Animal House Band-It’s Not Complicated – It’s Just Good Old Party Music!
By: Krista Doran
Animal House is a band from Philly that has been around for 15+ years and I am here to tell you – if a cover band lasts that long, they are definitely doing everything right! The band got started back in 1995 right around the time Modern Rock was at its peak. The band started as a 10 piece horn band called Captain Jack & The Love Seekers. They were a great band but because the scene was changing so fast, they felt it would be a good idea to cut it down to half. I spoke with Bassist and Lead Guitarist, George Garcia who told me “Thanks to the Out on The Town Magazine who helped spread the word to all club owners about our new set up. Once they saw our first ad in the paper, they were hooked and the ride began. Mike V. rocks! I’ve seen it first hand what he has done for bands, agents, clubs and this circuit over the years!”
As I mentioned, Animal House has been around for 15+ years, playing up and down the East Coast from Killington, Vermont to Key West, Florida, mainly concentrating on PA, NJ, DE, & MD. Over this time period, they have covered over 2,000 cover songs from the 50’s to today’s current hits. They cover ever genre imaginable, too – Calypso, Reggae, Classic Rock, Modern, Alternative Rock, Motown, Funk, Old School, Hip Hop Rap, Disco…there’s nothing they haven’t played. With the wealth of knowledge and talent in this band, they have been able to change their style to keep up with the times, but have always stayed true to their fans by playing pure Party tunes. George told me, “We used to get laughed at when we played songs like Runaround Sue, Build Me Up Buttercup and Sweet Caroline in the Modern Rock rooms of the 90’s. Now these songs are a mainstay for many bands out there.” The band stayed true to the party scene and has lasted this long because of their dedication and honesty to their party dancing fans out there, who just want to have a few drinks, dance and sing out loud after a long hard week of work. George explained, “We are the audience most of the time and the audience is our orchestra. We listen to them and feed off their excitement when they come to see us.”
Animal House has been with Apollo Artists Attractions the entire time they have been together and really credit Eli Sentman & Jane Kashner for all they have done for them. George told me “We are very grateful to have them on our side as business partners and as family. They, along with The Late Freddy Baker (God Rest His Soul) helped create a market for us back then that made it all worthwhile to work in. They work hard to try to keep this business going even though it has taken a good hit these last couple of years.” George is a guy who gets it. I was very happy to hear him say “I feel bands have to take responsibility for some of the downfall as well. We can’t always just show up to gig, play a few songs and put out our hand to get paid without bringing people into those seats.” This is something I try to stress in all the articles I write, and I hope someday the bands out there that still think this way will finally catch on. George also added, “I’m seeing bands now putting a better effort especially with promotions. It’s great to see everybody getting on the ball again. We need all bands out there to succeed in order for this to work.” I couldn’t agree more with you George!
When you go to see Animal House perform, you will quickly take notice that their shows are about what they would like to hear and dance to if they were sitting in the audience. It’s nothing complicated; it’s just simple good ol’ party dance Rock n’ Roll. Their fans never know what to expect because they don’t use a set list and haven’t in 15 yrs. They play to the crowd and this always works well for them. You can see the proof in the many smiles you see, the laughter you hear and asses shaking on the dance floor all night long!
Some of the places you can catch The Animal House Band are The Paddock at Devon in Wayne, PA, Fager’s Island in Ocean City, MD, The Manayunk Brew Pub in Philly, The Eddington House, (their home away from home) in Bensalem, PA, Havana’s in New Hope, PA, Casey’s on 3rd in Wildwood, NJ and several casinos such as The Trump Plaza, Trump Marina, Resorts and Harrah’s in Atlantic City, as well as Harrah’s Chester. During the Summer of 2011, starting the last week of June through Labor Day they will be doing verticals every Thursday & Sunday night at Carney’s in Cape May NJ, The Cape May Ferry every Wednesday from 6pm-9pm for Family Fun Cruise Night (All Ages Welcome!), Keenan’s Irish Pub in North Wildwood every Wednesday night and some Monday nights @ Fager’s Island for their Monday Night Deck Parties. And that’s NOT all! Check out their full schedule on their website at www.animalhouseband.com. You can also find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/animalhouseband2010.
I asked George what he would want all 25k+ readers of the Out On The Town to know about them and he told me, “All we want everyone to know is that we appreciate all our fans, young and old, and we will always play to the best of our ability and leave it all on stage for you. We are not Rock Stars, we are you!!” The Animals House Band is: George Garcia (Band Leader) Bass Guitar and Lead Vocals; Perry Curcio – Lead Vocals and Guitar; Steve Campagna – Guitar and Vocals; Paul “FredRock” Berttuccio on Drums and Jim Carr on Keys, Sax & Vocals. If you are interested in booking The Animal House Band for your bar, club, casino, private or corporate event, please contact Apollo Artists Attractions at (610) 328-6500.