The Perfect Harmonies of Gringo Star
Gringo Star
In Perfect Harmony
By M. Alberto Rivera
With two well received full length releases under their belt, and an endless string of live shows ahead of them, Gringo Star seem to be poised for a collision course with fame. Brothers Peter and Nicholas Furgiuele, along with Pete DeLorenzo, and Chris Kaufmann, are each multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, and together they meld 60’s garage rock, perfect harmonies, filtered through a strong sense of Brit flavored pop and distilled into their own unique voice.
“All Y’all” is an irresisitable slice of perfect radio pop. An instant classic, it sounds both familiar and totally new. Short and catchy, as soon as it’s over you’ll want more.
The band seems to be hitting their stride with the release of their second full length, available on vinyl, and download, “Count Your Lucky Stars.” The title track is an urgent barn burner in the vein of The Animals or Jefferson Airplane, complete with four part harmony and memorable electric piano part.
The band has mastered the art of gritty pop, keeping them simple yet infusing them with plenty of “ooohs” and “aaaahhs” that hook themselves into your subconscious and will play over and over in your head as you try to focus on something else. But there’s no point in fighting it. “Make you Mine” is another great example of a song which instantly sounds familiar and new all at once. This band and these songs are exactly what Phil Spector would have stayed up dreaming about producing in 1966. The perfect soundtrack to an endless summer.
Thankfully, the band chooses to eschew punk, leaning more heavily on the influence of garage rock acts like The Seeds or Love, never feeling the need to further accelerate this glorious din.
Onstage, the band seemed to favor vintage instruments, and rotated instruments between themselves as they switched lead vocals from track to track. There’s an intense urgency to their performance which needs to be experienced. They are currently making the rounds in tiny venues, here, there and everywhere; but these won’t be able to contain Gringo Star for very much longer. Catch them now, so you can brag about it later.
