No altar boys sing in “The
Leane,” the area’s latest and
greatest Brit punk revival
band.
Their shows are for punkrock
fans yearning for a
unique style that is rare to
find in this day and age of
copycat tunes.
Led by frontman Michael
LoStracco, “The Leane” has
amped crowds at PhilaFunk
Live to The Trocodero, The
Khyber, The North Star Bar
and The Fire and everywhere
in between.
This sort of garage-band
goes-pro story begins during
a bachelor party in the summer
of 2003 when 6-degrees
of separation united
LoStracco with Jessie S., on
lead guitar, a long-time friend
of Miguel Arizmendi, drums
and percussion, LoStracco’s
friend from youth. Then,
Lostracco brought in Brett
Thompson, friend from
Arcadia University, on bass
guitar, thus “effectively starting
‘The Leane’ in August
2006, playing our first show
at John and Peter’s that
September.”
“It started really slow,”
said LoStracco, “but in June
of 2007 we made it a point to
get out there and get shows.
After that, it was a domino
effect with booking gigs.”
LoStracco, tall and darkhaired
with a dimpled chin
that the girls fawn over, has a
voice like Anthony Kiedis,
lead man for The Red Hot
Chili Peppers. The band said
their influences come from
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
and Queens of the Stone Age,
not to mention other 90s Britrock.
They’ve been loosely
compared to The
Whitestripes, Kings of Leon
and The Clash.
“People can’t really compare
us easily to another band
and I think that’s great. I
don’t think we easily fit into a
box. Promoters like us
because we can fit on many
bills.”
Surprisingly, LoStracco’s
main influence in music is
theater.
He uses visual elements,
himself, and his words,
which LoStracco said he
works very hard on, to create
a well-rounded appeal to
their performances.
But LoStracco, who writes
the majority of the lyrics,
with “inspiration from Jesse
and Brett” said their sound
comes from within the band.
“I take ideas from the members
of the band and build
upon it. I think we always hit
something more [unique]; we
like to escape or enhance certain
emotions [we may
have.]”
With a degree in English,
LoStracco is able to fine-tune
his words to fit with the
music the
band creates.
Jessie
starts with
a guitar
r i f f ,
Thompson
lays down
some bass
a n d
Arizmendi
starts the
b e a t – a n
idea is
born.
Whether
it’s about
r e l a t i o n –
ships, politics
or
s o c i a l
g r a c e s ,
“The Leane” steers away
from the preachy and concentrates
on breaking what
LoStracco calls “the fourth
wall.”
“[Our music] masks the
fourth wall. The fourth wall is
like an invisible curtain
between us and the audience.
We like to have [people] feel
like they are with us.”
And it’s their presence on
stage that usually rocks the
house.
It’s not unusual to see
LoStracco’s hands knotted
behind his back and foot tapping.
He is coquette with his
microphone and grinds his
guitar when performing. He
has jumped on top of amps,
fallen to his knees and generally
makes wild stage moves
that surprise the crowd-and
the crowd surprisingly
responds by mimicking his
moves.
“I lose myself in the music
and I need my band behind
me, I trust them,” said
LoStracco. “I close my eyes
and to me, it doesn’t matter if
there’s one person out there
or 1,000 people. I lose
myself.”
But, in the end “The Leane”
wants everyone to come back
for more.
“We’re about putting on a
great show. We want people
to walk away thinking, ‘Wow
that was a great show.’ And
have them want to see us
again and again, listen to our
words and hear our music-
that’s our goal, for people to
have a great experience and
lose themselves for however
long we play.”
LoStracco said that they
have played with dozens of
other local bands and that
they watch their peers intently;
there’s always something
new to learn.
So why listen to another
music review? Why believe
that their sound, their style is
something worth seeing?
Because “The Leane,” like
their lyric “.ticking time
bomb.” is-a ticking time
bomb for bigger and badder
stages.
When asked if it’s all sex,
drugs and rock and roll,
LoStracco said, “Well, yeah,
actually. It sounds cliché and
superficial but it’s our main
motivation [in creating
music.] We’re not really
about baring our souls. I like
to keep our lives a mystery
and work toward pure entertainment.”
Even their name, “The
Leane” is a tribute to British
slang meaning drunk. “It’s
like ‘I’m so leane I couldn’t
stand up straight,'” explained
LoStracco, who took a couple
semesters abroad in England.
And adding the extra ‘E’ is
“The Leane’s” tribute to their
Brit-punk roots.
Kurt Osenlund, 23, from
Holland, took a drag from his
cigarette and said “Michael
[LoStracco] is musically talented.
He’s dynamic on stage
and you can tell he takes a
pride in his performance. As
a whole, the band is incredibly
talented.”
The band has their separate
and professional lives, but
when the time comes to meet
in Jessie’s basement, they
become a united group with a
common goal in entertaining.
“We knew each other when
we were younger. We are
able to eliminate band drama
and we compromise and sacrifice
for each other. It feels
good to make art as a collective,”
said LoStracco. “They
are my brothers in arms.”
Sure, “The Leane” expresses
themselves through their
music, but their main goal is
to wow crowds and leave
them wanting more. “We’re
finding our way. All we
wanna do is put on a show
that will be memorable,” said
LoStracco. “We have a following,
friends telling
friends, but we are building a
reputation and it’s cool to see,
this [business] is all very
unpredictable.”
Whether LoStracco whips
out maracas or a tambourine
and bounces on stage with
Thompson to the music, or
Arizmendi hits a killer beat,
the floor is vibrating and the
crowd is leaning in for more
of “The Leane.”
For more on “The Leane”
visit myspace.com/theleane
and see the next show at The
Trocodero Theatere’s Main
Stage on Friday April 18.