By: Framework Media Strategies
After four months of competing against more than 400 bands and musicians in The BREAK Contest, Audio Insight, a three-piece progressive rock band from Woodbridge, N.J., was awarded the ultimate prize; a chance to play the 2011 Bamboozle Music Festival at the New Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford later this month.
After two rounds of heated competition, Audio Insight opened the two-day New Jersey Regional Finals on Saturday, April 9 at The Stone Pony with an energizing, four-song set. Received well by the contest’s three judges, the band’s performance included three tracks off their acclaimed debut album Dimensions, as well as a cover of Rush’s legendary song ‘The Spirit of Radio’.
“The guys (in Audio Insight) are very good students of music,” says John D’Esposito, founder of the Bamboozle Music Festival. “I can really appreciate guys who really focus and I can tell they spent a lot of time preparing; they kicked butt on stage.”
In less than a month, New Jersey’s famous musical festival, Bamboozle, will again offer fans a chance to enjoy an eclectic mix of today’s music. The event, which is in its ninth year, will be held from April 29 to May 1, and will include such acts as Taking Back Sunday, The Gaslight Anthem, Wiz Khalifa, 30 Seconds to Mars, Motley Crue and Lil Wayne.
Aside from big-name acts on the bill, the music festival also offers local and unsigned bands in the tri-state area a chance to grace the stage. The BREAK Contest, presented by School of Rock, is the official contest for local and unsigned bands to compete against one another in an effort to win the chance to play at Bamboozle. The contest, which consists of an opening, semi-final and final round, is a several month process which includes shows held at venues in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
From start-to-finish, the grind of the competition tells the story of musicians eager for that one big break. Audio Insight is a microcosm of that.
Audio Insight is Anthony Celi (guitar/vocals), Michael Deverin (bass) and Dan Sullivan (drums/percussion).
“Our performance at The Stone Pony for The BREAK Contest Finals was the biggest day of our lives,” says Celi. “Bands worked so hard to put together a great performance for each round. We went out there, rocked the place and left it all on the stage. I can’t tell you how glad we were that the judges took notice.”
Earlier this year The Aquarian, New Jersey’s oldest alt-weekly, recognized the band as on of the Top Unsigned Acts of 2011.
Only freshman in college, the trio’s countless hours spent teaching themselves how to play, and writing original music, has begun to pay off. In less than a few years, the band has morphed from live music newcomers to becoming very good at it.
The Woodbridge natives come from humble beginnings. Audio Insight formed while all three members were still in high school (Celi and Deverin went to Woodbridge High School, while Sullivan studied at St. Joseph’s in Metuchen). Together since 2008, the band was brought together by their mutual affection for rock music.
“I met Anthony in high school,” said Deverin. “The first band we all liked was Rage Against the Machine. We started playing covers of their songs and really went from there.”
Now, Sullivan is studying at Ramapo College while his band mates Celi and Deverin study at Montclair State University.
Since releasing their debut album Dimensions in November of last year, the band has been making news. Recently, Audio Insight has been interviewed on 89.5 FM WSOU, featured by 95.9 WRAT FM and recently took part in 88.7 FM WPSC’s third annual Brave-A-Thon telethon.
“Ever since I got their CD, I have been listening to it non-stop,” says The Aquarian’s Brian Schantz. “It has a refreshing sound, and the fact that it is a three piece blows my mind. Their set (during the first round of THE BREAK contest at The Stone Pony) was one of the best sets of the 24 bands of the day, and one of the best sets I have seen at the Break this year.”
Tracks from Audio Insight’s Dimensions are now available for request in New Jersey on 88.7 FM WPSC, 88.7 FM WRSU and 89.5 FM WSOU. In Pennsylvania, tracks from Dimensions are available via 107.1 FM ‘The Bone’s’ on-demand web channel.
“A genre that gives musicians the freedom to write, I love progressive rock because it is far from conventional,” Sullivan says. “This band has grown so much in the past year and our writing continues to mature with it.”
Dimensions was reviewed in the Dec. 1, 2010 issue of The Aquarian. In the review, Associate Editor Andrew Magnotta says, “Audio Insight has a ton of upside, and Dimensions is a record that you will spin more times than once. It’s melodic, energetic-even frantic at times-and thoroughly agreeable, with appeal to fans of both progressive rock and post-hardcore.”
Audio Insight’s performance at Bamboozle 2011 is the biggest of their young career.
The band is scheduled to plat at The BREAK stage on Friday, April 29th at 9:00 p.m. To purchase tickets, log on to http://www.thebamboozle.com/home.php. For more information on the band, log on to Audio Insight’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/AudioInsight.
To hear several tracks off their debut album, log on to http://www.myspace.com/audioinsightmusic/.

