Artist description Emotionally driven rock from Pittsburgh, PA

Music Style emo influenced rock music

Similar Artists Saves the Day, The Stryder, Lifetime, The Movielife

Group Members Benjamin Dietels Paul Berger P.J. Rey Damien Greundl

Press Reviews The New Rock Project-Go There On A Rocket by Dave Kauffman Most break-ups take a long time. New Rock Project's debut release Go There On A Rocket takes us through the entire process in a little over 20 minutes. It's all there, from the happy days of "Just Past Inverness" to the regrets of "Go There On A Rocket" to the heartbreak of "For All I'm Worth" and finally the depression of "Hit and Run." The only thing missing is a happy ending, but as the lyrics of "Bones In My Back" state, "Nice guys never win." New Rock Project definitely seem like nice guys. All of singer Ben Dietels' lyrics are very honest. The lyrics tell true stories and are all genuine and real. Nothing is hidden or obscured or left to interpretation. Maybe this sincerity explains why it is so easy to develop such a strong affinity toward the storyteller and keeps songs with topics with references of ice cream, license plates, and soccer justified and meaningful. This straightforward approach is something that has largely disappeared from music during the 1990's, after the prevalence of ambiguous and generic "do these really mean anything?" lyrics. Obvious lyrics, no matter how heartfelt, became generally viewed by most as being cheesy and unimaginative. Perhaps those that disagree with being this honest in one's music are just not willing to be this honest with themselves. Even the group's name can become a debate of sincerity vs. generics. The New Rock Project as a name may seem a bit mundane, but it suits it's purpose well. It could be argued that having the word "rock" in a band's name is in bad taste or obvious and that it would definitely require that the band must, well…rock. From the first few seconds of the opening track one can tell that this is not going to be a problem. The band keeps the energy level on maximum for nearly the entire album with only a few slight breaks in momentum, the first being the fourth track where the mood becomes darker, screaming more dominant, and the guitars heavier. The music is largely guitar driven, owing much to post-punk and punk-styled riffs and featuring duel guitar parts on every track by Dietels and guitarist Damien Gruendl. Yet the predominant guitars never overwhelm Paul Berger's textured drumming or PJ Rey's bass playing abilities. The songs display a fair level of diversity, playing ability and provide a great deal of equality in giving each member of this Moon Township group his own moment to shine. NRP also uses a few additional tools to help strengthen the freshness of each new track, including keyboards by Danny Yourd, layered vocal harmonies (including the juxtaposition of hardcore-reminiscent screaming with Dietels' melodic leads), and even a sample taken from the John Hughes film "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. While it is true that the band is very earnest in its music, the New Rock Project also do not take themselves more seriously than they should. They seem to know the importance fun takes in making music and don't forget to have a good time. Take for instance the breakdowns in "Bang Ups & Hang Ups" with vocal announcements of each new instrument being added back into the fold or the barked command "Dance" in the title track. The band appears to have a lot of fun with these songs and it is unquestionably something that becomes contagious upon hearing them. I have talked with the band and asked them to tell me the genre they see themselves fitting into and not surprisingly I was told it wasn't really something clearly defined. The songs drift from genre to genre (emo, indie rock, pop punk, hardcore, rock) and emotion to emotion (happiness, sadness, anger, misery), but maintain a cohesive and distinctive sound throughout and never fail to do what they claim in their name: rock. I am already looking forward to hearing this band's sophomore release. Maybe by then they will have proved their own theory wrong about nice guys never getting a happy ending. Hey, it all worked out for Dell Griffith.

Location moon township, PA - USA

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