When one puts college and music into the same context, one thinks of a college radio station, or the plethora of college bands, but rarely ever record labels. Dave Grazynski and Nick Mercadante, ’04, may be young, but they’ve already managed to successfully launch Last Night’s Escape Records (LNE), hoping to produce professional music by aspiring bands. Simultaneously, Grazynski and Mercadante teamed up to bring a whole new set of fun and entertaining concerts to Fairfield University.
As many may recall, The Mirror previously published an article on the WVOF Hostile Takeover Concert Series, and since then many similar events (run by Grazynski) have taken place at the Levee. These concerts are affiliated with WVOF simply for manpower and promotional support. The Recording Club and WVOF have worked closely to record these shows for a live compilation album titled “…and the Levee Broke,” which is to be produced by LNE and released in January or February.
So far, the four concerts (with one run by WVOF and three by Grazynski) have featured Grover Dill, Set for Stun, The Quiet Turnaround, Collapse Computer, SaveFace, Redrover, Madison Prep, Barstow, The Battlecats, Elvis McMan, and The Bombsite Boys. The next big show, a costume bash, is coming on Oct. 31 with The Skeptics (from Boston) the Dubnicks (also from Boston) and the Red Hot Valentine’s (from Chicago). November only holds one show by Grazynski, an all acoustic night with hot chocolate for everyone.
The featured bands scheduled for that night are Jonnie Proud, A Moment’s Wake, Dartboard Professional, and Tarmak. Dec 5 is the last show of the series featuring Nearfall, Starside, Sometimes She Burns, and The Halo Jump. WVOF plans many shows in November in both the Campus Center and The Levee. “Most notably is the huge show on Nov 2,” said Mercadante. “Fairweather and Counterfit are coming from Virginia and California on their respective tours to rock out here for FREE! This show takes place at 8pm, after some homecoming stuff, and should draw well over a capacity crowd for the Campus Center. Get there early, it will be a packed house.”
Grazynski and Mercadante plan on keeping the shows coming to Fairfield. Planned for early December is a visit by Matt Sharp (the former Weezer bassist). They also have a hiphop show planned for the Levee around the same time. Next semester, expect non-stop concerts at the campus center and the Levee, including visits from rising bands like Thursday, The Used, and Piebald. WVOF is also looking forward to working with FUSA to plan a massive spring concert with possible acts like Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional. “It’s going to be a very exciting time for Fairfield students looking for a bit of excitement on our sometimes sleepy campus,” said Mercadante.
Last Night’s Escape Records, which goes hand in hand with the concerts, was founded by Grazynski last summer. Grazynski started the concerts out of the necessity of shows in this area. “Most of the concerts in this genre of music are farther and I thought it would be fun to have concerts that are easily accessible,” he said. “However, I started Last Night’s Escape over the summer with the sole intention of putting out professional records by great bands.”
Mercadante became a part of LNE in the fall, because Grazynski knew he could propel the label to new heights. When asked about how he got involved with the label, Mercadante said, “I let him know of the contacts I have in the industry, the shows I am putting on, and the bands I am interested in helping out, namely a band named Set For Stun (playing at The Levee Nov 8).
We kind of joined forces and it’s been a rockin’ good experience. Dave handles a lot of the money and recording issues, while I have been working directly with the bands to book them at clubs and set them up for touring. Our bands are setting out on an East Coast tour and professionally recording releases to eventually be distributed all over the country, along with the live compilation that Dave has been working so hard on.” Grazynski added, “Nick is really working hard to make this record label and the bands on it famous.”
Both are sure that their label has a huge future. “Tours through this area and the entire East Coast are planned, so look for LNE to blow up.” So far they are working on some sponsorship deals with companies to help them fund their major projects. Following the release of “…and the Levee Broke” are the releases of Madison Prep, Set for Stun and Jonnie Proud. These three bands are going to be on tour throughout Christmas break. The bands mostly fall under the rock or independent rock category.
The concerts are aimed at people who just like to have a good time. “Most of the bands are of more a punk/hardcore/indie influence, but I don’t feel like the style of music should be targeting a demographic, and I don’t think people should see the styles as isolating to a particular audience,” said Grazynski. “These are straight up rock and roll bands that are here to have a good time… and that is the audience we are aiming for: people who want to see great bands in a fun venue and have a great time.”
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