By Kate E. Salute
³It¹s jam rock meets pop mixed with easy to listen to melodies and thought-out lyrics,² says drummer Jason Fenichel of Levittown.
³The lyrics are from the heart and often emotionally based and the music reflects blues, rock, funk and Latin styles,² adds guitarist Vinny Costantino of Seldon, about the band¹s originals. ³Sunshine² reflects on how a sunny day can take away ones troubles, and ³Just Me² is about living up to other people¹s expectations.
³I was going to say acoustic rock, but you¹ve got Vinny in there with the electric guitar, which beefs it up a bit, and a drummer and a bass player, so I guess it¹s rock with pop and funk and some jazz mixed in there, with some jam,² said Jake Incao, the band¹s namesake lead singer-song writer and Baldwin resident, after a thoughtful pause on the band¹s style.
Whatever the style is, it¹s gathered a following in the Rockville Centre area, where the band frequently has gigs. Each month the band plays at MacArthur Park Bar on N. Park Avenue. They hope to someday make it big enough to earn a living from their music and play some famous venues.
³The Vanguard in the city would be a fantasy location to play. But really anywhere,² said bassist Dustin Hickey.
Hickey is an Island Park native who graduated from West Hempstead High School in 2003. At 21-years-old, he is the youngest member of the Jake Incao Band.
The bass player¹s youth doesn¹t hinder his ability and talent. ³If anything, he teaches me [stuff],² Incao said.
Hickey also plays bass with one of the few bands that still falls under a single category, Breakaway, a Long Island blues band that he¹s been with since his high school days.
Fenichel, a SUNY Purchase graduate, has also played with numerous other bands. Most notably, HalfManWonder, who headlined several local venues during its seven-year run, Dave Glicker¹s The Downtown being one, a now defunct Farmingdale venue.
Both Fenichel and Incao¹s dream gig is to play Madison Square Garden on the main stage.
³Is that high ambition? That would be insane,² Incao said whimsically.
At least it wouldn¹t be far from his current Baldwin home or from South Hempstead where he grew up. Incao attended South Side High School in Rockville Center and graduated in 1999. His first public performance was at a coffee shop.
Incao recalls, ³It was called Scotty D¹s. It wasn¹t a bar, but it was the cool place to hang out. I remember being in shock at the line of people there because I promoted [so much for the] show, handing out flyers and stuff.²
Since the days of Scotty D¹s, Incao and his band mates have primarily stayed within the Rockville Centre circuit when playing on Long Island.
Prior to the Jake Incao Band, Incao headed up Jake¹s Magic Pouch for two years and played solo, acoustic gigs whenever andwherever possible. But The Pouch, as fans often refer to it, is where the loyal fan base really took shape. Jake¹s Magic Pouch played at the Backstreet Blues (currently Vibe Lounge) at the corner of N. Park Avenue and Front Street in Rockville Centre every Monday night during the summer of 2001. People would go, listen, like what they heard and return each Monday night for some more‹more toe tapping, body moving, get-up on your feet and dance music.
³There¹s no recreating Monday nights,² Incao blissfully recalled.
Aside from the regular Monday night performances, whenever The Pouch played Manhattan, they would get a school bus‹appropriately dubbed the Magic Bus‹and cart their friends and fans to and from the show, a tradition that didn¹t die with the break up of The Pouch.
Some of the most memorable shows for Incao have been at legendary The Bitter End on Bleecker Street in Manhattan. ³So many greats have played there‹Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen,² Incao said. ³We bring our crowd but there¹s also all these stragglers who just come in and listen and pay attention and really get into it, dancing and really genuinely having a good time.²
Costantino concurs, ³We have a residency there and it feels like home to me.²
Costantino, a skilled electric guitar player for 13 years, was the first member to join Incao, after Incao found him at Five Towns College. ³I went seeking out musicians in need of a band,² said Incao, who ran into a friend who recommended Costantino. The two have been playing together for two years with no end in sight.
³As a band we get along extremely well, no egos at all. Song writing is open to everyone¹s input, which is also a great, creative outlet,² said Costantino, who recommended Fenichel. Hickey was also recommended by a friend of Incao¹s. The whole story of how these four hooked-up is an elaborate Six Degrees of Separation that spans Long Island.
Incao speaks candidly about his up-hill battle to be a musician. ³The first song I ever wrote, I¹d have to be honest and say it¹s horrible,² Incao said, putting a strong emphasis on Œhorrible.¹ The second song, or as he calls it, ³my first real song,² is one that Incao continues to play to this day called ³Love Sweet Love,² which he calls a love song but not one about a girl. ³It¹s about family,² he proclaimed. Incao wrote this tune shortly after his parents¹ divorce when he was 17-years-old. ³I wrote it from a place where I was just dealing with the fact that my parents just got divorced and this and thatŠIt came out of family and love and what you want to do with your life. It¹s absolutely the song that I¹m most attached to.²
Incao, who doesn¹t have a ³plan B² other than to play music, assures his friends and fans, ³I¹m very dedicated, focused, and all that I do is for the love of music. But I¹m trying to make a business out of it. It¹s not the easiestŠ I¹m a struggling musician and I deliver pizzas part time for a living.²
On Friday, Jan. 27, The Jake Incao Band will play The Knitting Factory in Manhattan. Details about the show, as well as MP3s (to figure out what categories the band falls into) can be found on the bands Web site at JakeIncao.com.
