The Gerunds

Bio:

.. The Gerunds never intended to be a real band... For years, the Gerunds existed only as a hobby for its primary songwriting collaborators, Hunter Bennett and Peter Cortner (who fronted influential punk band Dag Nasty). .. Back in 2003, Peter and Bennett – who connected online on a message board dedicated to ‘80s Washington, DC punk bands -- began trading music ideas through e-mail. .. Hunter would provide an MP3 of a general song flow and the foundational elements – guitar and bass, for example. Peter would lock himself in his attic with a laptop, and layer in samples of drums and various musical odds and ends, such as keyboards or melodica snippets. Peter also provided lyrics and vocals... The compositions drew heavily from Peter and Hunter’s shared musical passions. .. “Given that Hunter and I spent so many years in the punk scene, it’s inevitable that there’s some of that,” says Peter. “But we’re also huge fans of anything with strong melodies – from Joy Division to Naked Raygun.”.. Although Peter was the lead signer for Dag Nasty in the late 1980s, he never harbored any desire to return to the stage... “I always considered that part of my life to be done with,” says Peter, who went to law school is now a school teacher. “Playing in Dag Nasty was an amazing period in my life. I never really had the ‘itch’ since. I was fine if only a handful of people ever heard the Gerunds.”.. That was until Peter saw friends Sal Cannestra and Joe Iacavella play their debut show as The Thirteen in the summer of 2008... “They played the perfect first show,” Peter remembers. “Everything aligned perfectly – it sounded great, they had great presence, and the crowd was eating it up. And for the first time in a very long time, I wished I was performing as well.”.. Peter shared his feelings with his wife, who encouraged him to make The Gerunds into more of a hobby, and establish a “real band.” Hunter, who had since moved from Philadelphia back to DC, also encouraged Peter to pursue this desire. .. “I needed a big push to get my ass moving,” Peter admits. “Enthusiasm of friends and family did the trick.”.. Peter recruited Sal and Joe to play guitar, and Ben Goldberg (who plays in the veteran Philly band Grady) came on board to play bass. Paul Colucci, who has played in Endgame and other New Jersey punk bands, joined as drummer for the Gerunds. Mickey Lynch became a Gerund as well, playing keyboards and providing backing vocals. .. The “new” Gerunds practiced for over a year (“We needed to get the sound just perfect,” Peter says), and made its live debut in Philadelphia in September 2009... Since then, the Gerunds has played shows throughout the area, including Brooklyn, Manhattan, New Jersey, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other locations. .. “Dag Nasty was a popular band, sure,” says Peter. “But we want to pay our dues. Our favorite gigs are in small, packed clubs, where we can exude every bit of energy and have the audience give it right back to us.”.. The band recently recorded new demo tracks, and expects to enter the studio again in the spring... “Hunter and I developed songs that served as the musical foundation for The Gerunds,” says Peter. “But the rest of the guys are having a huge influence in the evolution of our sound, and are all contributing the creation of new songs."

Member Since:

August 25, 2005

Members:

guitar and vocals
Joe Iacovella
Sal Cannestra

keyboards and vocals
Mickey Lynch

bass and vocals
Ben Goldberg

vocals & a wee bit of guitar
Peter Cortner

editor emeritus
J. Hunter Bennett

Influences:

The dreams of children.

Sounds Like:

Naked Raygun meets Joy Division vs. the B-52's while Scott Walker watches.