Alpha Male Gorillas
Encyclopedia
Alpha Male Gorillas are an American multi-genre band from Newburgh, New York. Formed in late 2004, the lineup currently consists of bassist
Dave Heinz, guitarists The Don, Anthony De Fraia, and Octavius, drummer
Chris Trainor and keyboardist
EZI. In 2006 the band issued their debut LP, Band of Bugouts, and enjoyed radio success from the single "Bleed Marinara".
In 2008, the band achieved success in the Bodog
Battle of the Bands, winning the New York
regional before losing in the finals. In 2010, AMG released its second full-length album, No Working Title. Both albums were self-financed by the band and produced by Jon Stern at Rough Magic Studious in Poughkeepsie, New York.
AMG is expected to release its 3rd studio album in 2012.
, blues
, hip hop
and reggae
, with elements of psychedelic
. The band coined the term "Heavy Mellow.".
, WPDH
and WRRV
. The song is an ode to being Italian.
In 2008, AMG joined a pool of over 10,000 unsigned bands to participate in the 2nd Bodog Battle of the Bands, with the grand prize being a $1 million dollar recording contract and a spot on a reality TV series on the FUSE Network. After advancing through preliminary rounds, AMG won the New York bracket and advanced to to regional finals against other groups from Philadelphia and Boston. The band lost to All Grown Up in the finals.
In 2010 review of No Working Title, Thunder Roads Magazine said: "The style of music is not easy to pin down, however they have tasty influences that range from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Cypress Hill, and even Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd."
In January 2011, TheCelebrityCafe.com said of AMG's song Beach Bum: "Beach Bum tells the story of exactly who the title describes, living off the land (and water) in the most relaxed manner: “No money/no hurry/listen honey/I got no worries.” The irony is that writing a song about this might get you chicks, but actually living this lifestyle would get you arrested for vagrancy." The reviewer concluded, "I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this album to anyone unless they have an equalizer function that removes overdone pot references."
Former members
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Dave Heinz, guitarists The Don, Anthony De Fraia, and Octavius, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Chris Trainor and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
EZI. In 2006 the band issued their debut LP, Band of Bugouts, and enjoyed radio success from the single "Bleed Marinara".
In 2008, the band achieved success in the Bodog
Bodog
Bodog is an online entertainment brand launched in 1994 by Calvin Ayre.Originally the company traded at but the brand was later divested and intellectual property rights were assigned to and consolidated in BodogBrand.com...
Battle of the Bands, winning the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
regional before losing in the finals. In 2010, AMG released its second full-length album, No Working Title. Both albums were self-financed by the band and produced by Jon Stern at Rough Magic Studious in Poughkeepsie, New York.
AMG is expected to release its 3rd studio album in 2012.
Style
AMG presents listeners with an inflection of multiple styles, traversing through areas of rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, with elements of psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
. The band coined the term "Heavy Mellow.".
Bleed Marinara, Bodog Battle and No Working Title
In 2006, AMG released its first single, Bleed Marinara, which shot to success on YouTube and received airplay on radio stations such as WSPKWSPK
WSPK is a CHR radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and broadcasting from studios in Fishkill. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts on 104.7 MHz at an ERP of 7.4 kilowatts from a tower at the top of Mount Beacon in Fishkill.WSPK's main coverage area is centered on the...
, WPDH
WPDH
WPDH is a mainstream rock radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York, and serving from extreme Northern New Jersey to New York's Hudson Valley and Catskills. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts on 101.5 MHz at 4.4 kilowatts ERP from a tower site on Illinois Mountain in...
and WRRV
WRRV
WRRV is a modern rock radio station licensed to Middletown, New York and serving the mid Hudson Valley and Catskills of New York state plus nearby areas in New Jersey and Pennsylvania...
. The song is an ode to being Italian.
In 2008, AMG joined a pool of over 10,000 unsigned bands to participate in the 2nd Bodog Battle of the Bands, with the grand prize being a $1 million dollar recording contract and a spot on a reality TV series on the FUSE Network. After advancing through preliminary rounds, AMG won the New York bracket and advanced to to regional finals against other groups from Philadelphia and Boston. The band lost to All Grown Up in the finals.
In 2010 review of No Working Title, Thunder Roads Magazine said: "The style of music is not easy to pin down, however they have tasty influences that range from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Cypress Hill, and even Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd."
In January 2011, TheCelebrityCafe.com said of AMG's song Beach Bum: "Beach Bum tells the story of exactly who the title describes, living off the land (and water) in the most relaxed manner: “No money/no hurry/listen honey/I got no worries.” The irony is that writing a song about this might get you chicks, but actually living this lifestyle would get you arrested for vagrancy." The reviewer concluded, "I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this album to anyone unless they have an equalizer function that removes overdone pot references."
Discography
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Band of Bugouts | 2006 |
| No Working Title | 2010 |
| Alpha Male Gorillas | 2012 |
Members
Current lineup- The Don - Guitar (2004–Present)
- Octavius - Guitar (2004–Present)
- Dave Heinz - Bass (2005–Present)
- EZI - Keyboards (2004–Present)
- Ant De Fraia - Multi-instrumentalist (2005–Present)
- Chris Trainor - Drums (2010–Present)
Former members
- Frank "The Dragon" Campolo - Multi-instrumentalist (2004–2008)
- 2-Dolla Tom Agunzo - Drums (2004–2008)
- Joe Milli - Vocals (2004–2011)