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Mostly Cloudy Local band keeps on rockin’
The Hellfish are creating a buzz across New York
“Making music, it’s something that you can do for the rest of your life,” said Matt Lynch, drummer for local rock band the Hellfish. “No matter how old you get, it’s always fun, and always a great time.”
The Hellfish — a local band, three of whose four members are Malverne High School graduates — released their debut album,“Laughing with the Sinners,” in July 2011, which has been well received to date. The band’s music video for their hit single, “On the Radio” — shot and produced by videographer JP Bresca in February — generated more than 10,000 hits on YouTube in its first week alone, and, to date, has more than 40,000 views.
Lynch, lead singer and guitarist Nick Bellotti and bassist Liam Ledwith are all Malverne High School graduates — all close friends with a passion for making music. The band formed in 2009, with the addition of lead guitarist Lou Fiore, who, at the time, was in a local cover band, Reprimand. After inviting Fiore to a jam session, it was instant chemistry, and the Hellfish were formed.
All four musicians — all in their early 20s — each have their own influences, tastes and ideas. And though their musical tastes differ — from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Sublime, from Phish to the Strokes — both Bellotti and Lynch said they believe it’s the band’s love and admiration for classic rock that keeps them united.
“It’s about rock ‘n’ roll, that’s what we’re all about,” Bellotti told the Herald. Lynch added, “We all really love classic rock ‘n’ roll,” he said, citing the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and others as influential bands, “and that’s where we all meet in the middle when writing songs.”
Fiore told the Herald that several songs from “Laughing with the Sinners” were recorded at East Coast Recording, in Philadelphia, with producer Chris Fasulo.
But then, Lynch explained, the group met One Short Fall, a band from New Jersey that had its own studio. “They wanted to record us,” he recalled. “They were awesome, so we agreed and recorded the rest of the album at Rat House Studio in Parsippany, New Jersey. Our studio time was basically a party time, while laying down tracks. It was a great time and our producer Matt Logie did an amazing job.”
