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Arts & Entertainment

Young Musicians Make Big 'Noise' in South Jersey

Sicklerville ska-rockers No Such Noise make a splash in South Jersey and embark on several "mini-tours" in support of their youthful sound.

Patch sat down this week with Vince Lacovara, a member of up-and-coming Sicklerville-based band No Such Noise.

Described on their website as "seven guys who like making music," the young band blends elements of punk rock and ska music into a stage performance that caters to people who like to be thoroughly entertained visually and in sound.

The 19-year-old Lacovara plays trumpet and sings backing vocals for the band.

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"Some bands will write a song and find out that it's good and then just write that song over and over again," he said. "We eventually broke the mold, and just played music. It's about avoiding repetition and just ... having the right people in the band. Some people are stiff or boring, and it's about a show. It's about being entertaining, so we jump around a lot on stage. "

Their formula—refusing to grow stale or stand still long enough to gather dust— seems to be working. Even dealing with occasional lineup changes, the band—most of whom met at Timber Creek Regional High School and several of whom were in that school's marching bands and drumlines—has gone from being a high-school band who won a regional "band battle" to being a real force in the local scene, a band that actually makes a profit.

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"We're pretty much a do-it-yourself band," Lacovara says modestly. "I mean, our first EP (Worst Birthday Ever) was recorded in part with help from a guy who found us after we did the NBC 10! Show a while back, and we did that in Quest Studios, but ... we try to have the band now put the money we make at shows back into the band to fund recording and stuff."

The band, by the way, consists of these seven guys: Lacovara, Mitch Guedon, Joe Fuscia, Kevin Edwards, Alex Dart, Tom Crone and Davey Jones. Two guitars, two saxophones, a trumpet, a bassist and a drummer.

They won the Black Horse Pike Regional School District "Battle of the Bands" at Highland Regional High School in April, with Crone also taking the award as best drummer.

The band's approach is mature beyond its members' years, if you ask me. Most 19- year-old's bands I've met blow any money they make on personal items (Lacovara even mentioned Pizza Hut as a way of wasting cash), but these guys take a business approach to their art. Smart crew, and therefore one I expect to see more often. 

Though they met in high school, everyone in the band except the drummer, Crone, has already graduated. Vince is at Camden County College for psychology studies, though he mentions that he'll be happy as a clam if No Such Noise ends up being his life.

These days, the group is playing a show schedule that really packs it in.

"It's not that we get worn out. It's just that a lot of us have jobs and go to school. It gets tricky requesting off for all the shows. But we're at a point now where we've found a good balance." Vince is, I'm noting here, exceptionally modest.

As a musician—a full-time one—I could say a lot of critical or high-minded things about what No Such Noise is doing, but I won't waste the words. They're a strong group with a good vibe, a fun and engaging stage show, and a spokesman who doesn't brag relentlessly about their accomplishments. That's good enough for me to mark them for success beyond the borders of the Garden State, provided they maintain momentum and continue being as smart as they have been thus far.

According to Vince, they're nearing a completion on the writing stage of the next EP, and are shopping around for studios to record. He expects them to put out something by the winter, if all goes according to plan.

If you'd like to watch No Such Noise "stop sucking and start blowing," find them Friday in Wildwood at the Pine Avenue Firehall, Saturday in Atlantic City at Le Grand Fromage, or Sunday at The Test Tube in Deptford. Their entire schedule is here on their Facebook page.

Keep your eyes on them, Jersey. They're bringing some feel-good attitude and a joyful noise to the Dirty Jerz.

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