The Great Party

The last time I was a passenger on a school bus, I believe it was to go to a museum. This would prove to be a much more exciting trip, to say the least.

The Great Party, a Scranton-based pop rock band, rented the big yellow vehicle and filled it with over 30 local fans on Saturday, Jan. 12 for a voyage to The Legendary Dobbs in Philadelphia, which hosted the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Green Day, and more when they were just starting out. Would the evening be just as historical? I had to find out.

When I arrived around 2 p.m. to get on the bus, I found out that vocalist/keyboardist Rose Eastman had entered day five of fighting the flu and would not be riding with us, but her and her husband, vocalist/guitarist Mike Eastman, would be driving down separately later on. This wasn’t an encouraging start, but spirits still seemed high as I boarded our ride.

PBRs were already being pounded before we left the GIANT Food store parking lot in Scranton, and a cheeseball-eating contest began just a few blocks into our trek. (50 stuffed in one young woman’s cheeks held the day’s record.) The seats had much less legroom than I remembered, and the only (barely) working radio speaker sat directly behind my head, of course, blasting classic rock tunes from 99.9 “The Hawk” into my ear as we chatted about music and sang along, off-key, to the obligatory spin of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The band provided everyone with sacks filled with chips, graham crackers, Snickers, and gummy candy, but it was the bottles that came wrapped in similar brown paper bags that were most frequently consumed.

We reached the city with a few hours to kill, and while South Street was characteristically lively, it wasn’t until The Great Party started at 10 p.m. that things really started hopping. If Elvis still had life left in him, he may have performed the jaunty opener “Chained on Forever,” sang fervently and dynamically by Mike. “Cupcakes,” “Theresa,” and “Solid Gold” from their debut EP were next, which means poor Rose would have to take over vocals, but the few hours of rest had paid off and her voice sounded as clear and as strong as ever. The soaring harmonies on “Volt” are always a set highlight, and the lightning-fast jamming of Mike Nordberg is mesmerizing to watch, held together by Matt Mang’s groovy bass lines and Matt Thomas’ crashing drums and cymbals.

“Robots in Love” may have been dedicated to Starwood – the Philadelphia cyber art rock outfit containing former members of Scranton’s Felix Sarco and Alien Red that was up next – but nothing could have prepared those unfamiliar with the band for what they were about to see.

The Great Party finished their 10-song set with fan favorite “Hecho in Mexico” and the synth-heavy mover and shaker “Walk of Esther Man,” setting the stage for more keyboard-powered rock, but in a much different vein. The five members of S.T.A.R.W.O.O.D. (Sociopathic Time Altering Robot Warrior of Organic Design), dressed in silver masks and futuristic black jumpsuits lined with tiny reflective mirrors, form a high-concept group of supposed androids on a mission into the past to calm humanity down before we destroy their home planet, Vitrus, in the future.

The frontman formerly known as Gavin Robb is now Gabriel Starwood, an android capable of using humans as avatars to manipulate history and change our course; currently, it possesses this former Scrantonian to create otherworldly music, which may sound confusing or downright inaccessible to a reader, but when Robb took off his disco ball-like helmet to belt out “Love Your Lawnmower” from their first record, “TRANSMISSION,” it’s clear to listeners that their music is equal parts sardonic wit and emotive sincerity.

The lyrics, “Love your lawnmower, don’t wail on your washing machine, ‘cause after all we’re all just cracked glass on your TV screen,” immediately elicit laughter from listeners being asked to treat everyday appliances like people, but it’s delivered in such an enthusiastic manner that one can’t help but see more just below the surface.

With his sound-manipulating board and danceable rhythms at his fingertips, Starwood primarily played all new material despite just releasing their debut last September. The philosophical “Electric Sheep” and the hilarious “Dr. Robespierre’s Cure for the Lonely,” which is about beheading the unloved to maintain the happiness of others, stood in contrast to new songs with working titles like “The Dig,” “Plea from a Tailgunner,” “Broken Arrow,” and “Checkpoint B: YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED,” which seem to be moving in a slightly darker tone.

It must not be easy being an alien, but it sure was fun for the rest of us. Whether sucked in by the spectacle or the quirky music, they had the crowd’s full attention for that hour in time. Hopefully, it made a difference in their ultimate fate.

Our destiny, on the other hand, was in the hands of our very capable driver. Leaving around 1 a.m., the bus was f - The Weekender

The Great Party. The name rolled into my inbox with a link to their bandcamp page. With a name like The Great Party I was expecting some sort of house, party, dubstep music to begin blaring through my speakers the moment the page opened.

