Cabinet

Wherever, whenever and with whomever you talk local music, the band name Cabinet seems to come up. With a tasty blend of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass and acoustic guitar, the Scranton Pennsylvania group has caught the ears of bluegrass admirers, jam band lovers and even fans in the indie/all-ages scene.

Cabinet’s diverse sound is the product of an assorted group of musicians with unique influences and backgrounds. The band consists of six talented musicians – J.P. Biondo (mandolin, vocals), Pappy Biondo (banjo, vocals), Mickey Coviello (acoustic guitar, vocals), Todd Kopec (fiddle, vocals), Dylan Skursky (electric/upright bass, vocals) and Jami Novak (drums/percussion). The members range in age from early 20s to mid 30s, with drummer Novak being the oldest.

Coviello and his mandolin-playing songwriting partner J.P. Biondo formed the nucleus of Cabinet before the rest of the band came along. Although Cabinet has only been around for about two years they have already forged a dedicated and growing fanbase in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Notheastern Pennsylvania is Cabinet’s core area, but the band has also focused markets like Vermont, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Along with live performances, Cabinet has spent the past five months recording its self-titled album with Eric Ritter at Windmill Agency Studio in Mt. Cobb. J.P. Biondo believed that recording the new album was the natural next step for the band.

From the moment they walked into the studio, everybody was just on fire, giving a fresh feel to the music. Biondo explained that it was the contrasting atmosphere of Eric Ritter’s studio in Mt. Cobb that really inspired the band, giving it an entirely new musical experience by stepping off the stage and into the studio. “I think that besides the state of the art recording equipment, the best part of the studio is that it is actually a barn,” Binodo said. “Between songs, we’d all go outside and hang out on the farm. The great atmosphere definitely helped ease the long recording process.”

Biondo said that the band wanted to “keep the feeling of (our) live sound” throughout the recording. They accomplished that by recording the songs as a band, and laying vocal tracks separately. Cabinet narrowed 15 songs down to the best 11, an accumulation of the band’s earliest beginnings to its most recent work.

Ropeadope will release Cabinet’s self-titled album this April. Ropeadope recognized them for their unique style that crosses over from traditional bluegrass to the intimate live music scene. This album will be available for your listening pleasure on April 20, 2009.


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