“We’re going to rock people’s faces off, put them in a trance when they hear we’re a rock ’n’ roll band that plays covers,” shouted Sneak Attack’s lead singer, Mike Delgado, 29, of Barnegat, sporting a New York Giants hat and black shades.
 |
| Photo by Jack Reynolds Sneak Attack takes a break from their original music to rock out some covers. |
The local cover band, centered on-stage beneath colorful flashing lights and wearing matching black tuxedo shirts, performed a mix of hot, danceable music to an eclectic crowd at The Sea Shell Resort’s second Full Moon Party of the year on Friday, July 19.
“I like the singer,” said Caitlin Carey, 28, of Manahawkin. “He’s got a very outgoing personality, perfect for a front man. He’s very eccentric,” she added.
Fueled by powerful vibes put out by a palm reader, face painter, a balloon animal-making stilts walker and even a mechanical bull, the group busted out songs from “Poker Face” and “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga to Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “Changes” by Tupac.
“I bet you didn’t expect to hear a bunch of guys singing Kesha,” said Delgado, after the band’s performance of “Tik Tok.”
 |
| Photo by Jack Reynolds Becker switches to vocals for a sellar rendition of Tupac's 'Changes.' |
But people would probably be more surprised to learn that the group consists of all local members who come from original bands that play punk rock and hardcore music. Members include John Becker, 25, of Manahawkin on rhythm guitar and backup vocals, who also plays solo acoustic punk music as John Geoff; lead guitarist Matt Rott, 27, of Cedar Bonnet Island, who plays a mix of punk rock and hillbilly-style music with Mudtown; Glen Bleakley, 32, of Manahawkin on bass, who also jams out with For the Record; and drummer Steve Szymanski, 29, of Manahawkin, who performs with Triumph and Tragedy.
“We’ve all played punk rock and hardcore music for 10 to 15 years. That’s just us. We can’t f***ing help it,” said Bleakley. “We don’t have any mixers or anything, so what we play is what you get. We sneak in a little bit of punk rock into every song, even if we don’t mean to,” he added.
The band, influenced by "anything with ridiculous beats and hilarious lyrics," had the crowd dancing from the moment they walked through the doorway at The Shell until last call at 2 a.m.
“I love their upbeat, uplifting energy,” said Ken Driggs, 24, of Maple Shade, one of the crowd’s first to step out onto the dance floor. “Their vibe’s ecstatic. Whenever they come on, it makes you want to dance and celebrate life,” he added, sporting a blue-painted eye bandana reminiscent of Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which he had decorated at the party.
Though the musicians have been playing music for years, the group only formed about five months ago. Their band name, they said, goes back to their college days when Bleakley and his former band mate used to crash dorm room parties to play a couple of songs without warning, before quickly running out. But these days, the guys plan to stick around for a while.
“We’re playing at home with people we know; we love it,” said Bleakley. “The tourists are great, too. We wouldn’t be playing here without them. We hope to keep playing, and we keep hoping to be people’s number one cover band,” he added.
“But I hope people bring another face because that first one’s going to melt off,” Delgado warned.
Sneak Attack will continue to perform throughout the fall season. Visit https://www.facebook.com/sneakattacknj to stay up to date with their latest happenings.
— Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
No comments:
Post a Comment