Oh how I was wrong.

The Great Party is the farthest thing from house, party music (although their name does suggest such). What came drifting through my speakers was so much better. To put the band into a word: nostalgia.

The little pop rock band out of Scranton, Pa. sounded like a mix between the Cranberries and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, most likely due to their lead female vocalist. Throw in a dash of longing for years past (what years, I am not really sure), and you will have The Great Party.

While their overall feel was a unique mix of contemporary with a twist of 80s, their individual attributes didn’t let down either.

The killer vocals were the first to be noticed.

The key aspect of this band is the fantastic ability of lead singer, Rosaleen Eastman. Her voice is a far cry away from the traditional poppy vocals usually heard today. She isn’t an Adele. She isn’t a Taylor Swift. She isn’t a Beyonce.

“Teresa” the upbeat third track on their EP released earlier this spring was the strongest of the set. The chorus hit, and I found myself involuntarily nodding my head along with the catchy lyrics. A great bass line comes in half way through the song that adds an additional unique factor.

“Hecho En Mexico” brings in the vocals of Michael Eastman, Rosaleen’s husband. Another energetic song with a twist from the usual. While many indie bands can fall into the trap of sounding exceptionally similar, The Great Party, does the exact opposite. “Hecho En Mexico” was unlike any song I have heard, and the band does a prime job in differentiating itself from the masses, with the funky instrumentals and strong back beat which forces you to nod along. Oh, and did I mention the guitar solo that kicks in at the end? If you are like me, and have extreme music ADD, stick it out till the end. It’s worth it. Just resist that skip button for another minute.

“Robots in Love” was slightly more mellow than the first songs on the EP, but still maintained the energetic feeling consistent with the rest. This track sounded a bit more old-school than the rest of the album.

Our systems are down

Our wires are tangled.

Though it seems like we got our lines crossed

In all the fires which saved our lives.

The intro of the song, Rosaleen’s vocals are raspier than their other tracks as she warbles out the catchy lyrics.

Not only are the vocals one of a kind, but the lyrics are as well. That is a difficult feat to overcome with plethora of mediocre lyrics floating about the radio and the Internet.



Rating: 5/5 - Vents Magazine

The Great Party has found an easy way to describe their music; they made up a name for their own genre.
They call it Ameri-pop. Members of the Scranton-based band (Michael Eastman on guitar/vocals, his wife, Rosaleen Eastman on keys/vocals, drummer Patrick Gaughan, bassist Matthew Mang and Michael Nordberg on keys/guitar) all have a fondness for Brit-pop music and have also taken their different musical tastes and created a truly unique album of songs.
On May 26, the band will celebrate the release of their debut, self-titled EP with a special show at The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton. The six-track album introduces their new brand of synth driven tunes to the area’s already diverse music scene.
Although a fairly new project, the band’s story began a decade ago. “Michael Nordberg and I wrote a whole bunch of music together 10 years ago and some of the songs are now mixed in or used as a kind of a muse,” said Michael Eastman. “I introduced him to Rosaleen after we got married. Unlike most people, my wife and I got married and started a rock band.”
When asked how it was to not only share your life with someone, but also share the stage and studio, Rosaleen finds comfort in that they both have the same goals. “At the end of the day, we go home and we’re really happy we’re doing this and following a little dream while we’re still young. We want to get out there as much as possible and have this be our full-time job where we can survive making music and enjoying it. We want to take it as far as possible.”
Members of The Great Party feature a solid rhythm section behind bassist Matt Mang, an experienced veteran of the local music scene, and
the newest member, drummer Patrick Gaughan.
“There is something so unique in the music and it’s full of energy,” Mang said. “It’s a sound that I haven’t heard in a long time, not just in this area, but in music in general.”
Not only is the band focused on recording another album, they look forward to bringing their live shows to a greater audience. They want their live performances to remain fun and lighthearted, but infectious enough to get people moving their bodies to the music.
“We want to make it a great live show,” Mang said. “We want to make it an experience and truly make it a great party for everybody.”
“It’s a big release for us,” Rosaleen said. “People know that they are going to have a good time. That is the whole point.”
— tom graham - the570.com

