Steve Delmonico from Providence rock and roll act The Quahogs has an interesting way of melding raw grit and subtle emotion with each song he writes. His signature rasp is guaranteed to hit you in ways few voices can by exuding unbridled fervor. It’s unique in a sense that while you listen to Delmonico you’ll think that he’s crooning through a piece of sandpaper. He creates a sound that’s a mix of garage rock and Americana through a no frills approach while giving it all to you in full force. While other musicians try to do something cute with their music to make it somewhat special, Delmonico doesn’t care for any of that by showing a bleeding heart aesthetic that keeps everything genuine and real.
This Saturday The Quahogs will be releasing their second full length Sunny Waste, and to give you a sneak peek, we here at Vanyaland are premiering “Dorothy” off the album. It’s a downbeat backed track that has horns blaring, groovy riffs and jazzy rhythms. Steve Donovan on lead guitar has a pristine solo on the song that contributes to the laid back feeling of it all. Josh Kane guests on the horns to add a dimension that gives it all a distinct body, making it full without lacking anything. John Faraone, who people around Providence know as a singer/songwriter himself, exhibits an excellent display of skills on drums and Ryan Gould is the backbone while playing bass.
Sunny Waste was recorded by Brian Webb and The Low Anthem’s Ben Knox Miller at Eyeland Recording Studios located within the Columbus Theatre in Providence’s west end. Seth Manchester and Keith Sousa over at Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket handled the mastering duties for the finishing touches. The production quality of the album is impeccable with nothing being too overboard.
“These songs were compiled during a time of me trying to find myself in any way possible,” says Delmonico. “I went through some hard shit getting sick for nine months so I started writing to make sense of everything.”
Delmonico and the gang will be celebrating the release of Sunny Waste — an album that combats love, heartbreak, hangovers and life itself — at the upstairs stage of the Columbus Theatre on Saturday with fellow Providence rock and rollers Smith & Weeden and Hott Boyz, the brand new supergroup featuring Roz Raskin from Roz and The Rice Cakes, Kate Jones from The Sugar Honey Iced Tea, and Sarah Greenwell from Gymshorts.
It all promises to be a wild time so ahead of this weekend give “Dorothy” a listen below.
