Boiler Room
New Yorkers with solid songs, moving melodies and fierce
grooves, Boiler Room are not afraid of making bold
statements. Their Roadrunner Records debut, Can’t Breathe,
is a collection of them - 11 heart-stopping tracks, each their
own testament to the resurrection of the New York rock
scene by these hard-fought heroes. For the four members of
Boiler Room, it’s all about the rush and the burn. It’s all
about plugging in and delivering.
From the chords-grinding start-up of “Do It Again” to the
stutter-crunch of “Patience”, the pounding sweep of
“Insomnia” straight to the low-end riffy rumble of “No
Reason”, Boiler Room doesn’t let a moment go by without
grabbing the listener ‘round the ears and yanking ‘em in
head-first. Produced by Kid Rock knobsman John Travis and
mixed by Phil Nicolo, known for his work with LOA and
Cypress Hill, Can’t Breathe is, song for song, the great New
York hard rock record for generation next.
Boiler Room has not gone unnoticed. Since forming in 1996,
the foursome has been a buzzword on the local club circuit,
gigging with sundry heavyweights including Type O Negative,
King’s X, LOA, Clutch and Static X. They also caught the
attention of local radio, winning fans at New York uberstation
WXRK (KROCK). “A big highlight for us was playing a
KROCK sponsored show with Orgy,” drummer Mike
Meselsohn recalls. “Incredible energy in the room. We were
on first and it was a packed house. We were probably the
only unsigned band to ever get played as much as we have
on that station! The next day, people were calling in and
requesting us!” Following that outstanding early ‘99 live
showing the point was clear: Boiler Room had arrived.
Whether it be from the support of local radio, hard rock
press or fans, the pressure to make them proud “makes us
go out there and do this 150 percent,” states Mike. The
laid-back frontman Chris Lino is quick to counter. “At the
same time, you’ve got to let go and enjoy yourself.” Clearly,
Boiler Room is complete because of its four distinct
personalities feeding off each other. “There’s definitely a
balance that makes it all click,” says Chris. The band
brought that focus and feeling to the production of the album
with producer Travis. “Our demos were high quality,” states
bassist James Meselsohn. “They were getting played on the
radio and you’d never know they were demos. We definitely
went above and beyond them with Can’t Breathe. The album
is a lot more energetic and organic. It feels like you’re right
there with the band exploding in your face!”
The band members credit the influence of New York City
itself: sights and sounds. “It all filters in,” says Chris. As for
musical influence, Chris adds “We don’t just get our
influences from other current rock bands. I listen to
everything from 60's Rock to today’s R&B and get more out
of that than from, for instance, listening to a Deftones
record.” Chris’ lyrical perspective is as straightforward as it
comes: “Don’t hold back your feelings. You feel a certain
way about something, write it down…talk about it…sing
about it…scream about it!”
Boiler Room have already set themselves apart from the
pack in their hometown. Still, the picture and perspective is
a lot bigger. “It seemed for a long time like there was such a
strong West Coast clique and there was nothing going on in
New York,” says Rob Caggiano, guitarist. “They were totally
running things out there. It was totally wide open for a band
to come in and break out.”
Boiler Room are that band. Can’t Breathe is that record.
Eleven super-charged songs that don’t give up or give in.
