Album Notes

In 1999, front man and guitarist Keith Monacchio began to assemble local musicians to begin recording their first album, Anchor. Recorded at S.S. Sound Studios in Trenton, NJ, the end product was released in the spring of 2000, garnering favorable reviews locally and regionally.

Upon completion of Anchor, the band performed vigorously over the next ten months, logging over sixty shows, and earning a nomination for the top alternative act at the 2000 Asbury Park Music Awards. In the summer of 2000, as tracking for their second album began, the band released a four-song EP, available as MP3 downloads on the band's web site

College radio airplay of the EP, and the reputation of their powerful live shows gained The Commons further attention. As recording continued throughout the winter and spring of 2001, the band was contacted by Red Bank, NJ's Cinecall Soundtracks and was asked to include a song in the upcoming Fiesty Film Productions movie "Just Lovers." The single, "Snake Charmer" will be on the film's soundtrack to be released in 2002 on Ratamacue Records.

With recording and production now complete, their second album, "Eat Off The Vines", was released on Dec 21st 2001. Recorded at S.S. Sound Studios and Hole In The Wall Studios (Trenton, NJ). The album was produced by The Commons and engineered by John Bailey and Brian Schwinn. Legendary sound engineer Howie Weinberg in New York City handled mastering of the disk.

"...rip-roaring, powerhouse quartet."
-New Jersey Coast, January 2001

"...easy-to-obsess over..."
-The Aquarian Weekly, April 2000

"...gritty, high strung, and powerful, highlighted by angelic soundscapes..."
-Shore World, June 2000

"...top flight songwriting..."
-The Trenton Times, April 2000

"do-or-die delivery is underscored by the searing barbs of string-twistin' beauty and a brutal rhythmic pulse that drives these deep, emotionally charged aural confessions..."
-New Jersey News, June 2000