Sparta band nominated for music award

SPARTA — Deal Casino, a band made up of 2010-2012 graduates of Sparta High School, was recently nominated for the Best Pop Rock Band award at the Asbury Park Music Awards.

While the award ended up going to another band, Deal Casino guitarist Joe Cowell said, "it was an awesome experience just being nominated."

As the band only became Deal Casino this past March, Cowell said the band was both surprised and honored by the nomination.

"We had no idea this was going to happen," he said. "We were happy just to get to meet and hang out with all the other artists."

The band — also comprised of singer/guitarist Joe Parella, bassist Jon Rodney and drummer Mike Linardi — changed their name from Something About January because they "wanted to get away from their old sound," Cowell said. The music is now more indie-inspired, he added, but doesn't quite fit into any specific genre.

"People seem to care so much about genre these days," he said. "We usually just write music, regardless of what type. We have a variety of influences, which keeps it interesting."

The experimental and eclectic nature of Deal Casino's music also makes for a very different live experience.

"We try to use our music to make [the crowd] feel the emotions we want them to feel," Cowell said.

Their set generally has a wide dynamic range, but is "full of nonstop energy and excitement," which keeps many types of crowds interested.

Upcoming shows, music downloads

The band recently played a holiday show at the Stanhope House, one of their more frequent stops.

"That's always a fun time," Cowell said, "but we've been trying to branch out into Asbury Park a lot more, too."

Playing shows outside their comfort area helps the band to hone their craft by forcing them to "try harder to create an environment," he added.

The band also released their second EP, "The Runaways EP" on Dec. 18. The new release builds on the groundwork of their first offering, "The Cocaine Love EP," which was released this past May. Both albums are available for free download at dealcasino.bandcamp.com.

For information on upcoming shows, including their next stop at Court Tavern in New Brunswick on Jan. 2, like their page dealcasinonj on Facebook.

"We're pretty heavy users of Facebook," Cowell said. "That's the best way to keep posted on what we're doing."