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FUNCH
Funch was an independent rock and roll band from New Jersey that existed from 1994 to 2007. Though most commonly held to be a punk rock band, Funch never wholeheartedly embraced that designation.
History:
Funch was founded by bassist James Schreib and rhythm guitarist Anthony Bonillo. They were later joined by Jim Wisniewski on vocals. The band’s first official jam session was June 17, 1994, the night of the now infamous OJ Simpson car chase. After accumulating one LPs worth of songs and a handful of covers from Black Flag, Joan Jett, Blondie and other American punk and rock artists, the band began playing basement venues. Singer Eugene DeRobertis joined the band in 1996. At this time, Jim Wisniewski moved to lead guitar. In 1996 the band recorded a handful of demo tracks that were never released. Some of those songs would later be re-recorded to appear on their second CD (Powerbroker, 1998) and their 10 year anniversary CD (10 Years of Beers, 2004).
Funch is a Danish surname. The name Funch was attractive to the members partly due to its short, hard sound (e.g., it strongly resembled the work punch). The name was also a tongue-and-cheek way of making fun of band names like Helmet, Crowbar, and Tool. Since the name meant nothing in the English dictionary, it was well-suited to be the name of a band who claimed allegiance to no genre.
Throughout their existence, Funch was plagued by drummer difficulties, ultimately going through five full-time drummers and two part-time replacement drummers before calling it a day. According to founding member James Schreib, the original concept of Funch was to be a Black Flag cover band. However, with the addition of Jim Wisniewski and Eugene DeRobertis, the band changed direction. Funch began creating original tracks by drawing heavily from the punk rock and heavy metal of the late 1970s and early 1980s. 1950s rock and roll was also a part of the band’s sound, primarily due to singer Eugene DeRobertis’ use of early rock and roll and doo wop stylings in his vocal melodies. The band’s primary musical influences were Little Richard, The Teenagers, the Ramones, the Misfits, Black Sabbath, the Bad Brains, the Paul DiAnno era Iron Maiden, early GBH, and Motorhead.
Funch’s independently released CDs touched upon an array of topics, including, pollution, dissatisfaction with contemporary American values, war, drinking with friends, dissatisfaction with contemporary rock and roll, and the band’s own struggle to manage adversity. Funch lyrics also showed a strong tendency toward topics such as child abuse, domestic abuse, mental illness, self-reproach, and other psychologically relevant issues. This was due to the fact that their singer, Eugene DeRobertis, has a Ph.D. in existential-phenomenological psychology.
Though Funch sometimes played out of state, the band was strongly New Jersey based. The overwhelming majority of their shows and promotional efforts were in the Garden State. Though the band never claimed to be a punk rock band, they most often found themselves book with New Jersey punk rock bands. Still, Funch’s unconventional style of playing punk-styled music often gave rise to confusion over their genre. Reviews of the band sometimes consisted of listing bands from diverse genres in a frustrated attempt to explain the band’s sound.
Members:
Anthony Bonillo (rhythm guitar)
Eugene DeRobertis (lead vocals)
James Schreib (bass guitar)
Jim Wisniewski (lead guitar, backing vocals)
Discography:
Nerve Tonic (1997)
Powerbroker (1998)
Roadkill (1999)
Juggernaut (2001)
Gasping for Air (2003)
Ten Years of Beers (2004)
Robots will KILL you! (2006)
Funch has been compared to:
0ld Slayer
AC/DC
Against Me
All
Anal Cunt
As I lay Dying
At The Drive In
Bad Religion
Bambix
Biohazard
Budgie
Buzzcocks
Circle Jerks
Danzig
Dead Kennedys
Dead Moon
Descendents
Dictators
Dio
Drivin' and Cryin'
Exodus
Fallout Boy
Fluffy
Funeral Oration
Green Day
Halford
Halo Grey
Ignite
Iron Maiden
KISS
L7
Mad Sin
Maroon 5
Mars Volta
MC5
Meatloaf
Metallica
Minor Threat
Motley Crue
Motorhead
Offspring
Ozzy Osbourne
Pearl Jam
Peter Frampton
Queen
Ramones
Rise Against
Rob Thomas
Rufio
Rush
Sex Pistols
Sleeter Kinney
Social Distortion
S.O.D.
Sticks and Stones
System of A Down
The Bay City Rollers
The Cramps
The Darkness
The Dickies
The Exploited
The Misfits
The Stooges
The Vandals
Tiger Army
Toadies
Tool |
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COMMENTS ABOUT FUNCH
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Matt Wade @ Seaside Music Fest 2012, Seaside Hts., NJ
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