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Alternative band looks to make its mark on Long Island For Rick Matthews, a musician from Lindenhurst, the high-pitched sound of thousands of cicada bugs that swarmed through Babylon several years ago, made a rhythmic sound as fluid as a song. It was that experience that made him suggest the name of a newly formed band he organized that includes Babylon High School senior Anthony Grande. Dog-Day Cicada is a young alternative band that joined the local music scene last year. Matthews plays guitar, along with Bart Slaninka. Grande is on drum and Sean Padden, who co-founded the band with Matthews, is on guitar. Both musicians met three years ago when they played together with a Lindenhurst band that eventually disbanded. With a passion for music, the two began their own band, focusing on alternative music. Grande, a senior at Babylon High School, officially joined the band in September. "At times it can be difficult balancing academics and music," said Grande who began playing the drums four years ago as a hobby. He realized soon after that he wanted to pursue a career in music, he said. He played in several alternative rock bands in high schoo,l before joining the Dog-Day Cicada Babylon Band last fall. Slaninka joined the band a year ago after playing with a band in high school. Slaninka hopes to expand the instruments of the band to include a cello and violin, the latter of which he'd like to try to play himself. "It's not easy, however," he said, pointing to the long hours of practice that would go into mastering the instrument. Matthews handles tour arrangements for the group, and finds that the audience in the clubs has been very positive. The only negative feedback was the absence of a singer, something the band is looking to remedy, they said. Grande agrees a singer would add a new dimension to the group but said he'd like to develop an audience for the music first. "I would like them to focus on the detail of the music; walk away with a sense of what the music is all about before we expand to include a vocalist," he said. While Matthews sees the music as progressive as one person growing into another, Slaninka views it as dramatic as someone who is in the midst of a personal struggle to realize his or her full potential. The band's style is difficult to describe, but by their own account is not like any other that is played on the radio. Matthews added that whatever it is, the audiences have given the band a good reception.
The group will be playing at the Village Pub in Amityville, Feb. 29th
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