If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years and haven’t ventured out to any of the outstanding local live music venues, then it’s possible that you haven’t heard of The Fave.
But for area music lovers, that’s equivalent to admitting that you really don’t know jack about the local scene – ’cause even if you haven’t heard them play recently, it would be hard to miss the members of the band at the Goldhawk’s open mic night or supporting a fellow band at the back room of Maxwell’s.
Members of the band – formerly known as eugene – have been active in the music scene for over a decade. If Hoboken has a band that is the soul of the current local rock scene, that band would be The Fave.
A family affair
Since 2006, the Fave gained new focus with the addition of seasoned drummer Fran Azzarto, owner of the Goldhawk and former member of the band Skanatra and The Gefkens.
The Fave includes three talented family members from the now defunct eugene, including: Jaime Rose Della Fave (lead vocals), her brother Dominick “Kingdom” (guitar), and cousin Edward Jude Smith on bass guitar.
When eugene first began playing out in 2000, they built a grassroots following of locals who shared in the band’s passion. The band packed the house at those early shows with fans who were just as excited as band members. Their success only grew with the album Escaping the Paparazzi and with the 2005 show “Hoboken Rocks” at Pier A in Hoboken.
If anything was missing while playing as eugene, it was perhaps the ability to move beyond the constraints of their fans, who wanted to hear hits from the past.
Your new ‘faves’
According to Dominick “Kingdom” Della Fave, when they lost the original drummer from eugene and Azzarto started to fill in, the band began going in a slightly different direction all while maintaining the energy that attracted fans to begin with.
One way members thought to mark the evolution was with the new band name, The Faves (a play on the last name Della Fave) and nicknames like Dominick’s “Kingdom.”
“When I was in the fourth grade, I wrote a story called ‘King Dom and his kingdom’ and I was waiting for the chance to unleash it,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not the same person that I was [while in eugene].”
He added, “In this record, we feel so much like a band. We all write on this record, we all sing on this record. [We said] let’s put what we want to be called on it and that’s it.”
Kingdom said that when Fran began filling in, he began rewriting their old songs, making them better. After he officially joined in the summer of 2006, they immediately began working on the new album.
Yet not everything is new.
According to Kingdom, their catch phrase for the band back when they were eugene “feel the love, feel the anger” is still relevant.
“It still kind of applies,” said Kingdom. “People think that we are a happy-go-lucky band, but if you listen to the lyrics it is a much more serious thing. This whole album is about wanting to go somewhere better.”
He said that fans can find a much more serious layer of meaning if they listen to lyrics as opposed to just listening to the music.
Another change is the recent addition of the fifth member of the Fave – Dave Entwistle (vocals, percussion, rhythm guitar). Entwistle performed as a Fave at the spring Art & Music festival in Hoboken, adding a new dimension to their songs and he also performs on several of the tracks on the new album.
With Azzarto driving the beat, the Fave has gelled into phenomenal rock band – with each member working cohesively, blending into a passionate, expressive sound. At a live show it’s impossible not to be moved and enthralled by the music, which feels each time like they are playing their last.
Tomorrow’s June
Their latest CD, Tomorrow’s June has a dozen new songs that are a testament to just how far this band has come.
“The record was so much work,” said Kingdom. “We never put something together like that. It is a timepiece in our lives, and we’d like to make it a timepiece in other people’s lives.”
Also adding his skill to the CD is Fran’s brother Matt Azzarto, who also performs guitar on the album and mixed many of the tracks at his studio, Think Tank Studio in Hoboken.
And what does Kingdom think of their new sound?
“I think that we are able to express ourselves in a better way,” said Kingdom. “Ed and Fran are the musical grownups. Add that to Jamie and I who are willing to get the point across. We play less, but it means more. We play less and it sounds better.”
Fans who were at Hoboken’s spring festival got to hear many of the new songs including the catchy, foot stampin’, tambourine shakin’ “Let it Out” and “Tomorrow’s June.” Always the consummate performers, they play with the same commitment to a crowd of 40 or a thousand.
To say that the new songs on the album are good isn’t enough. To say that they are mood-altering, spirit-lifting and infectious is better. But to truly appreciate The Fave is to see them perform their songs live and witness the passion each talented member has for the music and to hear the effortless result. If there was a Music Olympics, the Fave would get a 10 for live shows.
They recently played at the AIDS Walk New York 2008, which was the fifth time they played in Central Park. “There were a few thousand people there easily,” said Kingdom. “It started raining, but no one left. We were happy about that. People were dancing. We are trying to get in front of new people.”
Release party at Maxwell’s
The official release party for the CD will be held next weekend on Saturday, May 31 at Maxwell’s with the doors opening at 8 p.m. Copies of the CD will be available that night and also are available through the band’s website and at Tunes in Hoboken, plus many online music sites including iTunes, Napster, and others.
“What I really hope is that people really listen to the album from beginning to end,” said Kingdom. “We hope people listen to the story. We were trying to tell a story that really comes across if you listen to it beginning to end.”
Kingdom said that the band intends to promote the album at shows in the New York, Boston, and Philly area. At the release party, the lineup includes: Tall Days, Waking Lights, Lloyd United and then headliner The Fave, who will play at 11 p.m. The night will close with DJ Mike Fresh who will spin rock, disco, and R&B.
“We want to make the show something that people will not soon forget,” said Kingdom, who promises that the show will be entertaining.
He added, “Although we write music for ourselves, we represent the people. I think we are at a time where the world needs a lot of hope and something to look forward to. Music can be the catalyst for that.”
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