Arts & Entertainment

Local teen band, Rebelfish, to take on Greenwich Village’s The Bitter End

July 31, 2013 Editorial Staff
Rebelfish in Coney Island. (Photo courtesy of Chris Fiocco)
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Rebelfish – a rock band whose members are local teens — hits the stage once again this summer as it takes on The Bitter End in Greenwich Village on Thursday, August 8, appearing at the storied venue for the second time.

“They were asked to be back last summer, but we had to say no because of a conflict,” said the band’s manager Chris Fiocco. “They literally sold out the show… they were packed.”

Rebelfish is composed of three cousins; guitarist and vocalist Will Graham, 18; Dylan Smyth, 16, on bass; and 11-year-old Nicolas Fiocco on the drums.

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Their musical influences are the Foo Fighters and Sublime, this year having added a bit of a reggae-rock vibe. They got their start two years ago when they played at St. Patrick’s teen club. Since then, they have performed in local events such as the annual Third and Fifth Avenue festivals and Summer Stroll.

Fiocco is not only the manager but a proud father and uncle. He attributes the band’s local popularity to Chip Cafiero. “Chip gave the boys a shot to play on Third Avenue and then Frankie Marra gave them a shot at a few fundraising events,” he recalled

Unlike other bands their age, the pop-punk band is not a cover band. Graham writes their music. This summer, the Bay Ridge band has already performed at The Underground Club in Manhattan, and “Not The Siren Fest,” in Coney Island. The group also made its third appearance at Breezy Point’s Silver Gull Beach Club and most recently the trio played at 89 North, a “terrific big music venue” in Long Island in front of a crowd of 800.

“The phone doesn’t stop ringing. This summer, I’m saying no to a lot of people because they are very busy and once school starts the band is on hold,” said Fiocco. “They have a gig literally every week.”

With band practices put on hold in the fall, Graham will return to SUNY Plattsburgh for his sophomore year, Smyth will continue at Montgomery High School and Fiocco will enter the seventh grade at P.S.104. The cousins will continue practicing during holiday breaks and officially begin once again next spring.

Hectic schedules and weekly shows cannot stop their passion for music. Rebelfish is working on putting out new album, having released one titled “Live at the Bitter End” last summer.

“We don’t have a name for it yet but there are a bunch of new songs they wrote this summer,” Fiocco said.


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