The Alpha Fire - Embers (2017)

Jon Lamanna co-founded The Alpha Fire last year. The Seneca Falls vocalist already had become a familiar face on the regional music scene, having performed with Cry to the Blind for several years. However, he had no idea how quickly his new act would take off. Clear Channel Radio and Cumulus Media, companies that own 453 radio stations nationwide, work together to support unsigned rock bands across the country. Dozens of those stations, including Syracuse-based 95X, participated in the neXt2rockRadio contest, which pitted unsigned bands against each other in a grand battle for the top prize: a record deal with Big Machine Label Group.

The 61 participating stations were split into 47 regions. The Alpha Fire prevailed among 67 entries in our neck of the woods, making the group eligible to be selected as one of five bands sent to Los Angeles to compete for the grand prize.

Ultimately, The Alpha Fire did not make the final cut, but the recognition gained from the contest illustrates how its popularity has skyrocketed in a short time.

The group will play locally, in conjunction with the release of its new CD, Saturday night at F-n-A Rhythm and Booze in Waterloo. The show starts at 9 p.m.

Lamanna founded The Alpha Fire with guitarist Naren Ananda. The two were introduced by the drummer for Staind, a mutual friend. They enlisted Lamanna’s longtime friend and guitarist, Jesse Maty, along with luring drummer Jeremy Schad and bassist Bryan King.

They decided to call themselves The Alpha Fire because they thought the words sounded cool together and reflected their mutual desire to be the absolute best they can be.

“We are all alpha-male types regarding what we want,” Lamanna said. “We all have strong personalities, and we work together to do what we need to do.”

In addition to writing their own music, The Alpha Fire actively works to be self-sufficient. From the cost-effective approach of recording songs in Maty’s house to producing their own lyric videos allows them put their money toward the things they cannot do, such as sending their tracks out to their friend, Kevin Murphy of Oblivion Studios in Rochester, for mixing.

Another example of the penny-pinching mentality: Only a trained eye might realize the video for “False Promises” was recorded on a cell phone.

Another video, “Trail of Tears,” was recorded by Wade Spencer, the media director for a record label called Imagen Records. It was shot at the former Seneca Army Depot. The group used an abandoned building.

The Alpha Fire received permission to start fires for the video. They also received a great discount, Lamanna said, because Spencer is a fan of their work.

Interestingly, “Trail of Tears” was named before the lyrics were written.

“We name our songs after what they sound like as demos so we can talk about them,” Lamanna explained. “‘Trail of Tears’ was chosen because the music sounded heavy and dark.”

The lyrics were written to reflect the sound of the music, not to serve a specific purpose, Lamanna said. The band’s process is to let the song write itself, resulting in a wide array of sound across their album’s tracks.

Lamanna said he and his bandmates do not feel they are influenced heavily by any groups in particular. While people may compare them to Incubus or Linkin Park, they feel they are difficult to categorize due to the variety of sounds they produce.

The Alpha Fire played their first show in June 2016, opening for Buckcherry — which drew a laugh from Lamanna.

“We really don’t have anything in common,” he said. “I guess we both have guitars.”

The Alpha Fire has performed several shows since their maiden outing, including three in New York City. The most memorable one for Lamanna was Cruisin’ Night in Geneva this past July.

Lamanna said he thought they were the only hard rock band in the lineup, and one of the few to be playing their own music, so they were not expecting a large crowd. They ended up performing in front of almost 400 people. Lamanna recounted that the band sold more CDs and T-shirts at that show than any other to date. More important, however, were the new fans they attracted.

The band plans to perform acoustic shows and tour the country at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Meanwhile, although they were not selected as one of five bands to perform in the Viper Room, winning the local neXt2rockRadio contest did open some doors. Lamanna said he is not yet at liberty to discuss those unexpected opportunities but check the band’s Facebook page to see updated news. ~ review by ANDREW ZELLERS

Jon Lamanna - Vocals
Naren Ananda - Guitars
Jesse Maty - Guitars, Vocals
Bryan King - Bass
Jeremy Schad - Drums

Track List:
01. Trail Of Tears 04:08
02. False Promises 04:42
03. Creaking Rope 04:25
04. Rich Man 03:49
05. Shackled 04:12
06. The Sleeping 03:40
07. Castaway 03:32
08. Lost And Found 04:19
09. Find My Way 04:39

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