The Quadrangle

Issue date: 9/27/06 Section: Features

James Furlong, center, writes, produces, and plays with Parkside, a group that appeals to many different genres.

If a student saw junior James Furlong walking on the quad, the last thing that would come to one's mind is that he is a talented singer, writer, and producer; and that is exactly what sets Parkside apart from other musical groups. Made up of Furlong, Gabe Aguilar, and Anthony Colangelo, their music defies stereotypes and appeals to fans of all genres.
Furlong, Aguilar, and Colangelo all attended Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, New York, where they were mainly concentrated on sports. However, they started working together as a musical group two years ago when they discovered they had similar criticisms about a CD. They immediately set out to record a song in a friend's studio and were able to write, record, and produce a song within two hours.
Furlong said, "Even though we liked the song, it was important because it bonded us together. Everyone knew we had talent in music, but before the song it was private and hard to open ourselves to criticism. Together we all felt comfortable enough to put ourselves out there."
Since then, it has been easy for Parkside to create songs that range from pop to hip-hop with rock and dance elements, and it has not been hard for them to get their name out there. Their Myspace (www.myspace.com/parksideproductions) has about 8000 listens, and they have played shows at venues ranging from clubs in Brooklyn to bars in Marist. On October 4, Parkside will perform for Seton Hall University's television station and play at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Their manager, Daniel Pecoraro, has sent their press kits to several labels, including Epic, Columbia, Sony Urban and Good Records. Furlong said, "I just think people should listen, that's all I would really ask. You don't have to get involved and we don't need anyone to promote us, but you should just listen. It's really important to have a lot of friends because if you go to a label and if you say you have 50,000 friends on Myspace, you'll get signed."
With Furlong at Manhattan, Aguilar at New Paltz, and Colangelo at Marist, one would think it would be hard to keep the group focused. However, they use special production software for file sharing. "I'll write a beat for a song and then send it to Gabe, and he can edit it how he wants and then send it to Anthony, who can then change it too and just send it write back to me," said Furlong. They write lyrics together, but they come up with song ideas separately.
Parkside has also collaborated with another Manhattan student, Jennie Antonakis. "We easily have around 200 songs, but we haven't recorded some of them because there are always those ones where you know you need a girl singing," said Furlong. "I just heard her music and was floored at how professional it was. It was a great experience working and performing with her, and the tracks we made with her are ridiculous," he said.
As far as the future goes, Furlong said, "It hasn't been that hard for us to really get a buzz. It's never hard to write songs or write music, and it's not hard to come up with a product that people like. So as far as the long term, if we really wanted to make a career out of this, we could definitely do it as song writers and producers. I definitely see this as a part of our lives for the next ten years."

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