The Great Party has found an easy way to describe their music; they made up a name for their own genre.
They call it Ameri-pop. Members of the Scranton-based band (Michael Eastman on guitar/vocals, his wife, Rosaleen Eastman on keys/vocals, drummer Patrick Gaughan, bassist Matthew Mang and Michael Nordberg on keys/guitar) all have a fondness for Brit-pop music and have also taken their different musical tastes and created a truly unique album of songs.
On May 26, the band will celebrate the release of their debut, self-titled EP with a special show at The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton. The six-track album introduces their new brand of synth driven tunes to the area’s already diverse music scene.
Although a fairly new project, the band’s story began a decade ago. “Michael Nordberg and I wrote a whole bunch of music together 10 years ago and some of the songs are now mixed in or used as a kind of a muse,” said Michael Eastman. “I introduced him to Rosaleen after we got married. Unlike most people, my wife and I got married and started a rock band.”
When asked how it was to not only share your life with someone, but also share the stage and studio, Rosaleen finds comfort in that they both have the same goals. “At the end of the day, we go home and we’re really happy we’re doing this and following a little dream while we’re still young. We want to get out there as much as possible and have this be our full-time job where we can survive making music and enjoying it. We want to take it as far as possible.”
Members of The Great Party feature a solid rhythm section behind bassist Matt Mang, an experienced veteran of the local music scene, and
the newest member, drummer Patrick Gaughan.
“There is something so unique in the music and it’s full of energy,” Mang said. “It’s a sound that I haven’t heard in a long time, not just in this area, but in music in general.”
Not only is the band focused on recording another album, they look forward to bringing their live shows to a greater audience. They want their live performances to remain fun and lighthearted, but infectious enough to get people moving their bodies to the music.
“We want to make it a great live show,” Mang said. “We want to make it an experience and truly make it a great party for everybody.”
“It’s a big release for us,” Rosaleen said. “People know that they are going to have a good time. That is the whole point.”
— tom graham - the570.com

Despite a polished, big-studio sound, an intimacy remains on The Great Party’s fun and poppy self-titled debut, thanks in part to it being recorded in keyboardist/guitarist Michael Nordberg’s home studio.

“Oh, it’s nice. It’s so comfortable,” said bassist Matthew Mang. “Usually, you’re paying for studio time, and you have these people you’re not familiar with; sometimes you feel, ‘Oh, I’m wasting time and paying for it,’ or ‘Hurry up, and get it done.’ You might be a little more embarrassed if you mess something up in front of these people you don’t know, so (recording at Nordberg’s) was a lot more relaxing.”

Nordberg recorded and mixed the album, and it was mastered at Windmill Agency Recording Studio in Mount Cobb. The Scranton-based band — which also features guitarist/vocalist Michael Eastman, keyboardist/vocalist Rosaleen Eastman and drummer Patrick Gaughan — will celebrate the EP’s release with a two-set show at The Bog Saturday, May 26.

The Great Party has been its current lineup since last year, and this debut has been in the works since last fall.

“Everything always takes a little bit longer than you’d expect, but we really wanted to make sure to get all the details down,” Mang shared.

Most of the album’s songs, which include the festive “On The Job,” the electronica-flaired “Cupcakes” and upbeat lead track “Solid Gold,” were previously written by Nordberg and Rosaleen Eastman who’ve “both always written songs whether they were in a band or not throughout their lives,” Mang explained.

“Now, since we’ve actually put the band together, we’ve become a little more collaborative with everyone filling in their two cents for songs that we’re writing,” Mang added, sharing that the quintet has many more songs than just the six on the EP and that fans will hear a lot of them at Saturday’s show.

“There’s no other band playing, and that gives you some indication of how much material we have,” Mang said. “It’s all original, it’s not covers or anything like that. We have enough material where we can actually put out another full-length, like, now, but obviously we don’t have the work done to do that just yet.”

The bassist indicated that the band plans to throw, well, a great party for its EP-release show, including giveaways like free fake mustaches with every purchase, T-shirts and “other stuff that’ll just be a surprise.”

“We want to make the atmosphere really, really fun, laidback, just have everyone come and have a good time, not just make people come to just listen to music,” he said. “That’s the focus, but we went to make it a party, we’re going to decorate and just have all sorts of stuff to make it an all-around good experience.” - The Weekender

Despite a polished, big-studio sound, an intimacy remains on The Great Party’s fun and poppy self-titled debut, thanks in part to it being recorded in keyboardist/guitarist Michael Nordberg’s home studio.

