Gabriel the Marine
Encyclopedia
Gabriel the Marine is an American rock
band from Long Island
, New York
. The band is currently composed of guitarist and vocalist Mike Desmond, violinist, pianist and vocalist Dylan Ebrahimian, guitarist Dominick D'Agostino, bassist Tom Costa, and drummer Tom Davis. The band, since its inception into the independent rock scene
in 2008 has released a self titled demo, and an EP
entitled "Your Friends and Loved Ones". The band embarked on their first U.S. tour in the summer of 2009 with A Love Like Pi
and Asteria
, and has since opened for artists such as Taking Back Sunday
, Mew
, Glassjaw
, Jack's Mannequin
, The Sleeping
, As Tall As Lions
, Bayside
, Mae
, Anberlin
, I Am the Avalanche
, The Dear Hunter
, and many others.
The band is known for their leanings towards jazz
and classical orchestrations
; facets that the band has stated will be much more dramatically explored in future recordings.
, New York
. Desmond has admitted that he and Ebrahimian were enemies when they were younger, however the two began writing songs together towards the end of high school.Ebrahimian used to play in a local pop punk
band, The Farewell Effect, and after its demise, members Craig Kleila, John Leibold, and Mark Herburger joined Desmond and Ebrahimian to form Gabriel the Marine.
The newly formed project recorded their self-titled demo in 2008. Shortly following the recording process, Craig Kleila and John Leibold left the band to move away to college. Once the demo was released, it attracted the attention of Neil Rubenstein, a Long Island musician who had performed with the Glassjaw
precursor Sons of Abraham
and sung on the first two Taking Back Sunday
albums. Rubenstein first helped the band secure radio play on K Rock (92.3 fm), and began booking the band soon after through Sons Modern (a booking agency created by Rubenstein and Justin Beck
of Glassjaw
). In May 2009, the band announced that they would perform at the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands in New Jersey with artists such as No Doubt
, Taking Back Sunday
, The Get Up Kids
, and many others. They were also featured in Spin Magazine as "One of 15-Must Hear Bands at Bamboozle Fest". Spin Magazine called them "Jimmy Eat World meets The Decemberists".
to record their follow up EP with producer Mike Watts (As Tall As Lions
, The Almost
, As Cities Burn
). They announced that the album would be called "Your Friends and Loved Ones" due to the fact that family and friends are what supported and continue to support the band through its endeavors. After the recording process was over, the band embarked on two small tours; one with Destry
and The Narrative, the other with The Forecast
. In August, the band completed their first United States tour with the pop-punk tinged bands Asteria
and Theatre Breaks Loose and the indie-electro tinged A Love Like Pi
.
Following their summer tour, the band opened for The Dear Hunter
and later The Sleeping
in September. It was at this time that the band released the five-song "Your Friends and Loved Ones" EP, to critical acclaim. Absolutepunk.net stated that the album was "phenomenal post emo orchestral rock", and users gave it a 92% rating. The newspaper, Newsday
called it "Post-emo orchestral tenderness combined with well-crafted storytelling". The last track off of the EP, "The Ocean" was featured on Keeping Up with the Kardashians
.
In October, the band performed at the CMJ Music Marathon
in New York City
, and soon after was named by Purevolume.com as "One of the Top 20 Unsigned Artists of 2009". Purevolume then released a live ep entitled "Gabriel the Marine: Live From the Purevolume House".
By December 2009 the band won a contest to open for the Danish post rock band Mew
during a part of their North American tour. Later in the month, rumors began circulating that the influential post hardcore band, Glassjaw
(also from Long Island), would be playing at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey as a part of the Sons Modern Christmas Party. Gabriel opened the show along with Bad Rabbits
, Robbers, and Sainthood Reps.
In January 2010 the band embarked on an east coast tour with John Nolan (of Straylight Run
and Taking Back Sunday
fame) and Ocean is Theory. Soon after, bassist Robbie Hassett was kicked out of the band.
