November 2004 – Jamie Brown showed up at a casting call for the movie Freedom Park in August 2003 with an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, ready with a short song that he had written fervently the night before about a little league baseball movie.

“From that moment, Jamie showed he’s a real go-getter and that is the style we wanted to work with,” Andrea Ajemain, co-producer of Freedom Park, says. “I also felt a real connection with him and his music. Red Menace’s music is just good All-American rock and roll. It fit in perfectly with the small town feel of our film. I left the auditions that day with the beat to the title track ‘Freedom Park’ in my head.”

Brown’s “go-getter” attitude reverberates in his dynamic band, Red Menace. The dedicated four-piece group delivers a high-energy performance; band members leave everything onstage every time they perform.

“I’ve always been a believer of, if you go to see a show, you deserve to see a show,” bassist Tony DiLorenzo says. “With us, you’re gonna see us run around, hit each other, have fun with each other… because we really enjoy playing with each other. When people come to see our band, we’ll give them a show, and then hopefully the music will sell itself.”

“And it doesn’t matter the number we’re playing for,” Brown interjects. “I’ve played for four people and had to ring my shirt out at the end of the show. And that really comes across to the audience.”

Red Menace is still a young band, formed soon after Brown’s guitar serenade at the Freedom Park casting call. Eager to start a group with the talents from some of the past bands he had played with, Brown (lead vocals, guitar) teamed with high school friend Steve LaChappelle (guitar, vocals) and local musician Tony DiLorenzo (thunder bass). They added Mike “Butchy” Lebeau of Attleboro as the drummer early this year. The four have already won a local following. Recognition from Freedom Park has only helped their reputation.

A year after that fateful casting callback, as Red Menace band members sat in a row together at the Freedom Park local premiere, a familiar song echoed through the big screen. They felt an unparalleled electricity. “I was just so excited to be sitting in the movie theater and hear our song!” DiLorenzo says. “I didn’t ever think it would get to that point.”

Ajemian stresses that Red Menace and the other local bands featured on the soundtrack — Bootsie (of which Brown was also a member), Sam Zammarelli, Jediah and Waiting for Sully — were the best choices to complement the film. “We at 3 Souls Films wanted to feature mostly local music in Freedom Park,” she says. “We never had to compromise our vision since there’s such great local talent. The music adds so much to the film.”

“Reverse played in rewind,” the first track recorded with all four current Red Menace band members, will also be included as a bonus track on the soundtrack. It’s a slower ballad with melodic rifts that stick with you, an approachable tune that represents the softer side of the band’s repertoire.

As DiLorenzo is quick to point out, fans that hear the band’s two songs on the film soundtrack are hearing only one aspect of the music they play. Influenced by rock bands like AC/DC, Jet and Verbena, Red Menace’s hard guitar playing and pop inspirations are the reasons why this band has found an important niche in area music.

Although both Brown and DiLorenzo grew up in the Northbridge area, they worked independently in separate bands for years. They may argue with one other over sports rivalries and scheduling conflicts, but they trip over words to compliment one another and they know that Red Menace is unique. “I couldn’t be happier with Red Menace,” Brown said. “The best things about the other bands that I’ve been in were put into this band. We get along great because we can have fun with each other and that whole attitude is up on the stage with us.”

To find out more on the band and their upcoming shows, go to www.redmenace.net. For information about the Freedom Park Soundtrack and the other bands that featured on it, go to www.freedomparkthemovie.com.