“Oh, it’s nice. It’s so comfortable,” said bassist Matthew Mang. “Usually, you’re paying for studio time, and you have these people you’re not familiar with; sometimes you feel, ‘Oh, I’m wasting time and paying for it,’ or ‘Hurry up, and get it done.’ You might be a little more embarrassed if you mess something up in front of these people you don’t know, so (recording at Nordberg’s) was a lot more relaxing.”

Nordberg recorded and mixed the album, and it was mastered at Windmill Agency Recording Studio in Mount Cobb. The Scranton-based band — which also features guitarist/vocalist Michael Eastman, keyboardist/vocalist Rosaleen Eastman and drummer Patrick Gaughan — will celebrate the EP’s release with a two-set show at The Bog Saturday, May 26.

The Great Party has been its current lineup since last year, and this debut has been in the works since last fall.

“Everything always takes a little bit longer than you’d expect, but we really wanted to make sure to get all the details down,” Mang shared.

Most of the album’s songs, which include the festive “On The Job,” the electronica-flaired “Cupcakes” and upbeat lead track “Solid Gold,” were previously written by Nordberg and Rosaleen Eastman who’ve “both always written songs whether they were in a band or not throughout their lives,” Mang explained.

“Now, since we’ve actually put the band together, we’ve become a little more collaborative with everyone filling in their two cents for songs that we’re writing,” Mang added, sharing that the quintet has many more songs than just the six on the EP and that fans will hear a lot of them at Saturday’s show.

“There’s no other band playing, and that gives you some indication of how much material we have,” Mang said. “It’s all original, it’s not covers or anything like that. We have enough material where we can actually put out another full-length, like, now, but obviously we don’t have the work done to do that just yet.”

The bassist indicated that the band plans to throw, well, a great party for its EP-release show, including giveaways like free fake mustaches with every purchase, T-shirts and “other stuff that’ll just be a surprise.”

“We want to make the atmosphere really, really fun, laidback, just have everyone come and have a good time, not just make people come to just listen to music,” he said. “That’s the focus, but we went to make it a party, we’re going to decorate and just have all sorts of stuff to make it an all-around good experience.” - The Weekender

On the surface, The Great Party is what you’d expect of a band with such a name. The Scranton-based members — Mike Nordberg, 29, on keys and guitar, Matt Mang, 34, on bass, Matt Hannon, 33, on drums, and husband-wife duo Mike and Rosaleen Eastman, 34 and 27, exude energy. But stop to really listen to the sound and realize it’s unlike anything else on the local music scene.

The band classifies itself as indie rock and pop, heavily influenced by our friends across the pond.

“There’s creative music with a pop sensibility, but there’s also a lot of thought to it,” Mike Eastman explained. “It’s like you’re getting bubblegum, but you also get a really cool wrapper.”

“We all like an enormous amount of genres, so there are a lot of different opinions of music clashing into each other, which creates a really good mix,” Rosaleen Eastman said.

The band has been together for a year and a half. Mike Eastman and Nordberg began playing together eight years ago. After Mike married Rosaleen, who had been writing songs on her own, he introduced her to Nordberg. The trio then brought in friends Hannon and Mang.

This is the Eastmans’ first time in an official band. Nordberg has played locally with The Swims and Underground Saints, Mang was in Mr. Echo and The Reigning Toads, and Hannon, originally from Philadelphia, played with Gildon Works.

The Great Party has nearly completed its first EP, which will include six songs. For now, three tracks, “Cupcake,” “Teresa” and “Hecho En Mexico,” are on the band’s Facebook page.

“If you want to be in a room with five good-looking people, you should probably come see us play,” Mike Eastman joked.

The Great Party will play at the Vintage theater tomorrow in a three act-show. Kid Icarus, an indie trio of Eric Schlittler, Jeff Gilotti and Justin Marchegiani of Scranton, will kick off the night. Philadelphia’s Starwood, which includes former members of local acts Felix Sarco and Alien Red, will make its first NEPA appearance and offer a theatrical psychedelic show. - The Times Leader

On the surface, The Great Party is what you’d expect of a band with such a name. The Scranton-based members — Mike Nordberg, 29, on keys and guitar, Matt Mang, 34, on bass, Matt Hannon, 33, on drums, and husband-wife duo Mike and Rosaleen Eastman, 34 and 27, exude energy. But stop to really listen to the sound and realize it’s unlike anything else on the local music scene.

The band classifies itself as indie rock and pop, heavily influenced by our friends across the pond.

