The Rochambros.

"With more sophisticated songwriting skills than most guys twice their age, The Rochambros are like a shot of adrenaline to the currently comatose state of rock n' roll." - Jacqueline Burt, contributing writer, NY Post

http://www.lohud.com/article/20090706/ENTERTAINMENT/907060304/

Last year, The Rochambros had no idea they'd be making their Manhattan debut in the same Lower East Side club that launched the career of The Strokes.


But tomorrow night, the New Rochelle rock trio will take the stage at Arlene's Grocery, playing to an audience of record-company executives invited by a listener who stumbled onto their music in the winter at the Westchester County Battle of the Bands in White Plains.

Alan Johnson, a music and copyright lawyer, was scouting for talent in January when he heard The Rochambros play a set of their original songs. He left the County Center with a copy of the band's debut CD, and got in touch with them immediately afterward.

"I was like, 'Wow,' '' says Johnson, a drummer whose law practice is based in Greenwich, Conn. "You either got it or you don't. They've got it.''

For Aaron Adams, Chris Daley and Greg Rutkin - recent New Rochelle High School graduates who have been playing together since eighth grade - tomorrow's gig is the first big break in a career that has spanned more than four years and an estimated 40 live shows.

Last year, they won the battle of the bands at the Mid-Westchester JCC in Scarsdale. But beyond a local fan base that has made the group a word-of-mouth sensation in New Rochelle, The Rochambros haven't hit the big time. Until now.

The only problem with tomorrow's show in Manhattan, they say, is that Arlene's Grocery is a strictly 21-and-over club. That means friends who want to come to the show will have to bring along their parents - not generally an option of choice, but in this case, the bigger the crowd, the better.

Adams' mother, Barbara, says that if each band member brings in 30 guests over 21, The Rochambros are promised a percentage of the gate.

"It's really the first time they're playing a professional show,'' says Johnson. "There'll be a lot of ears that are just there to hear them and appraise, and as many industry and label people as possible. So it will be an interesting evening.''



Since school ended, the band has been practicing daily at Adams' studio, a converted sunroom in his family's home outfitted with drums, keyboards, two mikes and recording equipment that has allowed the group to mix and master a new album without paying for time in a professional studio.

The CD, "Dream Sequences,'' will be available for sale at tomorrow night's show.

"When I think about it, two summers ago we were writing our first song for this album, and it's crazy how fast time went by,'' says Adams. "We've been working intensely on this for two years."

Adams, who started playing the piano when he was 8, is the group's bass player and lead vocalist. Daley, who sings and plays guitar, and Rutkin, who plays drums, round out the band, a tight indie-rock group whose musical influences include Elvis Costello, Steely Dan - and yes, The Strokes.

But there's nothing derivative about The Rochambros, says Johnson.

"Aaron has a writing personality and his heroes come through occasionally. You can hear Elvis Costello, you can hear influences,'' he says. "But it's not a total parody or a total copying.''

Although Johnson and the band are hoping for a record deal this summer, each of the musicians has a backup plan: In the fall, Adams will head to Purchase College, Daley to Boston College and Rutkin to SUNY Fredonia, about an eight-hour drive from New Rochelle, he says.

But college and a career as a rock musician are not mutually exclusive, say band members.

And even if Arlene's Grocery doesn't propel The Rochambros into the stratosphere, they're still only 18. This is just the beginning.

"The Rochambros are here to stay,'' says Johnson. - LoHud