, Weezer
, MGMT
, and Drake
. They performed on the Aquarian Stage with similar artists All the Day Holiday
and Moving Mountains
. Soon after they completed a north east tour with the Maryland based band Hotspur.
In June 2010, the acclaimed alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday
announced that Gabriel would be opening up for them during their June tour at the Metro in Chicago. Soon after this, the band announced that they had been writing a new full length album slated to be released sometime in 2011. They entered the studio in January 2011 with producer Jim Wirt to begin recording.
Their music was recently featured on Kourtney and Kim Take New York
, a reality tv show.
Rock 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...
band from Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, 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...
. The band is currently composed of guitarist and vocalist Mike Desmond, violinist, pianist and vocalist Dylan Ebrahimian, guitarist Dominick D'Agostino, bassist Tom Costa, and drummer Tom Davis. The band, since its inception into the independent rock scene
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
in 2008 has released a self titled demo, and an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled "Your Friends and Loved Ones". The band embarked on their first U.S. tour in the summer of 2009 with A Love Like Pi
A Love Like Pi
A Love Like Pi is an American Electronic/Rock band from Red Bank, New Jersey, USA. They were founded in 2006 and are currently signed to Thriving Records.- History :...
and Asteria
Asteria
In Greek mythology, Asteria was a name attributed to the following eight individuals:-Daughter of Coeus:Asteria was the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe and sister of Leto...
, and has since opened for artists such as Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
, Mew
Mew (band)
Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006...
, Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
, Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
, The Sleeping
The Sleeping
The Sleeping is an American rock band from Long Island, New York, formed in 2003. The band was founded by Cameron Keym, Sal Mignano, and Joe Zizzo from the remains of Skycamefalling, after auditioning twenty-two potential singers, they came across Doug Robinson, former singer/guitarist of the band...
, As Tall As Lions
As Tall as Lions
As Tall as Lions was an Indie Rock band from Long Island, New York.- History :High school friends Dan Nigro , Saen Fitzgerald , Brian Fortune and Cliff Sarcona founded the band in December 2001 as they were looking to continue the momentum of a previous project.- Blood and Aphorisms :"Blood and...
, Bayside
Bayside (band)
Bayside is an American punk rock band from Queens which formed in the winter of 2000. The band has released five full length albums since signing to Victory Records...
, Mae
Mae
Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
, Anberlin
Anberlin
Anberlin is an American rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, and drummer Nathan Young.Members of Anberlin originally formed...
, I Am the Avalanche
I Am the Avalanche
-History:I Am the Avalanche was formed by vocalist Vinnie Caruana after the break-up of his previous band The Movielife, and followed his short stint playing in Head Automatica....
, The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter is an indie rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo, formerly of post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens...
, and many others.
The band is known for their leanings towards jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and classical orchestrations
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
; facets that the band has stated will be much more dramatically explored in future recordings.
Formation and Self Titled Demo
Lead vocalist Mike Desmond and violinist Dylan Ebrahimian grew up on the same street together in Lattingtown, a village on the north shore of Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, 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...
. Desmond has admitted that he and Ebrahimian were enemies when they were younger, however the two began writing songs together towards the end of high school.Ebrahimian used to play in a local pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
band, The Farewell Effect, and after its demise, members Craig Kleila, John Leibold, and Mark Herburger joined Desmond and Ebrahimian to form Gabriel the Marine.
The newly formed project recorded their self-titled demo in 2008. Shortly following the recording process, Craig Kleila and John Leibold left the band to move away to college. Once the demo was released, it attracted the attention of Neil Rubenstein, a Long Island musician who had performed with the Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
precursor Sons of Abraham
Sons of Abraham (band)
Sons of Abraham were a five piece Jewish Straight edge hardcore band from Long Island, New York. They released one demo, a split EP with Indecision, and CD/LP titled Termites In His Smile. They disbanded in 1998, as guitarists Justin Beck and Todd Weinstock decided to pursue their other band,...
and sung on the first two Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
albums. Rubenstein first helped the band secure radio play on K Rock (92.3 fm), and began booking the band soon after through Sons Modern (a booking agency created by Rubenstein and Justin Beck
Justin Beck
Justin Beck is the guitarist and musical writer for Long Island, New York band Glassjaw. Beck, with a high school and college buddy, Lee Tepper, also co-founded a band merchandise company called MerchDirect, which started in 1999 by selling band t-shirts over the internet and at local shows.Beck is...
of Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
). In May 2009, the band announced that they would perform at the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands in New Jersey with artists such as No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
, The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American alternative rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-90's emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music...