“There’s creative music with a pop sensibility, but there’s also a lot of thought to it,” Mike Eastman explained. “It’s like you’re getting bubblegum, but you also get a really cool wrapper.”

“We all like an enormous amount of genres, so there are a lot of different opinions of music clashing into each other, which creates a really good mix,” Rosaleen Eastman said.

The band has been together for a year and a half. Mike Eastman and Nordberg began playing together eight years ago. After Mike married Rosaleen, who had been writing songs on her own, he introduced her to Nordberg. The trio then brought in friends Hannon and Mang.

This is the Eastmans’ first time in an official band. Nordberg has played locally with The Swims and Underground Saints, Mang was in Mr. Echo and The Reigning Toads, and Hannon, originally from Philadelphia, played with Gildon Works.

The Great Party has nearly completed its first EP, which will include six songs. For now, three tracks, “Cupcake,” “Teresa” and “Hecho En Mexico,” are on the band’s Facebook page.

“If you want to be in a room with five good-looking people, you should probably come see us play,” Mike Eastman joked.

The Great Party will play at the Vintage theater tomorrow in a three act-show. Kid Icarus, an indie trio of Eric Schlittler, Jeff Gilotti and Justin Marchegiani of Scranton, will kick off the night. Philadelphia’s Starwood, which includes former members of local acts Felix Sarco and Alien Red, will make its first NEPA appearance and offer a theatrical psychedelic show. - The Times Leader

THE GREAT PARTY — The Great Party
THE GOOD: Scranton indie pop outfit The Great Party throws one hell of a debut bash.
THE BAD: This is one of those pesky 6-track EP’s that leaves you hungry for more. Rumor has it though the band is currently working on a full-length.
THE NITTY GRITTY: Fronted by husband and wife team Michael and Rosaleen Eastman, The Great Party wildly toss around a bevy of sounds both vintage and modern that somehow end up clicking rather than clashing. Opening cut “Solid Gold” flashes back to the ’90s with an odd shuffle recalling mid-period Throwing Muses and retro keyboards straight off the first Rentals album.
As the disc plays on though, we’re brought up to date with “Cupcakes,” a tune brilliantly capturing the playfulness of Elizabeth and the Catapult. The slightly funky “Hecho En Mexico” gives Architecture in Helsinki a run for their money with its raucous male/female interplay. And other synth-tinged moments immediately remind one of another husband and wife concoction – Mates of State.
BUY IT?: Absolutely. Score yours at local music outlets or attend the release party at the Bog on Saturday, May 26. - Electric City Magazine

The Great Party releases debut EP
By RICH HOWELLS
May 20
When drummer Patrick Gaughan first met singer/keyboardist Rosaleen Eastman at an open mic, he told her that there needed to be more female-fronted bands in Scranton.

Little did he know that, years later, he would be joining her in The Great Party, an original pop rock band that fulfills that request and is set to release their debut EP on Saturday, May 26 at The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton.

“I thought, ‘That sounds terrifying,’ but I’ll give it a whirl,” Eastman said of the chance encounter. “I guess now I am, but it’s still kind of terrifying.”

On stage, however, the band exudes a confidence and professionalism that is uncommon in newer acts, though that may be because several members have played in other popular local bands, including The Sw!ms, The Reigning Toads, and Mr. Echo. Rosaleen’s husband, Michael, joins her on vocals and plays guitar, Michael Nordberg plays keys and guitar, and Matt Mang handles bass duties.

The Great Party only has three shows under their belt so far, but they say buzz surrounding their music has been overwhelming from the beginning, evidenced by the fact that their CD was 100 percent funded by fans, including some who had yet to see them perform live, through Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website for creative projects, in just a few short weeks in October 2011.

Mang said a large boost came from those who donated $100 or more to have their own song written and recorded by the band on any topic, though this may have worked a bit too well.

“On Kickstarter, there’s a feature you can do where you can limit the number of a particular item you sell. We didn’t put any of those on and I think maybe we sort of wish we did because we ended up having to do a lot of songs, a lot more than we expected, which was good, though,” Mang admitted.

“It gave us a lot of money and it was cool to see that so many people would like a song from us. It was a lot of work just to come up with songs specifically for whatever a person wanted.”

These random songs include a romantic song for a friend’s wedding and another about Saturday morning cartoons, a range that is also displayed in what they had already recorded. While the CD is only six tracks, the band already has enough material now for a full-length album, though their first was a lot of work.

