Growing up in Philadelphia for the twins apparently wasn’t easy. Sons of guitarist Tony Santoro, Johnny and Justin grew up relying on their fists to get them by … and into trouble. Eventually, these two taught each other how to play bass and guitar in their basement and, teaming up with drummer Alex Zarzycki, formed Still Standing in 1999. Performing anywhere, anytime, and doing whatever needed to be done to make it work was (and still is) the way these three have worked at it for years, doing it "one show at a time". This is after sleeping on floors during recording sessions, losing all their band equipment to a break-in (they borrowed instruments to honor their gigs), and many more ups and downs. Still Standing just doesn’t quit; you can hear it in their music.
Mainly focused in the punk rock scene in Philadelphia, one could describe Still Standing as a cross between the “traditional” punk of the 70’s and early 80’s (think Misfits, Clash) with the emerging emo and modern rock sound. From the two tracks released off their album, it’s apparent that these three are going places.
Let’s take a moment to cover the two singles, which are stream-able from the band’s official website at http://www.stillstanding321.com:
Suck It Up:
A radio-friendly hit yet to happen, “Suck It Up” is a song about being sick and tired of giving somebody else the mental energy of spending another moment thinking about their sorry ass. This could be an ex, a ex-bud, or anybody. The tune is solid and well put together, with drummer Alex Z.’s skills coming out to the forefront. Not to mention the great guitar lines on this track – the solo during the bridge is catchy and perfectly placed, and at the same time, simple and well arranged. Singer and bassist Justin C. comes through clearly on this track as well, especially when it’s easy (and common) for bands to not sound so great when mixing these genres of music. A strong performance all across the board, “Suck It Up” is the kind of tune you’ll be walking around singing for several days. Great pacing and strong hooks make this tune a keeper.
The Crashed:
Almost a throwback to the 80’s at some point (mixing with the 80’s really is the “new fusion”, you know), “The Crashed” mixes really cool keyboard synth with the already steady rock sound of these three. A solid song (with another nicely arranged solo bridge), with great performances around the board (again), the tune is also a nod to the producers and engineers who worked on this track in the studio. Everything that shouldn’t normally go together (or is usually fairly difficult to get to work together) is very nicely meshed and laid out. This isn’t to say these guys are a studio band – I kind of get the feeling that this is not the case with these three. There are a couple of stops near the end that didn’t quite work for me, which makes the previous song probably my favorite out of the two, however “The Crashed” rounds out the impression of this band very nicely overall.
In the end, I call for all your lovers of the punk and emo genres (and even you lovers of the new rock thing) to get behind these guys and buy some merch. With an upcoming video release and a great working attitude (and a really cool website), I’d say you can expect to be hearing these guys on your not-so-local clear channels very soon.
You can get all the info on these guys by going to their official website at http://www.stillstanding321.com, or by checking out any one of the group’s several fansites; most likely owned and operated by any one of the band’s delirious female teenage fans.
Oh, and by the way – down with Clear Channel.~hc
- Kevin Kingman
BandFreaks Staff Reviewer
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July 09, 2008, 01:05:39 AM
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