Love Among Freaks
Encyclopedia
Love Among Freaks was an alternative rock
/funk rock
band, founded in the New Jersey
, USA area.
, and Pantella had combined drum
loops along with his live drumming at shows. Pantella had previously played in Raging Slab
. Combinations like these made Love Among Freaks different from the rock scene.
, a native of the New Jersey scene, noticed Love Among Freaks. He asked them to do the musical score for his first film, Clerks
, in 1994. When the film went big, so did Love Among Freaks. The songs "Clerks" and "Berserker" were in the movie and soundtrack. Yet, the band wouldn't release a full-length album until years later after personnel changes that included the addition of vocalist Layonne Holmes and percussionist/spoken word poet Timo Scott.
The band reappeared in 1997 for Kevin Smith's 3rd movie, Chasing Amy
. One of their songs was featured in the movie. The next year, Love Among Freaks decided to finally release a full-length album, titled Representin' Planet Earth. The band became a staple of the New Jersey scene, but never broke into the mainstream audience.
. Pantella and Alexis Lehman had started an electronica
band called Billyrubin. They released their debut, Billyrubin, in 2003. In 2007 Pantella joined The Atomic Bitchwax. Also in 2007, Pantella and Jim Baglino (Human Remains, Dead Guy, Monster Magnet) formed RIOTGOD, along with Garrett Sweeny (of Psycho Daisy), and Mark Sunshine. In 2010, Pantella appeared on LadyKiller's debut self-titled release. He is credited as having played drums on 13 of the 16 songs, in addition to having tracked more than half of the album at his recording studio in Sayerville, NJ.
Steve Smyth has been a regular contributor to the Howard Stern
Radio Show with his song parodies in 2006 and 2007.
Layonne later started a group (with her mother Delores Holmes
, who previously sang backup for Bruce Springsteen
) and continues to sing with various artists.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
/funk rock
Funk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
band, founded in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA area.
Beginning
The band started out with Steve Smyth, Bob Pantella, and Alexis Lehman. The band had combined Lehman's use of funk with the bassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, and Pantella had combined drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
loops along with his live drumming at shows. Pantella had previously played in Raging Slab
Raging Slab
- History :The group formed in 1983 when Greg Strzempka and Elyse Steinman, both guitarists, met in New York City. The two had a shared interest in the heavy rock sounds of 1970's style "boogie" rock and such contemporary punk rock groups as the Ramones and Black Flag...
. Combinations like these made Love Among Freaks different from the rock scene.
Movies
Director Kevin SmithKevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
, a native of the New Jersey scene, noticed Love Among Freaks. He asked them to do the musical score for his first film, Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
, in 1994. When the film went big, so did Love Among Freaks. The songs "Clerks" and "Berserker" were in the movie and soundtrack. Yet, the band wouldn't release a full-length album until years later after personnel changes that included the addition of vocalist Layonne Holmes and percussionist/spoken word poet Timo Scott.
The band reappeared in 1997 for Kevin Smith's 3rd movie, Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....
. One of their songs was featured in the movie. The next year, Love Among Freaks decided to finally release a full-length album, titled Representin' Planet Earth. The band became a staple of the New Jersey scene, but never broke into the mainstream audience.
Breakup
It was assumed that Love Among Freaks had broken up a while after. Bob Pantella went on to become the new drummer for the band Monster MagnetMonster Magnet
Monster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
. Pantella and Alexis Lehman had started an electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
band called Billyrubin. They released their debut, Billyrubin, in 2003. In 2007 Pantella joined The Atomic Bitchwax. Also in 2007, Pantella and Jim Baglino (Human Remains, Dead Guy, Monster Magnet) formed RIOTGOD, along with Garrett Sweeny (of Psycho Daisy), and Mark Sunshine. In 2010, Pantella appeared on LadyKiller's debut self-titled release. He is credited as having played drums on 13 of the 16 songs, in addition to having tracked more than half of the album at his recording studio in Sayerville, NJ.
Steve Smyth has been a regular contributor to the Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
Radio Show with his song parodies in 2006 and 2007.
Layonne later started a group (with her mother Delores Holmes
Delores Holmes
Delores Holmes was an American soul singer. She was best known for her years as backup singer for the Bruce Springsteen Band during 1969 to 1972, the last grouping before the E Street Band...
, who previously sang backup for Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
) and continues to sing with various artists.
Members
- Steve Smyth - Lead vocals, guitar
- Bob Pantella - Drums
- Layonne Holmes - Backup vocals
- Timo Scott - Drums, backup vocals
- Alexis Lehman - Bass
Discography
- Clerks: Music From The Motion Picture - 1994
- Representin' Planet Earth - 1998