Public Alley

In one of the biggest upsets in Rock Hunt history, Public Alley shocked the local music community to take the crown. This high school band didn’t even make the original cut and had to win an online poll against somewhere around 20 other local acts just to sneak into the Finals. Vegas had Public Alley at a distant 43 to 1, but I thought it was a steal for those odds because once you’re in the dance, you always have a chance.

Another reason why I didn’t think Public Alley was a snowball’s chance in Hell type pick was that I wasn’t really impressed with either We Were Astronauts or Forest Fires. They are each well rehearsed and good at what they do. That said … I find them both to be boring. It happens; great songs don’t grow on trees. You can be as tight as a virgin and have some good ideas, but it doesn’t mean that one is going to be able to hold the attention of a couple hundred people for 30 minutes. It’s not easy. Watching Forest Fires in the semi-finals, they just struck me as the type of band that never wins it all in these types of contests. They reminded me of ’90s shoe gazing indie rock — if that’s your bag, check them out. We Were Astronauts have a more contemporized indie rock sound.

The goliath in the competition was the aptly named Most Dangerous Men Alive. They are kind of like a hybrid between alt rock and a jam band. They have hooks that can be lethal in a fight. I accepted that Most Dangerous Men Alive were taking the crown despite the eye opening set from Public Alley till someone told me they were planning on doing a Rage Against the Machine cover. Covers can hurt a band in a competition like this as much as they help them. Most Dangerous Men Alive had everything firing on all cylinders, totally nailing it, and then in a WBRU Rock Hunt moment they threw it away. Close to the end of their set they slowed it down for some dumb Dave Matthews sounding tune and tried to pick it back up with the Rage cover and it blew up in their face. It’s just not what they do. Covering a punk/rap/rock thing like Rage Against The Machine doesn’t work well for jam bands being judged by music critics because it has to live up to the originals.

Most of the people I was talking to knew nothing about Public Alley before they played, which is normal considering… they are still in high school. But what they did have going for them is they made an impression. Some people shrugged them off as they’ll be good in a few years. Others, including myself, loved them for the imperfections. They had a certain chaos to them where the songs were all different. They may not have been as tight as the other bands, but they were rock ‘n’ roll! It worked because it was all heart and soul. They are pretty much alternative rock, but they play around with different things. It was really their energy on stage that made Public Alley so endearing. Sure it helped that they packed the room with friends and family, but that is what bands are supposed to do. Congratulations to the new WBRU Rock Hunt Champions, Public Alley! Congratulations to all the other bands that participated especially Most Dangerous Men Alive, Forest Fires, We Were Astronauts, and to WBRU for once again putting on a great extravaganza.

Jesse Malin – New York Before The War (One Little Indian Records)

Jesse Malin returns with his sixth studio solo album after five years on the down low. Much of New York Before The War deals with pre- and post-gentrification of Malin’s hometown. On New York Before The War, Malin presents a collection of tunes that have a couple of rockers, but mostly mid-tempo numbers that are sandwiched between an opening and closing ballad. Tunes like “Addicted” mix the rhythm of Simon & Garfunkel with the aggression of the Ramones while Malin sings about book stores being razed for high end condos. “She Don’t Love Me Now” has a cool doo-wop feel to it, while “Bent Up” is a roots-tinged ’50s styled rocker. “Turn Up The Mains” finds Malin going back to his punk rock roots channeling the MC5 and The Clash with its chorus “to kick the system and turn up the mains.” “Death Star” has nothing to do with Star Wars, but has a Lou Reed with a better hook style to it feel. The horns illuminate the album closer “Bar Life,” which wouldn’t be out of place on a record like Tim by The Replacements. Alive with memories of the past and wariness of the future, New York Before The War is a gritty ride on the roller coaster of life. And possibly the best record of the year to-date.

Jesse Malin and band will be performing at The Church in Boston on April 9.
- See more at: http://motifri.com/alt-nation-public-alley-wins-the-2015-wbru-rock-hunt-and-jesse-malins-latest/#sthash.Yz3SnhJV.dpuf - Motif Magazine

If this year’s Rock Hunt had been a movie, critics would have called out the ending for being too obvious, but in real life it was the kind of thing you never saw coming. Picture it: a band made up of a bunch of bright-eyed high schoolers with nothing to lose. They make a Hail Mary bid for the wild card slot in a battle of the bands, make the cut and then manage to win over three groups who have been slugging it out in clubs and bars since before these kids had even picked up their guitars.

So there I was at the WBRU Rock Hunt finals at The Met in Pawtucket, mildly amused at the thought of a bunch of teenagers squeaking in at the last minute. They’d be cute, I figured, eager but lacking the polish to stand a chance. Their age would have kept them from developing the chops of their competitors, or more importantly, having accrued the necessary amount of heartache, experience and cynicism to pull it off. I mean what’s rock and roll without some emotional baggage? But then they took the stage, and by the end of their first song it was pretty obvious that these kids were musically wise beyond their years.

Against all odds and expectations they came out and killed it. I mean they absolutely slayed. Despite all of the years under the collective belts of the other three bands, Public Alley managed a singularly outstanding performance. It was a tightly arranged, high-energy 30 minutes of indie pop. There was a trumpet, accordions, an out-of-left-field rap. The whole band was erupting with charm and an infectious amount of enthusiasm. It was fun, damn it; an honest-to-goodness blast to watch from start to finish. When they walked away champions the only people surprised were the members of Public Alley.

“We never saw ourselves in this situation,” says singer Zoë Hinman.

