Warm Bodies

Over the past few years, precious few local bands have created any major ripples beyond the region. Aside from Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, most Long Island groups are known mainly to the Warped Tour crowd - a sizable but somewhat insular fan base. Even Head Automatica and Men Women & Children, two radio-friendly dance-rock outfits, haven't yet captured the imagination of the mainstream public.

But a new group from East Meadow called Warm Bodies may make a bigger splash with its moody, guitar-based rock. The sound is distinctly British, with traces of Radiohead, Coldplay and Keane. Singer Brian Herring has a gentle, intimate voice, and his band mates - guitarist James Siedlecki, bassist Chris Schneider and drummer Rich Monica - create grand, ambitious soundscapes.

A number of tracks from Warm Bodies' self-titled EP, released late last year, straddle the line between modern rock and adult contemporary. (In fact, Q104 recently played "One Photograph" on its cutting-edge show "Out of the Box.") Songs such as "Calming Waters" and "Misplaced" come with layers of guitars and crashing cymbals, but the track "Fold" is a shimmering ballad with pastoral lyrics: "I see we're stopping/Before the border/We're dressed in raincoats/To fight the weather."

Warm Bodies are working on a full-length album appropriately titled "Smile and Sigh," and they have a handful of upcoming shows on Long Island and in New York. Check out their MySpace page for music and more information.

- Rafer Guzman - NewsDay

Warm Bodies, from Long Island, is compromised of Brian Herring, Chris Schneider, James Siedlecki, Rich Monica, and Chris Haddqvist. One word comes to mind after listening to their five-track debut: melodic. The way this band puts together guitars with electronics, pianos, and smooth vocals is truly a blessing. All five songs build up to a nice climax, and it was disappointing that there were only five tracks on the demo. Warm Bodies knows how to put songs together well, and uses the right elements to create a vibe similar to such bands as Keane who also mix pianos, electronics, and crisp vocals to make artsy, beautiful music.

Opening track “Misplaced” gives a good preview of what is to come on the rest of the demo. It begins with just Brian Herring singing, and then builds to a mix of guitars, electronics, and pianos with a strong message throughout the song of a person who feels forgotten about in society. “Photograph”, “Blindside”, “Calming Waters”, and “Fold” all complement each other well. The place does not get too slow or drawn out.

This band has the potential to get bigger, is trying to make a name for itself on the road at present. Warm Bodies can be seen throughout December in various venues such as The Village Pub South and Siberia. For more information, log on to their MySpace area or Warmbodies.net. Warm Bodies is definitely worth listening to no matter what style of music you are into, and if you haven’t heard them it’s likely you will in the near future.

-Rich Gulotta
- Good Times Magazine

With a collection of artsy and creative demo songs under their belt, the Long Island band Warm Bodies is starting to create a buzz. The band creates their own style by mixing the right keyboard, guitar, and vocal elements. While their demo is as melodic and moving as Radiohead, they are at their peak live. Modesty, sincerity, and a brilliant performance are what happened when the band took the stage on this night.

“Blindside,” “Our Last Photograph,” and “Cancer And Candy” were taken to a new level of beauty in live performance. With the stage presence of Francis Healy of Travis, lead singer Brian Herring poured out emotional lyrics with heartfelt feeling, supported by James Siedlicki’s crafty keyboard skills, guitarist Jay Barclay’s powerful riffs, Chris Schneider’s clean bass lines, and Rich Monica’s heavy drumming. The band only seemed to get stronger as the set went on, and was truly warmed up performing their newly energized version of “Misplaced.” A more acoustic, toned down version of “Fold” was a nice surprise and showed that the band was now settled in. Every track performed during their set was more emotional and much more powerful live than on disc.

Warm Bodies is touring throughout Long Island and New York City. What was seen at the Vintage Lounge was an organized band that is composed and does not miss a beat. They will surprise and satisfy anyone looking for something new, fresh, and different from everything that is currently on the FM dial. Warm Bodies is working hard on the road, proving that they can be the next stars in the alternative music scene.

– Rich Gulotta - Good Times Magazine