Dirty Larry Biography
You can usually break down a Jersey ska band by the numbers, and Dirty Larry is no exception: six years, seven bassists, eight horn players…and countless shows. Relying on the punk-infused energy of bands like Rx Bandits, Less Than Jake, and Catch22, the eight-piece, suburban horn band is fast distinguishing itself from local contemporaries, most notably with bigger, city gigs at Philadelphia clubs. Ask if it's easy, however, and front-man Josh LaPergola will be the first to tell you it's been a lengthy, dogged journey from the days of playing friends-and-family parties to the stages of the North Star Bar and TLA.
"We're still playing shows like crazy," says Josh, who came screaming from the depths of Haddon Heights, NJ-mostly because he had no PA system through which to sing. His guitar was rigged up through a bass amp. It wouldn't have mattered, however, because in 1997, he didn't even have a bass player to use it. Backed by drummer and friend Waldo Spolitback, the duo had risen to local prominence by 2000 with the additions of guitarist Rob Wilcox and bassist Tim Lappin.
Now four strong, Dirty Larry still felt that something was missing from its sound, and in late 2000 began assembling a horn line. The demise of Big Fat Huge, another local band of which Josh had been a part, freed up alto sax player, Brian Gannon. Not long after, tenor saxophonist Vinnie Nero, a good friend of Tim's, found his way into their routine. Matt Vernon, the singer/guitarist from local band, Simetta, helps fill out the brass line on trombone.
In August of 2004, Dirty Larry and longtime guitarist Rob Wilcox parted ways, causing the band to trim it’s rank to six and move trombone player Matt Vernon to rhythm guitar. Matt, an already experienced guitar player/singer/songwriter adds yet another musical dimension to the multi-faceted group. In May of 2005, drummer Steve Mills left the band and was immediately replaced by former Pullout! And Jersey Calling drummer, Kyle D’Angelo. With the addition of Kyle the group hopes to finally solidify a lineup which has seen it’s share of change over the past few years.
Despite the lack of continuity, Dirty Larry continues to hit new numeric (and musical) benchmarks. The group’s first full-length album, “Lady In Leopard,” has already sold more than 600 copies; a follow-up three-song EP, “Better Late Than Never,” is quickly outpacing that. Singles like “The Long Way Home” and “Trolls” have already garnered airplay on Philadelphia radio, scoring time with Y100 and 94.1 WYSP’s Loud and Local show. Dirty Larry’s new album, “Inception” hit the shelves in November of 2004 and has been generating a buzz and selling fast, garnering awesome reviews and rejuvenating a South Jersey scene that needed a jumpstart. The band will hit the road on the OUR NATION, URINATION tour with West Chester rockers Long Shot Hero in support of Inception this summer.
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