THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!!!

Port Chester-based rock band Echo Station is very unique in that the members have created a fierce brotherhood that translates through their music. According to Jason Gordon at Productshopnyc.com, “This band is all about rock n' roll. Some bands work on their image when they should be working on hooks. They got the swing of Whiskeytown and the rock of The Figgs.” The members of Echo Station, Steve Iasillo (vocals, guitar), Joe "Joebags" Bologna (guitar, vocals), Andy LaBella (bass, vocals) and Mike "Dot Com" Moody (drums) shared the same musical vision: To make rock music that would leave even the most casual listener wanting more. Echo Station’s intense and passionate live performances assaulted the New York City club circuit with highly successful shows at Piano's, CBGB, Don Hill’s, and Arlene Grocery. Since then, Echo Station has continued to bring their energetic live show to the masses by playing over 100 shows all over the northeast. 

In the summer of 2006, Echo Station won the “Let’s Go Steady, Debbie!” songwriting contest, sponsored by author of Too Much, Too Late Marc Spitz, Random House, Product Shop NYC, and Three Rivers Press. Judges included Spitz, James Iha (ex-Smashing Pumpkins), Andy Greenwald (SPIN, author of Nothing Feels Good, Miss Misery), Chuck Klosterman (SPIN, author of Killing Yourself to Live), Alan Light (former editor-in-chief of Vibe, Spin, and Tracks, author of The Skills to Pay the Bills ) Sia Michel (former SPIN magazine editor-in-chief), Jason Gordon (Productshopnyc.com), Mary Huhn (New York Post) and Sarah "Ultragrrrl" Lewitinn. 

According to Marc Spitz, who also wrote the fantastic, Smiths’ obsessed How Soon is Never?, “It dawned on me after the contest was announced we were kind of asking a lot from the contestants. Read a book, write a song, and make that song a pop classic?” Apparently, lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Steve Iasillo was up for it. “When I read the book, I just imagined what the song would sound like and even thought I should write this song even before the contest was announced. When the contest came out, I wrote the song that night, in like an hour. I have this theory that the songs I write in like 5 minutes are my best; it just flows out of me. This happened with Debbie...  

In the last 8 years, the scene has completely changed for Echo Station. First, they lost their guitarist, Joe “Bags” Bologna to Costa Rica, leaving Andy’s brother Kevin to fill in his shoes. This worked out well, as Kevin was a major fan of the band, and has been known to say that it was his main musical goal to get into Echo Station.

The boys got married, they had babies, they bought houses, they got promotions. They even celebrated their 10 year anniversary show.

 In 2011, their world was rocked forever with the heartbreaking news that Joe Bags had passed away.  Kevin moved to Colorado. The band was now defunct; an old cd gathering dust in your mother’s attic. The gang remained friendly, but were scattered throughout the area, making it difficult to keep in constant contact.

When the Capitol Theatre re-opened its doors, a new hope arose for the Port Chester Natives. At the highly popular Yo Gabba Gabba show (don’t judge, I mentioned children), Steve and Andy looked around, musing how amazing it would be to play here, in their hometown, in this hall of marvel.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to tell you that their dream has come true. Kind of. Echo Station triumphantly makes their return to Port Chester on May 24th at Garcia’s in the Capitol Theatre.

Echo Station has not played in PC in 7 years, since the mini-excitement that was the return of 7 Willow. Once a Friday and Saturday night staple, the boys are overwhelmed with excitement to come home.

Joined by guitarist Dave Chan, another brother-friend and past Echo Station fan, the boys take on Garcia’s at a new stage in their lives. They are older, more mature. Perhaps you will see a bit more grey in Andy’s spikes. The guys have been through a lot, and you will feel that in their music. They’ve lived, they’ve loved, they’ve lost a brother, and gained a new one. But one thing hasn’t changed. They still rock, they still entertain, and they will be putting on a hell of a beer soaked, screaming, jumping and dancing show.

Between an exhausting schedule of working full time jobs, being husbands, having children between the ages of 3 and 10, and practicing for the gig, the boys were able to sit down (well, email me) and give me some behind the scene gossip! 

Me: Steve, when had you initially gotten together in 2000? What was it that enticed you to make a band comprised of these particular boys? What were you expecting to accomplish together? Steve: Well, I was in bands in college, and I never really felt like the music I liked was being played or represented. There was actually a early version of e / s in Binghamton, we played 2 gigs. After college, I spoke with Joe and was like let s do this for real when we get home. Mike was always our drummer so we called him up and was like let’s really try to play gigs and not fuck around. We started jamming my originals and got an offer to play the rye rec. We had no bass player and I had had a few jam session with Andy in high school, and asked him to play bass for the gig. We did not know if was gonna work, but once we started playing it just clicked and the band was complete. I think the idea was to be very intense, no BS Rock n Roll and really try hard to play good gigs in NYC.

Me: We need to discuss the lyrics. I am addicted to lyrics. I love to find meaning in the songs, and I am always disappointed to learn that “Whiskey” is not indeed about your now wife, but about, um, whiskey…or is it? How the hell do you get such good lyrics while improvising?

