By jeanette M. eng
Staff Writer
JEFF GRANIT Lead vocalist Brendan Keane and guitarist Matt Sisinni are members of the punk/alternative band Someday Never, which songwriter Doug Leibowitz says takes the “catchy stuff” and puts it into the band’s own style.
The three guitarists and lead singer stand in a tight circle, facing one another. The singer, with his hand clutched to his chest and his eyes closed, sings red-faced into the microphone, taking the audience through an emotional chorus.
"And there’s no place that I’d rather be, than here in your arms, with you staring back at me."
"Jump!"
And in unison, everyone jumps up, nodding their heads to the beat as the tempo speeds towards a climax.
JEFF GRANIT Andrew Riccatelli keeps the beat at a rehearsal session of the band Someday Never.
The drummer, behind them, drives the beat harder and higher, his drumsticks, at times, becoming only a mesmerizing blur. His sock-covered feet stomp away at the bass drum as his mouth twitches in concentration.
The music stops as the three guitarists accompany the singer a cappella.
"I’m wide awake, yet close to dreams that have been crushed by you. I find it strange you’re so easily amused, but I’m still holding on and saying good-bye to you."
A torrent of drum beats and the twangs of electric guitars bring the song to a close as the singer holds onto the last note. And with one final jump, the song is over.
MARLBORO — The members of Someday Never, a Marlboro-based punk/alternative band, say that "there’s no one we’re too good to play for."
Some may think that these musicians’ intentions to avoid the "star attitude" is a bit premature, but the members of Someday Never have their sights set high with their feet on the ground.
Formerly known as Useless, the five-member group is a result of a five-year metamorphosis that has seen two members come and go and has added three of the current members. Friends since middle school, the band members believe the current lineup is the one that is going to stick.
Lead guitarist and backup vocalist Doug Leibowitz, 17, is also the songwriter for much of the band’s material. The Marlboro High School senior has been playing the guitar for about eight years.
Bassist Julian Dimagiba, 17, has been dubbed the band "mascot" for his rambunctious performance attitude. Dimagiba has been playing the guitar for three years.
Drummer Andrew Riccatelli, 19, has been playing drums for 12 years.
The most recent addition to the band, lead vocalist Brendan Keane, 18, has boosted energy levels dramatically, according to Leibowitz. Keane is a senior at St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel.
Guitarist and back-up vocalist Matt Sisinni, 21, attends Brookdale Commun-ity College, Lincroft, and has been playing the guitar for eight years among an array of other instruments, including piano, trumpet, violin and bass guitar.
Someday Never, although tagged punk/alternative, strives to capture the fine line between catchy and original.
"We take the catchy stuff and put it into our own styles," Leibowitz explained.
"We also don’t stick to one genre [of music]. We just make good music," Keane said, explaining that the band’s song style can incorporate elements of rap, pop or anything else that sounds good.
Keane said the band’s material revolves around the themes of "love, alienation or sheer boredom."
Someday Never’s list of influences includes Rufio, Homegrown, Goldfinger, Finch, Thrice, Bigwig, Sum 41 and numerous other bands.
The band, in a check toward the "original" category, writes all of its own music and lyrics.
Leibowitz writes the majority of the band’s material, usually creating the main guitar part for the rest of the band to feed off.
"Doug is an amazing songwriter," Sisinni said. "Right now, he probably has 50 songs in his pocket that we don’t even know yet."
Each band member, however, is crucial to the chemistry of the band as a whole.
"One of the worst things is when someone is missing [from practice] or when practice is canceled," Sisinni said. "It makes my whole day bad."
The band usually practices twice a week and in the case of a big event, can be found in Leibowitz’s basement four to five times a week, if not every day.
Someday Never’s most recent endeavor was a "Battle of the Bands" competition at Birch Hill in Old Bridge. Someday Never placed among the top 10 bands out of 48 competitors. That showing will give them the opportunity to play at the "Skate and Surf Festival" to be held April 25-27 in Asbury Park’s Convention Hall. Fans and recording company executives are expected to converge on the seaside community for that event.
"This is our biggest accomplishment so far," Riccatelli said.
Someday Never has also appeared at Hooligans in Long Branch, the Knights of Columbus in Middletown, Jimi in Asbury Park and Krome in Sayreville.
"We play any show we can get our hands on," Leibowitz said.
"It’s about doing what we love and having people compliment us on it and appreciate it," Sisinni said. "The best part is meeting the people in the crowd."
The band members say they are driven by nothing more than their love of the music.
"There’s no feeling like making something that people like," Keane said.
To illustrate this point the band members humorously recalled a potentially disastrous gig that they were still able to enjoy.
"One time we played at the Cove and they wanted to charge us admission to get in. Then we ended up playing for about five people.," Dimagiba explained. "But we still had fun because we love it!"
Every band member agreed they would love to do this [make music] for life, although they said they would always do it, no matter what.
"This is what we love and we’re best friends. We would love to do this forever," Riccatelli said.
Someday Never has already recorded an eight-track demo CD, a $1,300 endeavor the band members funded on their own.
They are also planning a tour of the East Coast for the summer. Plans are to rent an RV and hit all parts of the coast, including New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The band members hope to make it to southern Florida and back, Sisinni said.
Next year all of the band members will be attending college, but that shouldn’t change anything for Someday Never. As Leibowitz said, "nothing will tear us apart." The band members plan to continue playing together and find comfort in their joint mission.
"This band is my life. When something goes wrong, I turn to this band and know it’s all OK, Leibowitz said. "We all love each other. We’re more than friends; we’re band mates."