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Today's Best Bet
| 6/16/2010 9:49:00 AM Email this article • Print this article |
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Rods bassist Garry Bordonaro (Photo provided) |
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Still Rockin': The Rods mark 30 years of making metal
Jim Catalano
Arts Editor
Local hard rock legends The Rods will be kicking off their 30th anniversary celebration with a Saturday show at the Haunt.
While the band's origins go back 30 years, for much of that time (25 years, to be exact) the band was on hiatus until reuniting for a gig at the Haunt five years ago. Since then, the three members - guitarist David "Rock" Feinstein, drummer Carl Canedy and bassist Garry Bordonaro - have continued to perform both regionally and abroad, venturing to Europe to play festivals the past three years. They've even been working on a new album, which has been completed for awhile but remains stuck in legal limbo for the near future.
"What we can say is that it will be out some time in the future, I think we're pretty sure of that," Feinstein said at a recent interview at the band's rehearsal space in Cortland. "We're starting to play some of the songs live. There's not a lot of details right now, but everyone can be assured that it will be out. It's just a matter of when."
Indeed, the band will be playing eight new songs when it comes to the Haunt on Saturday - and longtime fans should find them to their liking. "Our new material could have been on our first album, for the most part," Canedy said.
"I think both Carl and I are writing better songs than we did back then," Feinstein said. "I'm not sure what the reason is for that-maybe we look at things differently and maybe instead of just writing a song we can write a song that's geared for us. We know our limitations now and we know what type of music that we play the best and we gear the music for that. I know Carl can write any type of material, but what he writes for the Rods is what we can do."
"I think we know what our identity is, that's been the biggest thing," Canedy added. "And also the fact that there's not that pressure to write a single or an opening or closing song for the album. We're just writing what we want to play, and there's no pressure, so we can be totally creative now instead of the record company forcing us into something. It makes it a lot more fun."
The band recorded two songs with Feinstein's cousin and former Elf bandmate Ronnie James Dio, who passed away from cancer on May 16. One of those songs is slated for the upcoming Rods album, while the other should appear on Feinstein's just completed solo album, "Bitten By The Beast."
"He's such a great singer, he put his signature on it," Canedy noted. "There's no mistaking Ronnie's voice."
Feinstein said he has been overwhelmed by the number of condolence he has received since Dio's passing; he posted a thank-you on his myspace page this week.
"I appreciate everybody who called and wrote in," he said. "But it was such a shock to everybody that it was hard to comprehend everything. Then to have to deal with the funeral and the ceremony... it's still at a point where people who were close involved with him are going to feel it a long time. So, it's difficult. I get asked about it almost every day in some way or another. It would be nice to not have to talk about it for awhile, but I know people want to know."
"The thing I discovered at the ceremony was that he was not only looked upon as a great musician and a singer, but as a person," Feinstein added. "People loved him as a person because he was so thoughtful and loving, and helped a lot of people out. So it's not just the musical part, it's the person that he was. That says a lot for him."
The band plans to continue its 30th anniversary shows this summer, and will perform a free show in downtown Cortland on July 23. (The band's appearance there two years ago drew thousands of people.)
"We're looking forward to playing some new music. It's certainly challenging; doing eight new songs is a lot, especially with our memories," Bordonaro joked.
The band just released a CD/DVD set of their appearance at the 2009 Binghamton Metal Festival; it's available at shows and via www.TheRods.com.
Local rockers Blue Monday will open Saturday's show. There's a cover for the 7 p.m. show. Call 275-3447 for information.
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