Steve: "Good lyrics" that’s funny....Lyrics are a very sticky subject for me. I really consider myself a music person and not a writer. So, that is the hardest part. I think what happens is I write a song, a melody, and the whole structure in my head or on tape, then tackle lyrics. A lot of times, I just sing nonsense words and they form what the lyrics are, sometimes I sit down and write them. A song like whiskey, just came out with those words, it's not about whiskey or anyone when I wrote it, just a cool title/reference to band Whiskeytown). But when I listen to the words now, I think what came out is subconsciously about my feelings, I just did not know it at the time. A song like Bully is the same thing, I really did not have lyrics except the first line, but by playing the song, the lyrics came together to express my frustration of playing gigs in NY and the fight it is to be seen and heard there, and the way you are hot one day and everyone forgets you the next. The title was again just a cool name, but now means something.

Me: Remember your first gig @ Rye Rec? 14 years ago! What were you feeling that night? Did it go as you had hoped? Did you think you'd make it this far?

Mike: Yeah, I remember it. I was actually pretty excited because it had been years since I had performed in front of anyone, but I didn't have the nervous energy like I did at our first NYC show. I thought the show was awesome, though when I watch the video today, I cringe. What still stands out to me though is the energy the 4 of us had together. It was a sign of what was to come. I never doubted our ability to get this far and beyond. My confidence stems from the fact that we don't view or treat each other as just band mates. We view and treat each other as brothers who live for the music we play. I think that translates into our performances.

Andy: The first gig? Why don't we go back to the first rehearsal or the first time Steve called me. I remember getting the call from Steve and we were just shooting the shit. Steve starting telling me that a friend of his was putting together a show at the Rye Rec and that his band needed a bass player. I was like yeah and?? And he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said sure, but I don't have a bass or an amp and he said they still had Joe's old stuff. I was shocked to hear the 3 of them were still playing together after all these years. I was so happy he called because we had been trying to put a band together since back in high school and this was long overdue. From the very first practice at Exit 6 in PC we knew we had something special here. I learned the songs very quick and man, were the songs great. Everything sounded amazing and we were very excited for the gig. The gig went very well despite my reading the music off a cheat sheet and my being somewhat timid onstage. The comfort level obviously wasn't completely there yet and we were all kinda nervous, but after that night we knew we had something special and immediately started booking gigs in NYC.

Steve: Rye Rec was a disaster, but very fun and exciting. We got a great response, and I think that gave us the push to keep going and really start to play gigs. 

Me: Now that you are all family guys, is getting to play music in front of people, who all have a blast at your shows...is this enough? Do you want more? What? For instance, if you were to be faced with the decision of things just going as they've gone the past few years, would it be worth it to you?

Steve: It goes back to being fun, if nothing happens, what can you do? I think we have done so much, we've played a tons of cool places in NY and around NY State, we got to record in Electric lady, had major label showcase, won the contest. I mean, we have done more than most band do ever, so I try to look at it that way. It's ultimately about the music, and I think I'll be writing and recording music for myself until I am old and grey. With the internet, Facebook, Youtube, etc, I can have people hear it forever....

Andy: We love playing gigs. There is nothing better than being up onstage. Our crowds are always amazing. It's great to see the same faces still out there supporting us after 14 years. Of course we want more, but I know no matter what we will always be friends, brothers, band mates. We'll never stop playing, writing, teaching our kids how to play music as well. We'll always play those backyard keg parties and any other occasion that we're asked to play. It's fun. We always said we'd play until it wasn't fun anymore and I'm not ready to pack it in anytime soon. If something happens, it happens. If not, shit life goes on I guess. We'll have no regrets and a ton of great memories and a bunch of music and video recordings to remember this the rest of our lives.

Mike: There's nothing better then playing music for a live audience. No drug can simulate that feeling. Do I want more ... yes. I want to play more shows, in more prestigious venues in front of larger crowds. I want to do this in many cities and countries. If I was faced with such a decision, it would still be very worth it to me. If no more comes of it, I still get to play and make music with .

Me: Your live show is fantastic...your audience is always way into it, your fans anyway, and the bands preceding or succeeding you, as well as random audience members, are always blown away...what is the secret to your live energy?

Steve: There is no secret, just rocking, just having a good time. That has always worked for us.....

Mike: The genuine love and respect the four of us have for each other. Anyone who sees us play will tell you they can see the four of us are having a blast together on stage. Add to that a passion for playing great music and you have a potent, energetic live show. What many people don't realize is that you don't need to have a group of musical virtuoso's to be a great band. What's more important is that you have a group with explosive chemistry. That's Echo Station's secret. We were just 4 friends from Port Chester who found a special bond together through music...that bond has changed somewhat, but it's just as strong as before.

Andy: I swore I'd never tell but the secret is Jagermeister...nah I’m just kidding. I don't know really. Something about getting up on stage, the pure adrenaline rush of it. The lights, the music, the crowd. We lay it all on the line. There are nights were I didn't know if I’d make it off the stage in one piece. We leave it all on the stage. Max effort, max energy, max heart. We always said our goal was to kick your asses and that’s exactly what it is. We go up there and do very little talking, we let the music speak for itself... and it always does. I've had people who haven't seen us since like the first year come out and see us again and say they can't believe we are still rocking so hard after all these years, how far we have come, and what a great band we have grown to become. So i don't know man. Even though I’m the youngest one and got picked on the most over the years for either my hair, my clothes, whatever... it's cool. I never had older brothers growing up or anything so it's cool. I love these guys man. It's the brotherhood of the wolf m**f***... recognize!!