11.12 Up & Comers

A King In Wait

By Benjamin McNeil

What happens when you fuse crisp “boyband-esque” vocals with hard rock, metal, a dose of piano, and enough passion to tear the f**king roofs off of the House of Blues, The Palladium, and countless other local venues? You get the band A King In Wait, and they’re damn good.

“Our message is one of self-empowerment. We all have a lot to give; we’re all ‘kings in wait,’ hence the name,” emphasizes Tom DeAngeli, Leominster native and bass player for A King In Wait. AKIW’s committee of royalty also features DeAngeli’s high school buddy Kevin Sullivan (drums), Billy Seuss (guitars/vocals), Evan Blake (guitars), and George DiPietro (vocals/pianist). And Megan Sacco, a.k.a. Lady Haunter, is the band’s manager and queen, determined to propel these guys to celebrity status. “She’s been huge,” DeAngeli stresses.

A King In Wait started working on their first full-length album in July (with six tracks available for streaming on ReverbNation), but their relatable, deep-meaning lyrics, competitiveness, and love for jamming out in their Leominster garage has quickly led these guys into the spotlight. And the band is united in one goal: “We strive to put on a great show,” DeAngeli says.

The band writes lyrics all listeners can relate to: break-ups, nd the oftentimes overwhelming challenge of reconfiguring the jigsaw pieces of one’s life, loss, love, and family. “Faces of Misery” represents both AKIW’s vivid lyrics and layered song composition. The track commences with classical piano, then progresses to powerful vocals ~ “All this confusion you put me through/I know you can’t see I’m stronger than you” ~ amidst an onslaught of guitar riffs. “We’re having a great time hanging out and having fun, but we’re very meticulous in how different layers come across,” explains DeAngeli.

These guys can best be characterized as “sincere,” and as they proclaim on their Facebook page, “We are about music, family, friendship, and life.” Those aren’t just empty words. A King In Wait will be playing at Ralph’s Diner on January 19, and they will donate all proceeds to PINK Revolution, a nonprofit that promotes breast cancer awareness. These guys have heart.

www.facebook.com/AKingInWait
www.reverbnation.com/akinginwait

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Theory 13

By Jason Savio

2013 is undoubtedly going to be a breakthrough year for the alternative rock group Theory 13. A band of various musical backgrounds, Theory 13 is led by duo Alec Fornaciari and Aart Knyff on lead vocals and guitars, and they’re joined by Mike Landry on bass, Extreme and Satellite Party member Kevin “K-Figg” Figueiredo on drums, and Tim Bradshaw of both John Mayer’s and David Gray’s bands on keyboards. With such an eclectic assortment of musical backgrounds, it’s hard to imagine Theory 13 being able to sound like a cohesive unit ~ until you hear these guys play live.

“We think [that for] all who have experienced Theory 13 live, it’s simple,” said the group in a joint statement. “We write, play, perform, and sing songs from the bottom of our souls. We play night after night and one thing is consistent ~ as soon as we hit the stage, everything changes. The audience just seems to connect with who we are on stage and what we are doing sonically.”

The group is currently shopping around their new self-titled album with hopes of releasing it next year, and it shouldn’t take long before they find a home for it and announce an official release date. The new album, recorded at 9B Studio in MA and mixed in Miami with Grammy award winning engineer Robert St. John, captures the live feel of a Theory 13 concert.

“We blew the basic tracks live at 9B Studio. We wanted to try and capture the power and energy the band has live. Mission accomplished!” the band said proudly.

Although they may be busy putting out their new album right now, be sure to check out Theory 13 live when they take the stage at one of their many stomping grounds, including Lupo’s, The Ruins, and The Hard Rock Café.