LaLa’s Basement is a local Staten Island phenomenon, fronted by lead singer Lenny Kinnear along with Mike Barone key boards and backing vocals, guitarists and backing vocalists Rob Damadio, Frank Malandro, drummer Rich Mattalian. The buzz quickly spread from the early gigs to book them into larger venues. The band owes its unique moniker from Kinnear's younger brother. When he was younger he couldn’t pronounce Lenny's name so he called him LaLa. It caught on with family and friends and to this day they still all him that. The band originated playing in his basement so combining those two seemed like good idea and a catch and now infamous band name was born.
All the band members agree that playing in LaLa's Basement is a once in a lifetime opportunity. They are a Staten Island Super Group of sorts, combining members of several different bands. They are six guys each with their own personalities and ideas. With each gig they learn how to better work with each other. Sometimes it’s about compromise but most of the time it’s about their love for the music. They all agree that it’s not only the dynamic within the group it’s the energy from the crowd that makes each performance a unique experience.
The boys in the band are all fantastic musicians and showmen, their talent and stage presence have earned them a huge following in the tri-state. At big clubs or your local watering hole, if LaLa’s Basement is playing you will definitely see a line outside the bar with eager fans wanting to get their party on!
LaLa’s Basement plays what you want to hear that will get you dancing, fists pumping in the air and singing along. Whether it is old school favorites, Rock, Top 40, or Hip Hop, every song is a party on its own.
The band’s favorite part of playing live is connecting with their audience and making sure everyone has a good time and leaves wanting more. Each of the guy’s has their own moves and antics that they are known for. According to the guys “We don’t see it as performing separate from the crowd. We see it as everyone in the place having a good time together”.
Naturally all guys want to be rock stars to pick up girls….that was not the only reason behind picking up a microphone or several guitars, a keyboard and a drum kit in this case. The guys have met a lot of great people in different venues who have started out as fans but become friends. Friends who support their band and with the help of MySpace their appeal has taken a wider reach out to more venues. LaLa’s Basement fans are die-hard and rarely miss shows, even traveling to different boroughs and States to catch the boys in action.
I was afraid I wouldn't survive a night in Staten Island but I made it back home in one piece haha thanks for being so welcoming :) Good to see you guys...wish I could have stayed longer. Jersey misses you, come back soon!
.jpg)
