Among Criminals, a local band
with a part Reggae, part Latin-
Rock sound, brought their politically
charged music to Bucks student
in a cafeteria concert on
Thursday, Nov. 1
Lead singer, writer and guitarist
Ryan Gaughan, 23, said the band’s
name came from his appreciation
of how lucky we all are to be in
America.
Gaughan talked about the country’s
history of violent conquest,
such as the Pilgrims over the Native
Americans. He said that, because
of this history, living with Americans
is living amongst criminals.
Harbingers of peace, Among
Criminals spreads the message of
taking responsibility for your
actions and coming together as a
people through their music.
Gaughan grew up with Bean, 21,
the band’s bass player, in Washington
Crossing. Gaughan later met
drummer Jarrod Pedone, 23, at
Berkley.
The band’s promoter, Dan
Schwartz, said Among Criminals
is currently without a label. Being
unsigned has not kept the band
from promoting. The band uses
both MySpace.com and their own
website, Among Criminals.com, to
promote their music and their
cause.
How hard is it to get a record contract?
“We’ll tell you when we get
there” Jarrod said, feeling the
strain of self-promotion in the
music industry.
Gaughan said the band has been
“jamming’ on and off for the past
three years.”
The band has been more serious
about pushing their album since
Pedone returned from Las Vegas
13 months ago.
In just over a year, the band has
played over 250 shows, Pedone
said. They have also written over
30 songs.
Cold Soldier, a song off their current
album, Kill the Myth, tells the
story of a military soldier not supportive
of the war, and imprisoned
for refusing to participate.
As for their performance at
Bucks, a crowd of students clapped
their hands and bobbed their heads
to the band’s beat, seemingly
enjoying the show. Several of the
students could be heard proclaiming
that the performance was good.
“They had good bass riff,” said
Mike Nussbaum, 22 of Wrightstown.
“I’ll definitely be coming back”
said Kevin Grotz, 18, from Fairness
Hills.