New Jersey independent music rockers, Lost Romance, have not only toured their home state quite religiously, they’ve been all over the country, playing shows in over 20 states, including festivals CMJ, CBGB Fest, and NAMM. The guys of LR average over 100 tour dates a year (prior to COVID), and have shared the stage with Rye Coalition, TAB the Band, Elliot Easton of The Cars, and Clem Burke of Blondie, among dozens of others. With their latest music video and single, “Heart on a Wire,” is filmed in lead singer and vocalist, Gerry Perlinski’s performance (who also has a basement stash of needed equipment) area, and director Josh Stoddard follows Perlinski through the crowd. His fellow band members, bassist Dan Haag and drummer David Harman begin to rock out. “Heart on a Wire” is a great song riveted with energy, raw rock, and excellent distortion. “Heart on a Wire” is featured on the band’s latest EP, Strum It Again.
Not only is Lost Romance an incredibly talented rock band who have completely produced their music DIY, and are established amongst the Jersey independent music scene, as well as independent music nationwide. They’ve major raves from regional press (NJ.COM, The Aquarian, The Jersey Journal, NJ Underground), and numerous other online and standard press publications. Gerry took some time to chat with us about the band’s most memorable music performances, their latest collaboration with the video for their single “Heart on a Wire,” how their home state of New Jersey plays a role in their music, and his fun music favorites.
Gerry, you’ve played all over the US, including major musical festivals; is there a particular one that stands out as pretty memorable?
Gerry Perlinski: We always enjoy playing festivals as it gives us a chance to not only play to a larger audience but also check out some really cool bands and meet interesting people. We have been part of the Light Of Day Festival for several years and it’s always a blast. The main event takes place in Asbury Park, NJ every year and we were the featured artist one year at the Wonder Bar. We were backstage warming up and there are there is a constant flow of people in and out (artists, staff, etc…)I was doing some guitar stretching exercises and was completely immersed in that. The door opens and in walks actor Vincent Pastor aka Big Pussy from The Sopranos with a small entourage. He ends up being an emcee now and again at LOD events. Now, I’ve been a giant Sopranos fan from the jump, so I’m kind of fanning out in my head a bit. But, since I’m close to going on stage I needed to stay focused and kept practicing. He was doing a cameo-type video clip for someone. I’m in the corner, trying to keep a straight face, and I just start cracking up and he notices me. He makes some comment about me laughing while in full-on Sopranos mode and I just lose it. We both start laughing and he wishes me good luck with the gig. Memorable to say the least!
“Heart On A Wire” is an in-your-face, fun rock song and music video. How did you get connected with director Josh Stoddard, and what was the creative and collaborative process like for you both?
Gerry: Our bass player Dan Haag and Josh go way back. In the early 2000’s Dan played bass in a band with guitarist Jody Porter before he joined Fountains of Wayne. Josh had done some videos for Fountains and Adam Schlesinger’s band Ivy. When it came time for us to shoot our videos for the new album, Dan recommended Josh. We were super excited to work with him especially since he was a long-time friend. Dan had the idea of doing the shoot in his basement and we hashed out the idea to have it be a house party. Josh is a great director and really knows how to make the best of a scene. We talked about having the first part be in black and white and the basement party in color for added effect. He’s super easy to work with and we bounced ideas back and forth during the process. Even though we had the majority of the video concept done, he helped us to flesh it out. We’re incredibly happy with the result!
New Jersey, your home state, plays an integral role with your music. What has been the biggest takeaway from NJ for you and your music?
Gerry: Growing up here and being part of the music scene, New Jersey has a vibe. That vibe is no-nonsense or b.s. You will never find people hiding their feelings or who they are in this state. We lay it all out on the line for the world to see. That brutal honesty is what makes New Jersey great and why there are so many talented artists here. The competition in Jersey is high so it makes the quality of the music so much higher than in other states. Bad music doesn’t last very long here!
“Heart On A Wire,” is featured on your latest album Strum It Again; what was the recording and writing process like for it?
Gerry: We wrote the songs for “Strum It Again” over the course of a few years of being on tour and test driving them in front of our fans across the country. So when it came time to record the album, we were very rehearsed and were able to knock out a lot of it quickly. The songs were primarily written by myself, then brought into the band who put their personal touches on them.
What’s next for the band in 2021?
Gerry: We have been back in the studio recording new songs for our next album. 2021 will hopefully see the national tour we were supposed to be on in early 2020 when we released our album, Strum It Again.
Fun Questions
Who was your first concert, and who has been your favorite so far?
Gerry: My first concert was Rush at The Meadowlands in New Jersey. I was 15 years old and it was like I landed on another planet. It was one thing to listen to your musical heroes or see them in a video on MTV, but to feel the power of rock n’ roll live was something else. The amps cranked, the lasers and giant videos screens mesmerized me. It was at that point, I knew I wanted to be in a rock band.
My favorite live band would have to be the The Tragically Hip. I was able to see them live in so many different formats from small venues to outdoor summer concerts for the past 20 years. They put on the arguably, one of the best live rock shows I’ve ever seen.
What was your first album on cassette, CD, and/or vinyl?
Gerry: The first album I bought on cassette with my own money at 10 years old was Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones.
Which five albums and/or artists would you not want to live without?
Gerry:
Rush
Stevie Ray Vaughan
The Tragically Hip
The Police
Van Halen
Do you have a guilty music and/or entertainment pleasure?
Gerry: Hair metal!
How have you all been creatively coping during quarantine?
Gerry: We’ve all been doing different things to cope during quarantine. I personally love being outdoors, so any type of hiking or exploring in nature has been a godsend. Indoors, I’ve been putting together a home studio to be able to experiment with recording.
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