My Brothers Banned

My Brothers Banned - Meet Me In The Park (Off White Trash Records)
As Shaun Keaveny is fond of saying just lately on his fairly glorious Radio 6 morning programme ‘Great name for a band!’. Okay, Shaun, top this name if you can. Ha! Thought not! And guess what? They’re not just a clever name, they’re a talented three/four/eight piece (kinda hard to pin their number down as I write, and they might all be related too), providing us with some very digestible power pop and indie pop on these eleven tracks, easing on down the highway, as they do, with gay abandon.

The sticker on my copy would have you believe it’s quirky alternative rock with melodic harmony. The last bit is on the money, but this isn’t alt. rock. The melodies speak for themselves, and they have us touring around pop pastures, and almost poking a toe into the occasional alt. country and folk field – but not quite. As for quirky, I guess that there’s an element of ‘oddness’ about it all, but these eleven tracks are better for having an underground skittishness, adding considerably to the joy.

Sorry, that’s enough description of what it sounds like. You just need to invest in a copy and get the real thing… like now.
www.myspace.com/mybrothersbanned - Leicester Bangs

My Brothers Banned - Meet Me In The Park (Off White Trash Records)
As Shaun Keaveny is fond of saying just lately on his fairly glorious Radio 6 morning programme ‘Great name for a band!’. Okay, Shaun, top this name if you can. Ha! Thought not! And guess what? They’re not just a clever name, they’re a talented three/four/eight piece (kinda hard to pin their number down as I write, and they might all be related too), providing us with some very digestible power pop and indie pop on these eleven tracks, easing on down the highway, as they do, with gay abandon.

The sticker on my copy would have you believe it’s quirky alternative rock with melodic harmony. The last bit is on the money, but this isn’t alt. rock. The melodies speak for themselves, and they have us touring around pop pastures, and almost poking a toe into the occasional alt. country and folk field – but not quite. As for quirky, I guess that there’s an element of ‘oddness’ about it all, but these eleven tracks are better for having an underground skittishness, adding considerably to the joy.

Sorry, that’s enough description of what it sounds like. You just need to invest in a copy and get the real thing… like now.
www.myspace.com/mybrothersbanned - Leicester Bangs

What can I say Lyle Puente on guitar and vocals his bro Eric Puente - drums, are one of the hottest original bands in the area. These guys hit you with originality, energy and fun from the opening number.
This is certainly the direction the cafe wants to pursue, hi energy, original music with a twist. These guys slam - Funky Bean Cafe

Lyle Puente, who quit a job as a freelance illustrator, with his brother, Eric, left. (Photo by Alan Zale for The New York Times)(pg. 12); Dave Nichols doesn't sing or read music, but still pursues songwriting. (Photo by G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)(pg. 13)
LYLE PUENTE composed a song in a parking lot while waiting to pick up his children from school.

Dave Nichols wrote one sitting in his car outside a McDonald's.

And Pete Calamera used to write music while driving to and from his job as a police officer in Harlem, but now he often does it while hiking.

Inspiration, it seems, can come anywhere, anytime. So can major life decisions, including career changes. The three Westchester men have backgrounds as varied as the songs they write, but all of them have turned to music as a profession, full time or part time.
Pursuing the dream while tuning out naysayers is a common theme. Lyle Puente, 44, has had to do it, too.

''My mother will have those gentle talks: 'Don't you think you'll illustrate again?' '' he said.

Mr. Puente, a 1984 graduate of Pratt Institute, was a successful freelance illustrator whose work had regularly appeared in The Wall Street Journal, in magazines and in children's books before he quit working in 1992 to care for his son, Ciaran, whose early years were plagued by life-threatening illness. To provide health insurance for the family, his wife, Bernadette DeCelle, kept her job -- then as a graphic designer; she is now a marketing director for a law firm.

Mr. Puente, who plays a host of instruments, including guitar, said he sang at home to his son, now 14, and his daughter, Caillin, now 13. But his music did not take a serious turn until he and his family moved in 1999 from Brooklyn to Mohegan Colony, the historic alternative community in northern Westchester. There he joined neighbors in an informal band, playing tunes by Woody Guthrie and the Carter family, among others.

''We started playing seven to eight hours a night, and I realized this was the greatest thing ever,'' he said. - NY Times

"Original music, amazing harmonies, and inventive guitar and bass riffs - all combined with high-energy percussion make My Brothers Banned a truly unique original music act and a must-see in Westchester. You'll be wowed by the strength of these brothers as well as their showmanship."

"I went to your website and I thought your songs were really good...Keep Running is my favorite...stunningly beautiful guitars and vocals..."


- Fan reviews via email

"Original music, amazing harmonies, and inventive guitar and bass riffs - all combined with high-energy percussion make My Brothers Banned a truly unique original music act and a must-see in Westchester. You'll be wowed by the strength of these brothers as well as their showmanship."

"I went to your website and I thought your songs were really good...Keep Running is my favorite...stunningly beautiful guitars and vocals..."


- Fan reviews via email