“The songs were our favorites at the time, but we have six new favorites now. We’re looking at an album…We found out that recording an album is very tough for us because we love to focus on the music of it,” Michael Eastman emphasized.

The Great Party credit Nordberg for his countless hours of tedious engineering and mixing, with Eric Ritter from Windmill Agency handling the final mastering.

“We did end up taking a lot of recordings from the original demos and then sort of sprucing them up or redoing certain sections of them,” Nordberg said. “I could have gone on forever, but they gave me a deadline.”

Michael Eastman said they felt “very fortunate” that people believed enough in their work to raise the over $1,000 needed for the record, which Mang believes “shows a variety in styles and approaches” while maintaining a distinct sound.

“People really seem to like it, all age groups. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from it, and that’s exciting ,” said Rosaleen. In an effort to reward their fans for their dedication, they will be playing two back-to-back sets at The Bog, totaling 15 songs.

“We’re trying to make the show more of an event. We’re going to try to decorate. Maybe have a couple surprises. We want to really get people involved, not just have people show up and listen to our music, but to come and literally have it be a party,” Mang enthused.

“We encourage people to dress up like you’re going out for something special and get people in as good a mood as possible. Hopefully they’ll be dancing and moving around too unless the place is just too jammed to move.”

“W - Go Lackawanna

The Great Party releases debut EP
By RICH HOWELLS
May 20
When drummer Patrick Gaughan first met singer/keyboardist Rosaleen Eastman at an open mic, he told her that there needed to be more female-fronted bands in Scranton.

Little did he know that, years later, he would be joining her in The Great Party, an original pop rock band that fulfills that request and is set to release their debut EP on Saturday, May 26 at The Bog, 341 Adams Ave., Scranton.

“I thought, ‘That sounds terrifying,’ but I’ll give it a whirl,” Eastman said of the chance encounter. “I guess now I am, but it’s still kind of terrifying.”

On stage, however, the band exudes a confidence and professionalism that is uncommon in newer acts, though that may be because several members have played in other popular local bands, including The Sw!ms, The Reigning Toads, and Mr. Echo. Rosaleen’s husband, Michael, joins her on vocals and plays guitar, Michael Nordberg plays keys and guitar, and Matt Mang handles bass duties.

The Great Party only has three shows under their belt so far, but they say buzz surrounding their music has been overwhelming from the beginning, evidenced by the fact that their CD was 100 percent funded by fans, including some who had yet to see them perform live, through Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website for creative projects, in just a few short weeks in October 2011.

Mang said a large boost came from those who donated $100 or more to have their own song written and recorded by the band on any topic, though this may have worked a bit too well.

“On Kickstarter, there’s a feature you can do where you can limit the number of a particular item you sell. We didn’t put any of those on and I think maybe we sort of wish we did because we ended up having to do a lot of songs, a lot more than we expected, which was good, though,” Mang admitted.

“It gave us a lot of money and it was cool to see that so many people would like a song from us. It was a lot of work just to come up with songs specifically for whatever a person wanted.”

These random songs include a romantic song for a friend’s wedding and another about Saturday morning cartoons, a range that is also displayed in what they had already recorded. While the CD is only six tracks, the band already has enough material now for a full-length album, though their first was a lot of work.

“The songs were our favorites at the time, but we have six new favorites now. We’re looking at an album…We found out that recording an album is very tough for us because we love to focus on the music of it,” Michael Eastman emphasized.

The Great Party credit Nordberg for his countless hours of tedious engineering and mixing, with Eric Ritter from Windmill Agency handling the final mastering.

“We did end up taking a lot of recordings from the original demos and then sort of sprucing them up or redoing certain sections of them,” Nordberg said. “I could have gone on forever, but they gave me a deadline.”

Michael Eastman said they felt “very fortunate” that people believed enough in their work to raise the over $1,000 needed for the record, which Mang believes “shows a variety in styles and approaches” while maintaining a distinct sound.

“People really seem to like it, all age groups. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from it, and that’s exciting ,” said Rosaleen. In an effort to reward their fans for their dedication, they will be playing two back-to-back sets at The Bog, totaling 15 songs.

“We’re trying to make the show more of an event. We’re going to try to decorate. Maybe have a couple surprises. We want to really get people involved, not just have people show up and listen to our music, but to come and literally have it be a party,” Mang enthused.

“We encourage people to dress up like you’re going out for something special and get people in as good a mood as possible. Hopefully they’ll be dancing and moving around too unless the place is just too jammed to move.”

“W - Go Lackawanna