A legend out of the glory days of Rochester’s music history is back to puzzle its fans with one of the strangest musical paradoxes of all time: a retro record that is perpetually poised on the cutting edge, like a frozen waterfall.
CMI Records (CASH MATTOCK INC) is slated to reissue the only CD produced by The Lovematics, one of the leading rock acts to come out of Rochester in the ‘90s, within the next month. The self-titled debut was originally released in 1994 when its lineup consisted of drummer Steve Cavatassi, guitarist Todd Dentico, Bassist Chris Kemp and visionary band leader Paul Morabito, who handled lead vocals, rhythm guitar and all of the songwriting duties. It was in that last role that Morabito defined the band’s groundbreaking sound.
“The Lovematics was kind of Paul’s interpretation of Nirvana and the Beatles,” CASH MATTOCK INC CEO Cash Mattock said. “They’ve got a little bit of the Weezer thing, they’ve got a little bit of the Foo Fighters thing.”
The catch is that when the Lovematics were at their peak, Weezer had yet to emerge from obscurity and the Foo Fighters hadn’t even formed yet.
“It’s almost like Paul coined that sound,” Mattock said. “He was way ahead of the game as far as that was concerned.”
The record was more experimental then and ahead of its time by about five years because a heavier style of grunge dominated the national music scene then, according to Mattock. “Back then it didn’t make as much sense,” he said.
Because of a few unfortunate missed opportunities commercial distribution was limited to just a few outlets in the Rochester area, which is a tragedy.
“We feel there was life in the album that still needed to be lived,” Mattock said. “It’s basically a reissue of the CD. It never had a real release; it was used as a demo.”
Despite the limited distribution the nine-song CD still sold well, in part because The Lovematics were one of the leading acts on the club circuit during the “golden years of Rochester music,” when it didn’t take major nationally acts to fill up places like Water Street Music Hall.
“The Lovematics had a pretty good fan base,” he said. “That was back in the heyday of Rochester rock ’n roll.”
That does not mean the band was restricted to the Rochester area. The band was expanding its reach until its breakup in the mid-‘90s and was even invited to play at one the most hallowed clubs in rock history, CBGB’s in the Big Apple, which was used as a launching pad for such famed acts as Blondie, The Ramones and Talking Heads. The Lovematics even received a brief mention in a recent documentary on efforts to save the historic bar, Mattock said.
No live tour is planned in support of the CD, but if interest in the band remains high then CMI Records (CASH MATTOCK INC) might release some of the previously unheard Lovematics tracks in its archives, he said.
The Lovematics are a “different flavor” that rounds out the CMI Records catalog and might appeal to fans of some of the label’s other acts in a complementary way, he said. The album will be available for purchase at a bargain price through www.CMIRECORDS.com, the home of CMI Records, “within the next month” and is distributed internationally through major digital retail outlets.
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