Only Vision.” The vocals and lyrics not only match well together, but also bring slightly more happy feelings than those brought on by “The Annex.”

“This Too Shall Pass,” is where that small infusion of funk I mentioned is brought in. The track is about not fretting what is currently going on in life because it will not last forever. The song’s slow pace makes it easy to take the songs message to heart and just relax. The slowly sung lyrics sound perfect.

Transit Method is a band that is just starting out but seems to be doing quite well. Their sound is not focused on just straight up progressive rock and has a little bit of versatility to offer listeners which is always a good thing, especially for a newer band. This album seems to have something for the progressive rock fans and fans of other genres alike.
- Ashley Arseneau from MuzikReviews.com (Aug 07, 2011)

Transit Method is a band from Belle Mead, New Jersey. Right off the bat you can’t help but admire how sophisticated this band’s music is. You can hear it clearly that everything is planned out and carefully crafted. Each instrument takes its part in building the songs. Each one has a defined role and does it properly. All of this forms a synergy that adds greatly to the overall value of the music.

The first thing that caught my ear was the guitar melodies and how they mold and melt with the bass lines. Both carry each other and play off of one another. The foundation of all of this is the drums holding everything down tight so that all the other instruments can fly around throughout the songs.

The second thing that caught my ears is that although the vocalist is very good and his vocal melodies are catchy and the lyrics are nice, he doesn’t just ramble on singing as long as the music is playing. It was very nice to hear extended instrumental pieces and then have the vocals come in right where you needed them. This is something that makes a huge difference and this band seems to have it down perfectly.

Overall Transit Method are a good rocking band that have a full sound , strong instrumental parts with good commands of their instruments and high technicality. At the same time they have nice vocal melodies and catchy tunes that aren’t over or under done. Definitely check out Transit Method this weekend!

Transit Method will be playing at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ on Friday April 1st.

Check out Transit Method’s Myspace page to hear some of their songs: http://www.myspace.com/transitmethod


- Willy from JerseyRockReview. (March 29, 2011)

Transit Method is a band from Belle Mead, New Jersey. Right off the bat you can’t help but admire how sophisticated this band’s music is. You can hear it clearly that everything is planned out and carefully crafted. Each instrument takes its part in building the songs. Each one has a defined role and does it properly. All of this forms a synergy that adds greatly to the overall value of the music.

The first thing that caught my ear was the guitar melodies and how they mold and melt with the bass lines. Both carry each other and play off of one another. The foundation of all of this is the drums holding everything down tight so that all the other instruments can fly around throughout the songs.

The second thing that caught my ears is that although the vocalist is very good and his vocal melodies are catchy and the lyrics are nice, he doesn’t just ramble on singing as long as the music is playing. It was very nice to hear extended instrumental pieces and then have the vocals come in right where you needed them. This is something that makes a huge difference and this band seems to have it down perfectly.

Overall Transit Method are a good rocking band that have a full sound , strong instrumental parts with good commands of their instruments and high technicality. At the same time they have nice vocal melodies and catchy tunes that aren’t over or under done. Definitely check out Transit Method this weekend!

Transit Method will be playing at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ on Friday April 1st.

Check out Transit Method’s Myspace page to hear some of their songs: http://www.myspace.com/transitmethod


- Willy from JerseyRockReview. (March 29, 2011)

Transit Method impressed as one of those bands that has something for everyone. You find out rather quckly that every track they offer up is something worth hearing. Their mix of rock, alternative and progressive is polished and perfected. You can understand their lyrics and the musicianship is extraordinary. It was not hard to chose a band this good as our featured artist.

- Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck from MuzikReviews.com (June 04, 2011)

Transit Method impressed as one of those bands that has something for everyone. You find out rather quckly that every track they offer up is something worth hearing. Their mix of rock, alternative and progressive is polished and perfected. You can understand their lyrics and the musicianship is extraordinary. It was not hard to chose a band this good as our featured artist.

- Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck from MuzikReviews.com (June 04, 2011)