The Parlor Mob

The Parlor Mob
Origin Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres Hard rock
Years active 2004 (2004)–present
Labels Roadrunner
Members Mark Melicia
David James Rosen
Paul Ritchie
Anthony Chick
Sam Bey
Past members Anthony Chick
Nick Villapiano
Augustus Moore

The Parlor Mob (originally named What About Frank?) is a rock band founded in New Jersey in 2004. The name comes from one of the notorious Hell's Kitchen gangs active at the turn of the 20th century.[1] The band presently consists of singer Mark Melicia, guitarists David James Rosen and Paul Ritchie, and drummer Sam Bey.[2]

Some of the band's songs have been featured on television, on shows such as Entourage, Friday Night Lights, Person of Interest, and more, as well as in video games such as NASCAR 09, MLB 09: The Show, MLB 12: The Show and Sleeping Dogs.

History

Formation & Capitol Records

The original members of the band formed in 2004 as What About Frank?[3] and independently released an album in 2005 entitled The March Of The Elephants. The band won the title of Best Live Band at the Asbury Music Awards twice, attracting the attention of Capitol Records. After recording a 4-song EP for Capitol, the band was dropped in the wake of a corporate merger between Capitol and Virgin Records.[4] The band chose to give away the EP for free, eventually attracting the attention of Roadrunner Records, with whom the band signed a record deal in 2007.

And You Were a Crow (2008)

Producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, The Dwarves, Modest Mouse), who had previously contacted the band while they were recording for Capitol, contacted Roadrunner to express his interest in producing the band's new record. On September 28, 2007, the band began recording at Asheville, NC's Echo Mountain studios. The album, And You Were a Crow, was completed on Halloween of 2007 and released digitally on April 11, 2008. The physical CD was released on May 6, 2008. The band was featured on the iTunes Store's section of best new rock artists in 2008. The lead single, "Can't Keep No Good Boy Down", was featured in the sixth season of the television show Entourage.

As additional promotion for their new record, the Parlor Mob was featured in a performance setting on the NBC television show Knight Rider in October 2008.[5]

Dogs (2011)

On August 15, 2010, the band released a statement via their website in regards to their upcoming album:

“ "We got home from Europe last fall knowing that we had effectively finished touring behind And You Were A Crow and feeling ready to start work on the next album. After a little bit of downtime, we pretty much holed ourselves away from everything and began writing with the individual ideas we had from the road, putting things together and seeing where it would take us.

We spent the dead of winter locked away near our home in NJ, recording demos and trying new and different things with our ideas. At some point in this process, a schism developed and we ended up parting ways amicably with our bassist Nick Villapiano. There was nothing personal about it, and we are still the best of friends. Nick is now playing in a band called Atlantic, Atlantic, and we are all very close and we encourage you to check them out. They're a fantastic band. After continuing writing for a while with no bass player, we ended up with another one of our best friends joining the band. His name is Anthony Chick and we're excited to have him as a full time member.

We finally really settled in (with a new rehearsal space) this spring and felt able to charge full bore towards the finish line, and now at last it's in sight. We've been compiling ideas and songs and concepts since about halfway through the last touring cycle and we've been condensing and improving them into what they are now. Not to mention the things that we've been writing moment to moment that we've been fleshing out into living songs. At this point we're just about ready to get in the studio and make the record.

Our friend Matt Radosevich, who engineered the first record and with whom we've remained extremely close, is going to be producing this album. We've been working with him doing pre-production for a bit now, and starting tomorrow we'll be doing two more weeks of thorough pre-pro. When that's done, it will be time to make the record.

The process that brought us here with these songs was long, extremely intense and emotionally heavy, and we're fully aware it took a bit longer than expected, but the recording process we plan on making fast, spontaneous and equally as emotionally charged. We're currently more powerful than we've ever been, and feel more strongly about these songs than we ever have about anything in our career.

We cannot wait to bring you this record.

Love,

The Parlor Mob"[6]

 ”

On August 22, 2011, the band released "Into the Sun", the lead single from their record Dogs. The full album was released on October 11, 2011.[7] A special edition was also released featuring 3 bonus tracks.[8]

The song "Into the Sun" is featured as the background music to a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial, as well as Monday Night Football.