After their eleventh hour submission to the Rock Hunt – which as they tell it was literally conceived and submitted an hour before the midnight deadline – failed to earn them a spot competing in the semi-finals, drummer Max Fertik caught wind of the wild card slot.

The band, all of whom are students at East Greenwich High School, with the exception of keyboard player Szabi Kiss who is currently studying at MIT, embarked on an aggressive campaign to get into the finals. “We were really passionate about getting this spot,” adds Zoë.

As passionate as they were, their expectations weren’t too high once they earned that coveted fourth spot. “We went into it thinking it was a good gig, we’d get to play with these great bands we’ve been listening to and get our name out there,” says bass player Cam Cianciolo. For them being there genuinely seemed to be enough of a reward. “We used to talk about being in the Rock Hunt the way people talk about what they would do if they won the lottery,” says Zoë.

She doesn’t just say that to be polite or faux-humble. For them, Rock Hunt is Olympus, inhabited by a pantheon of local rock gods who have won the competition before them. As they start listing previous winners – The Rare Occasions, The Wandas, Roz and the Rice Cakes – they become increasingly more excited. Noah spoke about seeing 2009 winner Fairhaven play at Lupo’s a few years back with an almost spiritual reverence. “When
I listened to them then, I didn’t think of them as just a Rock Hunt winner, I thought of them as Young the Giant and OK Go. They were a famous band to me. I looked up to them.”

Playing Lupo’s is one of the spoils that comes with winning the Rock Hunt – “Thinking that we’re going to be on that stage blows my mind,” says Cam – as is a spot during WBRU’s free Summer Concert Series on July 24 at 7pm at Waterplace Park, which last year saw performances by national acts like Phantogram and Kongos.

Even WBRU’s studio is hallowed ground. “The most overwhelming part of seeing the studio was the stairway signed by every band that’s ever played there,” says Max. “We might be able to sign that.”

For Public Alley, the Rock Hunt isn’t a stepping stone to the big break, it is the big break. As far as they’re concerned they’ve made it, and with that locked down, it’s just back to making catchy, high-energy rock and roll. - Providence Monthly

They were the wild card, literally. But Public Alley wowed the crowd and the judges at WBRU’s Rock Hunt Finals last Saturday and won.

“It was very unexpected, to say the least,” said Max Fertik, the band’s drummer and unofficial publicist. Unexpected because they are all teenagers and the other three older bands with a lot more playing experience.

Public Alley – EGHS seniors Fertik (drums), Noah Baretto (vocals/guitar) and Zoe Hinman (vocals), EGHS junior Cameron Cianciolo (bass), and Tollgate alum and MIT freshman Szabi Kiss (piano) – had entered the annual competition at the last minute and, when they weren’t initially selected, that was OK, it was all part of the experience, Fertik said. But then a friend told them about the Wild Card spot, chosen by the number of votes a band got and Public Alley was off to the races (including getting written up on EG News here).

They won the wild card, earning a place in the finals against Most Dangerous Alive, Forest Fires and We Were Astronauts, at the Met Cafe in Pawtucket. Public Alley fans turned out.

“It was great to get people to come out for this – friends and family. We not only rallied the school to vote for us, but so many of them came out to see us,” Fertik said, referring to EGHS classmates. But it was up to Public Alley then to make it happen… which they did.

Here’s how WBRU recapped the finals:

“The band looked overjoyed to be on stage; their enthusiasm radiated into the audience and throughout their innovative, genre-bending, guest-artist-studded music. The voices of lead singers Zoe Hinman and Noah Barreto blended and complemented each other beautifully, in a way reminiscent of The xx. Towards the end, though, keyboardist Szabi Kiss stole the spotlight with an incredible rap-cum-piano solo. The final song, “Loretta,” was greeted with cheers, sing-alongs, and calls for one more song.

“Our local celebrity judges – featuring, among others, 2014 Rock Hunt Champion The Rare Occasions – deliberated; the rest of us bided our time. Public Alley had surprised everyone in the audience with their energy and legions of fans, but we had all fallen in love with Most Dangerous Men Alive, Forest Fires, and We Were Astronauts during their Rock Hunt interviews and performances. At last, the BRU staff made the announcement: Public Alley is the 2015 Rock Hunt Champion!

“For the first time in recent memory (maybe ever?…), our online fan choice wowed everyone in the room and claimed the Rock Hunt crown.”

It still feels a little “surreal,” said Fertik.

“Winning the wild card was one thing. Being the underdogs and blowing away these 30 year olds, that was another,” he said, noting that the other bands were really nice to them. We Were Astronauts even asked them to play with them in Boston.

“It felt nice to be treated as equals with these guys,” said Fertik.

Fertik, Hinman and Barreto have been great friends since freshman year. They got hooked up with Kiss last year through their producer, Dave McNally, a Warwick resident who let the band use his recording studio. Cianciolo joined the band a few months ago.

Other local musicians and EGHS alums have played with them on different songs – such as Heather Shen’s violin on Loretta.

“We love to get our friends involved as much as we can,” said Fertik.

He said they’ve all been avid listeners of WBRU and, coincidentally, the WBRU birthday bash was the first thing Fertik, Hinman and Barreto did together freshman year.

“Now we’re going to open for it,” he said, of the annual November event.

The only trick there is that four out of the five band members will, by then, be in college, most likely outside Rhode Island. But they will work it out, said Fertik.

“This showed us, this isn’t the end of Public Alley. This reassured us that we are talented and people do like us,” said Fertik. “We have potential.” - East Greenwich News