610

610 as he calls himself, otherwise known as Anthony Lipira, is based out of St. Charles, IL, and is currently supporting his most recent release Sense Of Urgency. He creates, records, and produces original Alt-Rock songs. Anthony lists some of his influences as U2, REM, Pink Floyd, Death Cab, MGMT, and Depeche Mode. We have helped promote 610’s music over the past 6-12 months and it’s been great working with him. It’s quite obvious he is serious about his craft.

610 – Sense of Urgency
“Caliphate Of Hate” is the first tune on this EP that was released in December, 2017. Homegrown for sure, this song takes a while to build. It starts out with some simple guitar strums (I like the multi-panning) and slowly builds into a smooth rock ‘n roll song. Right off the bat I can hear his Pink Floyd influences shining front and center.

Personally, I was waiting and hoping that the drums would come in earlier. My short attention span struggled to listen until everything came in but I made it. Don’t get me wrong though, I appreciate the artistic suspense. Overall, the song is good but a little dull in some parts…and the Russian judge gave extra points for his artistic expression:)

“One Shoe” is up next. The guitar work stands out in this tune, especially the ornamental harmonics in the begin and throughout. So far in this EP I haven’t heard any songs I can really dig my teeth into and listen to over and over. “One Shoe” comes close in the beginning with the chord progression and the “one shoe, one love, etc” lyrics he is singing over. However, later in the song I lose the initial melody and the song seems to get lost for a bit. At the very end the original hook is brought back in briefly. I would like to hear it more prominent thru the entire song…just because I like it! The bridge with the light guitar solo is a nice break, but again it would be nice to hear that original hook again. Overall a very listenable tune.

“Sick Of You And Me” – Now we’re getting somewhere! With this one, Anthony is starting to pique my interest! Not only is there a kickass video to go along with the tune…the song is really good! The video just enhances everything more. It involves 2 mannequins who find love online, and well, you can see for yourself. “Sick Of You And Me” has more hooks and it’s cool to hear more of a rock groove carried thru the tune. The video makes the song for me though. It’s nice to see Anthony show his face and personality.

“Sock Monkey Jesus” is my favorite tune on the whole EP. I feel like it’s the best song with the best hooks and the best production. The keyboards add some depth to the production and the percussion of Chet McCracken is crisp and clean. With the right marketing and team behind it, I could see “Sock Monkey Jesus” getting pretty high up on some college radio charts. Again, the production on this tune is some of the best I’ve heard from 610…from the keyboards and percussion to the vocals and guitar playing.

I encourage you to check out 610. If you’re into acoustic/classic rock with a Midwestern influence, then 610 should be the next EP you check out. Anthony makes it easy to find him by using the moniker 610 all over the internet. Best place to go first is his website at 610themusic.com – Check it out!! - IndieMusicPlus

610 is a solo project helmed by Anthony from St Charles, Il. The singer/songwriter has returned with an experimental album entitled Spiritually Homeless, a record created for the February 2020 edition of the RPM Challenge. Started in 2006 in Portsmouth NH, the challenge invites musicians around the world to write, record, and submit an album of 10 songs or 35 minutes every February. Anthony’s newest tracks reflect deep experimentation with instruments and different recording & songwriting methods, and the result is an enjoyable and engaging listen.

The lead single is called “Chernobyl Café”, a name that conjures images of radioactive lattes and nuclear scones. For those unaware, Chernobyl, Ukraine, was the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history in September of 1986. Anthony cleverly uses the theme to play with the musical elements; the mostly upbeat vibe and encouraging lyrics hide the fact that he’s discussing an actual café deep in the exclusion zone. Anthony’s tongue-in-cheek refrain “Well there’s a place / where you can go/ where you can glow” playfully goads the listener to explore a nuclear fallout zone, excellent writing and storytelling. On the critical side, the vocal delivery is a little strained and raspy, but this also has the effect of enhancing some of the danger of the story. After a few verse/refrain cycles the song arrives at a cheery double-time outro, with Anthony proclaiming to “bring the kids” to a city “reborn”.

The title track begins with a haunting violin melody, joined by finger-plucked guitar and a gallop-y beat. Anthony’s whispered vocals match the haunting nature of the violin, and the various musical components swirl with each other through a tense, dark tunnel. As the song progresses Anthony’s voice is joined by a canon of voices, amplifying the swirling nature of the song. The production allows the listener to feel as though the elements of the song are wrapping around them. Lone upright bass ends the song as starkly as it began. “Under the Water” begins with the same lone upright bass, but it is quickly joined by funky electric guitar reminiscent of Andy Summers (The Police) meets Prince. The rest of the arrangement enters with upbeat 16th notes on the hi-hat and a pseudo-clave 3 over 4 beat in the snare. When the chorus enters with “It’s all around us now, your loves around us now” the listener cannot help but be overcome with joy. After another cycle of a verse and chorus a turbo-charged outro takes over, channeling The Police circa-1981 with fantastic results. On “Flight Deck” the 80’s-influence continues, with sonic elements of The Police still audible. However, Anthony maintains a unique sound by employing a driving pop beat and telling the story through his own voice, in this instance discussing the rush of skydiving as a life re-setting event. Once again an effective outro is employed, this time in a half-time feel, more evidence of Anthony’s great writing. Spiritually Homeless is definitely a successful experiment, with the various stories and sonic elements combining to create a finished product Anthony should be proud of. - Indie Music Plus