Bridging the musical vibes of Huey Lewis and The News with Tears of Fears, Charles Laurita and the Mischief are bringing back the early sounds of rock to local New Jersey venues. With gigs at Peete’s Steak House of Hamilton and New Hope’s Fran’s Pub, previous and current Mercer students are achieving their rock star dreams.
What started in 2011 soon failed to progress after late 2015, as the bass player for Charles Laurita and the Mischief dropped the scene. Bassless, it was not until 2017, when they hit the stage again as new bass player, Stephen Scarafile, joined the band.
After spotting a “Bass Player Need” sign hanging up in the hallways of Mercer, Scarafile was soon a part of the gang as of May 2017.
“[The band] is very professional” states Scarafile in regards to is joining. “That was one of the things I was looking for in a band” he further explains. Scarafile continues to say, “We get right to the point. At the same time, we have little fun segways here and there. It’s not completely rigged, but it’s very serious.”
“The big return” as Scarafile likes to call it, brought out a lot of fans. Coming back with their latest album Interstellar Fortuneteller, the band had to ready for a hit or miss. However, listening to the band’s new album, brought out the inner rock star within the listeners.
Press play, and the first track “Alone” sets the scene. Gusts of wind and unsettling chimes accompany a smooth alto sax and then the first guitar chord is struck. That is when Charles Laurita takes the mic, singing the first line, “I’m oh so far above the ground” with a tone of yearning. Like he is pleading for the listeners attention.
After speaking with some fans of the group, one word that stands out is funky. Funky riffs, funky vocals, and funky rhythms.
Mellow saxophones with sharp horns, hitting rhythmic tones to support the vocal line draws in the listener. With accented bass grooves, elevating the tracks to a new “dance-like” style, Charles Laurita and the Mischief heightens the party.
The vocal style of Charles Laurita relates in ways to Mickey Thomas, lead singer of classic rock group Starship. Unlike bands such as Pearl Jam and Aerosmith, whose lead singers have a strong grit to their voice, his has more clarity.
Laurita has a voice of emotion. Depending on the overall meaning of the song, he changes his tone to match. He tends to draw out his vowels with short vocal runs. Similar to the popular Queen song We Are The Champions. This vocal style adds that emotion that animates each song.
Although Laurita has a voice of strong passion, the weakest part of the album seems to be the lyrics themselves. Overused phrases such as, “with open arms,” “take my hand” and “round and round in circles” are used. The album itself could be taken to another level if certain phrases were avoided.
Throughout the entire album Interstellar Fortuneteller, there is a sense of repetition with rhythmic patterns and overall style. For many, this constant sound is sought out and desired. However, for some, a loss of interest can sink in with repeating ideas.
For example, each song has a similar form. There is a specific instrument highlighted within most songs classified by an eight measure solo or more. The instrument could also be highlighted by a specific riff that drives the piece.
Each song on the album has harmonies lying within either the horn section or a strong lower vocal. They constantly repeat. These embellishments add grounding and interest to each song, but tend to lack variety to the album as a whole.
The song “Wicked Little Thing,” shares a scary resemblance to the popular song “Paris” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Both begin with a similar guitar riff that lasts eight measures.
Those similar guitar riffs are followed by lyrics that are almost identical. While Laurita sings, “You got me down on my knees,” Grace Potter sings, “You got me down on the floor.”
Each song persists with an eight-measure verse and an eight-measure pre-chorus. It seems as though eight is the lucky number for these bands. Even the guitar solo in both songs occur around the same time and for the same length, eight-measures.
This similarity could just be an example of the repetitious ways rock and funk groups tend to fall into. Paris could also have just been the piece Charles Laurita and the Mischiefs looked to for inspiration. Either way, track six stands out on the album for better or worse.
Besides Wicked Little Thing and the repetition, the album Interstellar Fortuneteller does flow nicely as a whole. Stylistic horn and guitar riffs, similar to those of the early 70’s group, Earth, Wind, & Fire meets the charismatic story-telling of Led Zeppelin. Charles Laurita and the Mischief have constructed a mashup of two classics, and brought them back to the rock scene of 2018.