, and many others. They were also featured in Spin Magazine as "One of 15-Must Hear Bands at Bamboozle Fest". Spin Magazine called them "Jimmy Eat World meets The Decemberists".
Your Friends and Loved Ones EP
In May 2009, after the band played the Bamboozle Festival, they retreated to VuDu Studios in Freeport, New YorkFreeport, New York
Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, USA, on the South Shore of Long Island. The population was 42,860 at the 2010 census. A settlement since the 1640s, it was once an oystering community and later a resort popular with the New York City theater community...
to record their follow up EP with producer Mike Watts (As Tall As Lions
As Tall as Lions
As Tall as Lions was an Indie Rock band from Long Island, New York.- History :High school friends Dan Nigro , Saen Fitzgerald , Brian Fortune and Cliff Sarcona founded the band in December 2001 as they were looking to continue the momentum of a previous project.- Blood and Aphorisms :"Blood and...
, The Almost
The Almost
The Almost is an American alternative rock band from Clearwater, Florida, formed in 2005, and is most notable for being the side project of former Underoath drummer, Aaron Gillespie.-History:...
, As Cities Burn
As Cities Burn
As Cities Burn was an indie/post hardcore band from Mandeville, Louisiana that formed in 2002 and broke up in 2009.-Early beginnings and Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest :...
). They announced that the album would be called "Your Friends and Loved Ones" due to the fact that family and friends are what supported and continue to support the band through its endeavors. After the recording process was over, the band embarked on two small tours; one with Destry
Destry
Destry is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
and The Narrative, the other with The Forecast
The Forecast
The Forecast is an American Western Indie Rock band from Peoria, Illinois. The Forecast's sound is most recognizable for containing strong two and three part harmonies performed by combinations of their multiple vocalists, as heard in tracks such as "Red as the Moon" and "One Hundred Percent". The...
. In August, the band completed their first United States tour with the pop-punk tinged bands Asteria
Asteria
In Greek mythology, Asteria was a name attributed to the following eight individuals:-Daughter of Coeus:Asteria was the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe and sister of Leto...
and Theatre Breaks Loose and the indie-electro tinged A Love Like Pi
A Love Like Pi
A Love Like Pi is an American Electronic/Rock band from Red Bank, New Jersey, USA. They were founded in 2006 and are currently signed to Thriving Records.- History :...
.
Following their summer tour, the band opened for The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter
The Dear Hunter is an indie rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo, formerly of post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens...
and later The Sleeping
The Sleeping
The Sleeping is an American rock band from Long Island, New York, formed in 2003. The band was founded by Cameron Keym, Sal Mignano, and Joe Zizzo from the remains of Skycamefalling, after auditioning twenty-two potential singers, they came across Doug Robinson, former singer/guitarist of the band...
in September. It was at this time that the band released the five-song "Your Friends and Loved Ones" EP, to critical acclaim. Absolutepunk.net stated that the album was "phenomenal post emo orchestral rock", and users gave it a 92% rating. The newspaper, Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
called it "Post-emo orchestral tenderness combined with well-crafted storytelling". The last track off of the EP, "The Ocean" was featured on Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is an American reality television series that airs on E!. The series premiered in October 2007. It focuses on the personal and professional lives of the members of the Kardashian and Jenner family. There will be a 7th Season to premiere in 2012.As of September 2011,...
.
