The sweet side of Sweet Cyanide

Photo by Eilene Rogers. Sal Scoca left, Angelo Fariello right

By Eilene Rogers

The night I met Sweet Cyanide they were playing a packed house as they opened for Mr. Big in Time Square. Sal Scoca called me just as I was buying batteries for my outboard microphone. The mic. ended up still not working but it was just as well.

When I got inside and met Angelo Fariello, I discovered it would be a double your pleasure interview, so the clip-on mic. was no longer necessary. I sat down at the table with two attractive Italian men, vocalist/guitarist Scoca and bassist Fariello. We began joking around right away. They were happy, fun and glad to be there.

Fariello and I bantered back and forth about “All My Exes” by George Straight and Sal seemed to be lost.

The band was touring on its own for quite some time and this was the first home-show in months. Opening for Mr. Big was not only a great opportunity to go home but was also a great experience for Sweet Cyanide.

When asked where their reception is best, the list was long. It turns out they are quite loved everywhere they go.

“The best thing about Sweet Cyanide fans,” Scoca offered, “is that most of them are ladies between the ages of 18 and 27.”

“Not true,” Fariello argued. “We have beautiful female fans of all ages.”

“That’s right.” Scoca said. “You had a 40 year old fan.”

Ok boys are we talking fans here or groupies? Because believe it or not, there is a difference between the two. After both of them acknowledged the difference we moved on, but make no mistake; the ladies do love Sweet Cyanide.

After Scoca exclaimed he had no friends, I had to include a picture of him speaking with a friend in the video footage, just to illustrate what a comedian he is. The humor you see peeking through in some of his lyrics is actually who he is in real life.

Fariello, who is equally the joker, chimed in and said, “Our friends are actually coming to see Mr. Big.”

Fan shouting #1

Horns & Fists

There was absolutely no lack of excitement for Sweet Cyanide, as the crowd photos demonstrate. New York was definitely happy to have the boys home.

I literally had to fight fans wall to wall just to shoot the photos, and all joking aside, even the men were screaming and applauding between every song while throwing up the horns. The entire crowd was in full appreciation. Undeniably Sweet Cyanide has a multitude of fans.

“We are influenced by everything,” Scoca said. “I watch other people and the things going on in their lives and I write stories about other people.”

He jokes around with journalists and claims to have no life of his own but nobody that talented is as uninteresting as he claims to be, just another testament to Scoca’s humor

“Sal is really into the 80’s,” Fariello volunteered.  “He loves all of that 80s stuff.”

“Oh yeah, Alice Cooper, White Snake, Def Leppard, Motley Crue… hair metal,” Scoca agreed.

I had to stop them to ask about the 60s. As I pointed out hearing some early 60s influence, especially Paul McCartney, Scoca blushed.

“I am influenced by the 60s” Scoca admitted.  “The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors… all that stuff.”

The distinct movements within the songs, the transitions between those movements and the variations of texture within, keeps the attention of the listeners. There is no time to get bored because no two songs are alike. The more times you spin it, the more interesting facets you find within the music.

Though Scoca is no doubt an excellent storyteller and lyricist, my love for the music goes beyond the lyrics. There is no lack of talent in this band. Every member of Sweet Cyanide has earned the title “musician.”

“Our fans are probably going to hate our next album,” Scoca concluded.

Somehow, I doubt that.

The fans who get angry about bands changing sounds, do not truly understand what music is about. It is about stimulating the mind and the emotions. It is the bands who challenge themselves to find new ways to do that, who are the truly talented musicians.

After we turned off the camera, we further discussed how some of the classic bands Scoca mentioned earlier had a different sound with each album. That’s what musicians in the 1960’s were about, experimentation, and Sweet Cyanide will no doubt keep that tradition alive.

As I have stated previously in a review; this band is my favorite up-and-coming band out there right now. If you have not checked them out already… you must.    https://itsokimwiththeband.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/who-knew-cyanide-could-be-so-sweet/

This video is not a completed product it is just temporary so I could get the feature story up. It will be replaced at a later date.

The other members of Sweet Cyanide include drummer Mike Bambace, guitarist Joe Salvatore and guitarist Tommy “sneakers” Sica.

They have two CDs out right now, the self-titled album Sweet Cyanide and Sweet Cyanide II. Both albums are available on iTunes and Amazon.  For band bio, music samples and booking info please visit their Website at http://www.sweetcyanide.com/current-site/.

Visit their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/SweetCyanideNYC.