Nik Rael - Lead Vocal/Bass
Steve Petrone - Drums/Vocals
John Platania - Guitar/Vocals
Produced by John Platania
Influences
It’s tough to name influences because you always feel like you are leaving someone out. • allman brothers • louis armstrong • the attractions • badfinger • the band • syd barrett • the beatles • beck • the bee gees • chuck berry • booker t and the mgs • james brown • jackson browne • jeff buckley • buffalo springfield • solomon burke • paul butterfield blues band • the byrds • johnny cash • ray charles • chuck d • the clash • jimmy cliff • patsy cline • george clinton • sam cooke • elvis costello • creedence clearwater revival • crosby,stills and nash • sandy denny • derek and the dominos • bo diddley • willie dixon • donovan • the doors • nick drake • bob dylan • earth,wind and fire • the everly brothers • the fabulous thunderbirds • brian ferry • ella fitzgerald • flying burrito brothers • aretha franklin • marvin gaye • al green • woody guthrie • tim hardin • emmylou harris • george harrison • richie havens • jimi hendrix • malcolm holcombe • billie holiday • janis ian • michael jackson • skip james • robert johnson • janis joplin • mindy jostyn • the kinks • led zeppelin • john lennon • little richard • bob marley • curtis mayfield • paul mccartney • joni mitchell • van morrison • willie nelson • the neville brothers • gram parsons • wilson pickett • pink floyd • john platania • the police • elvis presley • billy preston • the pretenders • otis redding • terry reid • the rolling stones • roxy music • leon russell • sam and dave • martin sexton • simon and garfunkel • nina simone • steely dan • sly and the family stone • small faces • cat stevens • sting • james taylor • them • irma thomas • richard thompson • peter tosh • traffic • u2 • muddy waters • townes van zandt • stevie ray vaughan • velvet underground • • hank williams • lucinda williams • jackie wilson • stevie wonder • the yardbirds • neil young • Apologies to anyone we may have omitted.
left to right -- Steve Petrone-Nik Rael-Dorraine Scofield-John Platania
http://www.lohud.com/listeningroom for the full episode.
Sounds Like
"Some of the most soulful vocals I have heard in a long, long time" WPKN --- "Love the tunes, love the vocals...we play them all the time" WKZE --- "A voice that can't miss....A sure-fire bet to go places" Tom Cimillo - music industry veteran ------
We've paid our dues --
Now we're gonna break through --
But we need you and you and you and you.
We try to answer every one that responds to our page.....please forgive us if it takes a little time. Real music for real people. Besides wanting to travel the entire US and bringing our music to anyone that wants to hear it, HeadSoup also wants to travel to countries around the globe. If you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Thank you.
Our sound has alternately been called the "New Cat Stevens" or the "New Van Morrison" or the new this or that.....and though that is extremely flattering and humbling....one day I might simply just want us to be known as HeadSoup . :-)
HeadSoup was born, in a dorm room, as Fish HeadSoup. The name was soon shortened to HeadSoup. Not that the band has anything against fish, but it just seemed to roll off the tongue a little easier. All the members of the band share a deep passion for music. Add to that some slightly skewed but fertile musical minds, a dynamic voice or two, 10 strings and a drum apparatus and you have the ingredients of their humble beginnings. HeadSoup’s members came together from opposite ends of the country and consider themselves very fortunate to have found each other. The band’s focus has always been about serving the song with the ultimate goal to always treat whatever piece of music they are playing with the utmost respect. They constantly search out new forms of music and once they’ve “discovered” them completely immerse themselves in that form. A common denominator among the members of the band during their early years was that their households were filled with music. Each one of them wore out hundreds records from their parent’s vinyl collections. “We also loved the radio when we were young, with real live DJs that would talk to you about the music and the musicians, kind of like a friend with knowledge that we craved” says lead singer Nik Rael. The group was playing any club, gymnasium or VFW hall in the Philadelphia area that would have them and their loyal fans would always ask them when are you going to record some of their songs. At the time the band was just completely into the experience of playing live and hadn’t given much thought to recording. They started out by recording a couple of “demo” tunes and just passing them out to friends. Somehow one of those “demo cassettes” found its way to a Philadelphia area radio station and to the band’s shock and surprise the station began playing it. People called in requesting the two songs and the band realized that maybe it was time to look at recording a little more seriously. HeadSoup’s self-titled eight-song debut CD was released in the late ‘90s. Actually released might be too strong a word, they pretty much sold them at gigs out of the trucks of their cars. Even with this limited distribution it didn’t take long for the band to gain a strong regional following. As any group of musicians that has pursued their dreams will tell you, there are easier ways of making a living. The band has seen their fair share of trials and tribulations. They have slept on friends floors, played outdoor shows in torrential downpours, been forced to move out of their apartments in the middle of the night and have even on occasion been forced to live in their cars. On one cold dank night after a gig, a gang even tried to take their car with all their equipment in it. It was only through some curbside negotiation and a few bumps and bruises that they managed to salvage their gear and their “apartment." The band also played one of the last shows ever at The World Trade Center just days before the 9/11 attack. In 2003 the band moved to the Hudson Valley in New York and things have been looking up ever since. Their second CD "Worlds Fade Away”, produced by long time Van Morrison guitarist John Platania was released in early 2004 and received strong regional air play. This CD was released as by lead singer/writer Nik Rael rather than under the HeadSoup name because it began as more of acoustic CD than the band album it evolved into. “Worlds Fade Away “ is a HeadSoup album through and through and the band would like to apologize for confusing their fans in any way. Also in 2004 drummer, vocalist extraordinaire Steve Petrone joined up with Nik in HeadSoup. Steve is the former leader of the very popular Hudson Valley band, Andy Gootch. The band has spent the last couple of years touring and writing songs for their next CD titled “Thank You”. Radio and the Internet have been very kind to the band and we gain new fans everyday and we’d like to thank you all.
HeadSoup's "Worlds Fade Away" CD is available from CDBaby.com and all online digital outlets.
The HeadSoup Site is monitored by Big W Productions. Management - 917.922.1087
Jenna Nicholls is to play a last minute gig at The Living Room here in New York tonight Saturday at 9pm. Her good friend Kelly McRae is on at 8pm. We would both love to see you there. 154 Ludlow Street, New York City
Love the recordings man, fair play. I'm gona try do some on my own soon but they're gona be Irish traditional ballads, I take it you write your own stuff?
hello,my friend
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