In October, the band performed at the CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is put on by CMJ Network. CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2010 is scheduled for October 19–23 and will be headquartered at New York University and other downtown NYC venues.- History :...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and soon after was named by Purevolume.com as "One of the Top 20 Unsigned Artists of 2009". Purevolume then released a live ep entitled "Gabriel the Marine: Live From the Purevolume House".
By December 2009 the band won a contest to open for the Danish post rock band Mew
Mew (band)
Mew is a Danish alternative music band consisting of Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, and Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen. Bassist Johan Wohlert was also a founding member of the band, but left in 2006...
during a part of their North American tour. Later in the month, rumors began circulating that the influential post hardcore band, Glassjaw
Glassjaw
Glassjaw is a four-piece rock band from Long Island, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and have undergone numerous line-up changes since their inception...
(also from Long Island), would be playing at Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey as a part of the Sons Modern Christmas Party. Gabriel opened the show along with Bad Rabbits
Bad Rabbits
Bad Rabbits is an American Pop / Funk / Punk / R&B band from Boston, Massachusetts, founded in September 2007. The band consists of Fredua Boakye , Sheel Davé , Salim Akram , Graham Masser , and Santiago Araujo . Sheel, Santiago and Fredua are first generation descendants of Indian, Argentinean,...
, Robbers, and Sainthood Reps.
In January 2010 the band embarked on an east coast tour with John Nolan (of Straylight Run
Straylight Run
Straylight Run was an indie rock band based in Baldwin, New York. Two of the members, Nolan and Cooper, had been members of Taking Back Sunday and have now rejoined that band. Their final releases are the EPs About Time and Un Mas Dos, preceded by the full-length album entitled The Needles The...
and Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
fame) and Ocean is Theory. Soon after, bassist Robbie Hassett was kicked out of the band.
Debut Full Length Album
In May 2010 the band played at the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands in New Jersey with headliners ParamoreParamore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, MGMT
MGMT
MGMT is an American alternative rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio...
, and Drake
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
. They performed on the Aquarian Stage with similar artists All the Day Holiday
All The Day Holiday
All the Day Holiday is an American indie rock band based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2007.Rolling Stone named All the Day Holiday one of six breakout bands to watch for at the 2009 Bamboozle Festival.-Formation:...
and Moving Mountains
Moving Mountains (band)
Moving Mountains is an American indie rock/post rock/post hardcore band from Purchase, New York. Combining emotional vocals with elements of post-rock, the band has often been compared to such acts as The Appleseed Cast and Thrice.Moving Mountains was formed in Westchester, New York in 2005 by...
. Soon after they completed a north east tour with the Maryland based band Hotspur.
In June 2010, the acclaimed alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday
Taking Back Sunday is a rock band from Long Island, NY, formed in 1999 by guitarist Eddie Reyes. Current members of the band are Adam Lazzara , John Nolan , Eddie Reyes , Shaun Cooper and Mark O'Connell ....
announced that Gabriel would be opening up for them during their June tour at the Metro in Chicago. Soon after this, the band announced that they had been writing a new full length album slated to be released sometime in 2011. They entered the studio in January 2011 with producer Jim Wirt to begin recording.
Their music was recently featured on Kourtney and Kim Take New York
Kourtney and Kim Take New York
Kourtney and Kim Take New York is an American reality television series, produced by Ryan Seacrest, that debuted on E! in the United States and Canada on January 23, 2011...
, a reality tv show.
Current
- Michael Desmond (Vocals, Guitar)
- Dylan Ebrahimian (Violin, Piano, Vocals)
- Dominick D'Agostino (Guitar) (2009–Present)
- Thomas Costa (Bass) (2011–Present)
- Thomas Davis (Drums) (2009–Present)
Former
- Craig Kleila (Guitar) (2008–2009)
- John Leibold (Drums) (2008–2009)
- Mark Herburger (Bass) (2008–2009)
- Robbie Hassett (Bass) (2009)
- Jesse Lyons(Bass) (2009–2010)
Discography
- Gabriel the Marine Demo (2008)
- Your Friends and Loved Ones (EP, 2009)
- Untitled Full Length Album (2011)