The members of Friction Broadcast are a lot of things to a lot of people. They’re the closest thing Central PA has to its own Muse. They’re ex-members of a cover band. They’re brothers, sons, old high school buddies.
But most importantly, says singer Anthony Lovari, “we are hitmen fighting off ninjas.” Or at least that’s the role the band plays in the independent film “Fight The Panda Syndicate,” out later this year.
For a bunch of assassins, these guys know their way around a rock song. Inspired equally by modern-day prog-rockers (The Mars Volta, Radiohead) and mid-’90s rock staples (Stone Temple Pilots, Sevendust), Friction Broadcast churns out grinding, gray-toned American rock anthems served up with a big, British pinky in the air. The end result is a mish-mash of high art and middle-ground radio rock that, depending on which kind of music you prefer, can make your snob-o-meter go completely haywire. Some songs sound alarmingly like Muse, from the chord progression to the vocal cadence, while others could be lost tracks from a Default album. And, just to show that nothing’s impossible, some songs actually manage to sound like both.
“We honestly feel that everything has been done before,” Lovari explains. “We’re tired of the same old shit, and these bands that have influenced us as a group have really helped to give us an outlet to be creative and original with our sound and writing.”
Formerly known as Collateral, Friction Broadcast formed about three years ago when brothers Rick and Fran Johns – both of whom were moonlighting on the cover band circuit as part of the amyKband – began recruiting members for an original project. After answering the call, drummer Casey Kraynak recommended Lovari as a vocalist, and a band was born.
Since re-christening itself as Friction Broadcast last year, the band has experienced relatively quick success. “It’s exciting, at times chaotic, most of the time enjoyable,” Lovari quips. “The fans have been digging the music and the word has been getting out there. As an original band in the area, you always find yourself on the outside looking in, but the more we meet people, the more we find out that people [already] know who we are.”
The band’s profile will be raised further in the coming months thanks to an industry showcase at New York’s Bitter End and the release of “Fight the Panda Syndicate,” for which Friction Broadcast also provides the title track. The band also has 12-15 tracks written for a full-length album; however, as Lovari explains, “due to an unsuccessful run with Pennsylvania State Lottery Association, our budget has pushed back the recording of a full-length album until the summer.”
“We are as serious as a heart attack,” he says of the band’s ambitions. “We have some great opportunities that lie ahead. With the help of [managers] Rogue Stork Entertainment, we are positive that Friction Broadcast is a name that people will hear a lot more of.”
Online Now!
