Lefty a band on the right track

They call themselves Lefty because they simply aren’t right. That’s what drummer Brian Maulick says about this Valley Stream band, which recently performed and recorded at Buckley’s Restaurant.

In addition to Maulick, band members are bassist Nick Plackis, guitarists Louis Dionysiou and Christopher Noel, and lead singer Justin Mastromarino. They all attend different schools but got together though Bracco’s music store on Rockaway Avenue where each takes lessons.

The band started up last summer and has performed six shows total, including at Mixed Notes in Elmont and a community jam session at the Valley Stream American Legion Hall. They even played in Plackis’s backyard for his graduation party.

Maulick, who attends South High School, says while they are a cover band right now, they plan to start composing some original songs. He described their style as alternative and punk, and said the bands they like to cover include Blink-182, Nirvana, Taking Back Sunday and Brand New.

Plackis said the band members choose songs they know well. “We want to challenge ourselves,” he said, “but we don’t want to overextend ourselves. And it has to be a song we like.”

At Buckley’s on Aug. 7, Lefty performed for an afternoon crowd and also recorded a live album with the assistance of a Long Island recording studio. Maulick said they recorded seven songs and will get copies of the CD they can use for promotion. Yoel Gonzalez filled in as lead guitarist for the show in Noel’s absence.

“I got so much feedback from everyone saying ‘you did a great show,’” Plackis said. “It was a cool experience to have.” Plackis doesn’t know how much more he will get to play with the band, though. He just graduated from Chaminade High School and is starting college at SUNY Binghamton this fall.

Other band members will be around for a little longer. Mastromarino is at Central High School and Dionysiou attends Kellenberg. Maulick, at 14, is the youngest band member and also holds the keys to the studio. His basement is where the band rehearses.

Maulick said he followed the lead of his older brother, Patrick, in becoming a drummer. His brother had a drum set downstairs and one day Maulick just decided to start playing. But, he said, he was “terrible,” and decided to take lessons.

Dionysiou said he has only been playing the guitar about two years. He said he wanted to learn how, so he went out and bought one, then started taking lessons.

Mastromarino was originally a bass player with Lefty, but was urged by his band mates to become lead singer, instead. “It’s a great way to express myself,” he said of singing. “The more I put into it, the more I get out of it.”

He said that the band has been putting in a lot of hard work — they rehearse at least once a week — and Mastromarino said their efforts have paid off. “We’ve come a long way,” he said. “These guys are like my brothers.”

Mastromarino is responsible for Lefty’s only original song to date, “The Angry Whopper.” He said he has developed an obsession with the popular Burger King food and felt it needed its own song. The Whopper, he said, is angry because it’s being eaten.

But it was a trip to another fast food place, Taco Bell, that gave the band its name. Maulick said they were in the car on their way to get food and they were just spouting out potential band names. Plackis suggested Lefty. “I had a ring to it,” she said. “It was simple and sounded like a band name.”

Maulick’s father, Thomas, designed the band’s logo with a backwards “F.”

Tony Bracco, owner of the music store where the band members learn, said he is glad to see the boys enjoying what they do. He can see each of them sticking with music — in some way — throughout their lives. “They love it. It’s their life,” Bracco said. “They’re doing it because they wanted to do it.”

He said the boys have been taking lessons there for years and the band just gradually came together. “At a music store,” Bracco said, “everybody gets to know each other.” He added that Lefty’s formation is a by-product of sticking with something. The boys took lessons, stayed patient and didn’t give up.

Bracco also added that in addition to learning their instruments, the boys are learning how to become a band — practice regularly and look for any and all opportunities to perform.

Plackis credits Bracco for all his work behind the scenes. He said Bracco’s honesty during their lessons — though sometimes brutal — is instrumental in helping them improve individually and as a group. “Without him,” Plackis said, “we wouldn’t be a band.”