Ben Rice - Guitars / Vocals
Anthony Stella - Guitars / Bgv
Seth Bulkin - Bass
Austin Schumacher - Drums
Influences
AC/DC, The Beatles, The Charlatans, Faces, Free, Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, T. Rex, The Verve
PRESS
"Floating in a realm of brilliance" 89/100 - Rock Realms
"A stand-out vocalist and memorable hooks that will entertain and grow with today's young rock enthusiasts" - The Deli Magazine
"UK fans here will welcome (Surefire) with open arms – and they should. It doesn’t get much better than this as belting debuts go." 9/10 - Rush On Rock
"Surefire is loaded from front to back with catchy, psychedelic hooks that tunnel their way into your brain and refuse to yield" - Elmore Magazine
“Possibly the next big thing in alt music circles.” 4.5/5 – Danger Dog Music
“The stage and sound were absolutely epic. Surefire… might just have the ability and talent to reach Coldplay’s status.” – The Pace Press
“Surefire… has built a rabid following on MySpace and now plays sold-out gigs at the Bowery Ballroom.” – New York Magazine
“Surefire are set to raise the bar with the self-titled Eddie Kramer rockin’ album that’s already been wetting the mouths of various UK radio DJ’s.” - Fireworks Magazine
BIOGRAPHY
Unleashing a blast of guitar rock and roll reflective of rock’s golden era of the late 60s and early 70s, Surefire's debut album is packed with timeless songs and energy for the new millennium. Recorded by singer/guitarist/songwriter Ben Rice in the band’s own studio in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, the resulting album is a testament to the bands DIY work ethic and musicality. Formerly signed to Lizard King Records/Warner Music Group, Rice was not willing to compromise the band’s musical integrity, leaving the label and setting out on his own. Calling on friends Emiliano Ortiz (guitar), Ben Spinrad (drums) and Seth Bulkin (bass) the new Surefire organically and effortlessly came together.
Confident in the record Surefire was working on, Ben hunted down legendary rock producer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones) asking him to come on board to co-produce and mix the record. "I listened to a series of mp3s and loved the musical direction of the band,” recalls Kramer. “It was innovative with a strong look back at the classic rock era.” Shortly after Kramer invited the band out to Los Angeles to complete the album.
Having supported recording artists Arctic Monkeys, Brendan Benson, The Bravery, The Subways, and Mando Diao, Surefire is building a devoted following. In 2006, alongside Coldplay, Radiohead and Bloc Party, Surefire contributed their song "Surrender" to War Child’s compilation “Help A Day In The Life”, a benefit album to help alleviate childhood suffering in war ravaged countries. In the spring of 2009, leading up to the release of their debut, Surefire hit the road for a string of dates for Relay for Life, The American Cancer Society’s signature event honoring those affected by the disease and funding future research.
“Surefire is the best young, innovative band I’ve heard in years,” Eddie Kramer enthuses, “I do believe that Surefire has all of the right stuff to have a successful recording and live career.”
Surefire's self-titled debut album is available NOW on Newkirk Records!
Oh, listen to your grown up vocals being revealed! I miss you Ben! I just found about 8 unwrapped ep's we did together back in the day, along with 2 pins, a wave of memories flushed in. Hope you're doing swell kid. I'll have to catch up with you next time i'm in NY
