Press Play: Gringo Star

There is a moment in life when the universe conspires on the behalf of individuals and groups to help aim the trajectory of life. This was undoubtedly and absolutely the case for Gringo Star. Gringo Star is an indie rock band who the universe decided to give a head start in the music industry.

The band was originally formed by two brothers; Nicholas and Peter Furgiuele. The two developed an early love of R&B due to their grandfather being a promoter for the radio industry. Their grandad promoted R&B music in a time of segregation. He worked with acts like little Stevie Wonder and James Brown. Naturally, the two brothers grew up listening to these tunes with their grandpa, and thus their love for music was born.

It wasn’t until 2007 that they formed the band that would become known as Gringo Star. In its inception, Gringo Star included just the two brothers, but they were later joined by members Peter Delorenzo and Matt McCalvin. The band released a self-titled EP that year and their first full-length album. All Y’all in 2008.  It seems the band went on a three-year hiatus, or  they experienced major growing pains because they didn’t reappear on the scene until 2011 when they were featured in the documentary Hurry Up and Wait. Soon after this reappearance band member, Matt McCalvin was replaced with Kris Kauffman, and Peter Delorenzo made his departure the following year.

No matter what caused the split between band members, Gringo Star managed to press on and branch out. They recorded and released their sophomore album Count Yer Lucky Stars. They took a risk in expanding their sound with their third album Floating Out To See. This album was recorded, mixed and released by the band on their independent label My Anxious Mouth Records. This artistic risk paid off with the album being very well received. It managed to reach #29 on the CMJ Top 200 charts and #13 on the FMQB Submodern Charts. Which made the departure of band member Kris Kauffman all the more curious.

Kauffman’s departure meant the introduction of two new band members Jonathan Bragg and Josh Longino. The quartet has released two albums Long Time Gone/World of Spin which released on 7” vinyl, and their most recent album The Sides and In Between which released this past August. Gringo Star has been compared to bands like the Kinks. They are all encompassing. Simply labeled as indie rock, they contain a complex garage rock sound that is infused with psychedelic impulses. Be sure to press play on their newest album The Sides and In Between, and check their newest video single “Rotten”, you won’t be disappointed.