Dogs was chosen as the title of the album "because it is a personification of everything we all have become and a wide reaching, never-ending analogy for what we currently feel; a unified stamp of our lives in this moment. We have been beaten to the ground, spit on and kicked, and we have bitten back and clawed at those who are against us. We have felt caged. We have been hungry and fought for scraps. We have been pet and praised in one instant, and neglected and abused in the next. We have formed a pack, and we are fiercely loyal to one another."[9]

Cry Wolf (2015)

On June 9, 2014, the band announced via their Facebook page that they would be releasing their 3rd album, "Cry Wolf", this fall along with the immediate release of the first single titled "The Day You Were Born." The announcement effectively ended their hiatus that had been going on since December 2012.

The third album, a five-song extended play, came out February 17, 2015, featuring tracks "The Day You Were Born," "Dead Man," "Doe Eyed Dear," "Racing with a Beating Heart," and the titular "Cry Wolf." Despite containing five songs, the album clocks in just shy of 30 minutes.

Reviews & Reception

CityNews.ca
“ "...the (band's 2009 performance) was a face-melting, Fender-shredding rock out that went a long way in clearing up why some have dubbed this a 'must-see' live band... nobody who watches them perform live will fail to be entertained."[10] ”
Producer Jacquire King
“ "They are very much a live rock 'n' roll band. That is where most bands of that nature do their time and survive - on the road, in rehearsals or playing shows. In my eyes they are an important band, and I do feel they can be the same for the public... I think they are an important link to what is the essence of rock 'n' roll and what is to become a modern expression of it."[11] ”
The New York Times
“ "When you're not even halfway through your 20's, jump-starting a back-to-basics rock revolution seems a tall order. Judging by the rock ‘n' roll charisma radiated by the band members at their live shows - long hair tossing, instrument abusing, generally reckless affairs - [The Parlor Mob] are up to the task."[12] ”
BMI
“ "With dynamic live sets and slightly askew guitar-rock, it's no wonder the genre-breaking group from Red Bank, N.J., has earned the adulation of fans and critics alike. With experimental rock songs that add a fresh twist to the classic sounds of the 60s and 70s, the band that formed in early 2004 is set to lead a musical revolution that will capture audiences of all ages."[13] ”
The Aquarian Weekly
“ "Basically, now is the time to go see them and say later on, 'Yea, you know, I saw them back before they took over the world,' because that's the way things are heading."[14] ”

Members

Discography

Studio albums
Self-released albums
Extended plays
Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
Main.
2008 "Can't Keep No Good Boy Down" — And You Were a Crow
2009 "Hard Times" 35
2011 "Into the Sun" — Dogs
2012 "Fall Back" —
2014 "The Day You Were Born" — Cry Wolf EP

References

  1. ↑ "Roadrunner Records". Roadrunner Records Official Website.
  2. ↑ "The Parlor Mob". Myspace.
  3. ↑ "The Parlor Mob Releases E.p On Capitol". melodic.net.
  4. ↑ "The Parlor Mob: Rock's Rawkus Revival". jambase.com.
  5. ↑ "Roadrunner Records". Roadrunner Records Official Website.
  6. ↑ http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=16430&uid=5962064315&ref=mf[]
  7. ↑ "Amazon.com: Dogs: The Parlor Mob: MP3 Downloads". amazon.com. entertainment choice
  8. ↑ "Amazon.com: Dogs (Special Edition): The Parlor Mob: MP3 Downloads". amazon.com.
  9. ↑ "The Parlor Mob – Dogs 2011-MTD". rlsbb.com.
  10. ↑ "New Jersey Rockers The Parlor Mob Bring Much-Hyped Live Act To The Bovine". citynews.ca. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  11. ↑ "The Parlor Mob: Rock's Rawkus Revival". jambase.com.
  12. ↑ This Mob Wants to Stand Out From the Crowd
  13. ↑ "N.J. Rockers The Parlor Mob Cause Scene in L.A.". BMI.com.
  14. ↑ Halo, Martin (April 9, 2008). "Aquarian Weekly Online Feature Article with The Parlor Mob". Aquarian Weekly Online. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
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