There seems to be a lot of new rock n’ roll bands popping up around Miami. That’s refreshing. One of them is a good, old-fashioned, power trio, but with a whiskey chaser… The Lab.
An unusual blend of musicians that seem to make perfect sense somehow, for this style. Frontman, Harold Trucco is the singer and also straight rips the guitar in an expressive, yet not pretentious way. If you’ve seen him, you fucking know.
On bass is Brian Tate and on drums, Brian Lange. Both the Brians are super high-level musicians. Products of UM’s Frost School of Music. You might not have even noticed, but you’ve probably seen them on jazz gigs around town at The Corner or Medium Cool. Perhaps you’ve seen them playing with an Internationally known pop artist.
But in The Lab, they lay down the rock hard and heavy. Offering subtle gems of musicianship only obvious to music nerds who know what to spot. To be able to do that, and still blow your face off, is a rare treat.
Brian Lange also records some of the best bands in town out of Fazeone Studio; his spot located at The Bridge, where their release party is on October 4th.
For those who don’t know, The Bridge is a rehearsal studio/sometime event space for some of the best musicians in Miami. The vibe is great there. The level of musicianship is the best in town. Plus, they throw a great party. The Lab’s Volume II EP release is there with SRSLY?! and Mario Giancarlo from Hunters of the Alps will DJ.
I got with Harold Trucco on The Jitney for a quick Lab-chat…..
How did The Lab start and what does it mean?
Harold Trucco: Once the Brian’s and I decided we wanted to start a rock band, I made a list of covers for us to try out so we can get some gigs and get on our feet quickly. From the first note it went out the window and we just started jamming and recording right out the gate…I believe “Rollick” off our first EP was the first thing we jammed on. From there we kept saying “let’s get back to the lab” whenever we wanted to jam or rehearse at Fazeone Studio (Lange’s Studio). It was totally a placeholder name until one day we all agreed it started to stick, so we said fuck it we’re the LAB!
For those who have never been, how would you describe your music?
I think the LAB is equal parts firepower and fluid, ebb-flow type of rock ‘n roll. We all like totally different types of music but share the common ground of classic bands like AC/DC, Van Halen, Zeppelin, Sabbath. Brian and Brian are also such killer jazz musicians and that’s definitely a key element of the spirit of the LAB. We have some straight ahead rock, some fire-breathing-dragon metal, and then some sexy almost RnB vibes like on “Breast Pocket”. Our songs have tight arrangements but we always have an element of organized chaos.
What do you guys have in store for us with this new EP?
Definitely leaned into the heavier stuff this time around…the album art is literally just flames and our logo so that should tell you more or less what Volume II is about! Some of our most fun songs to play live are on this EP too; I think “New Guy” is my personal pick. This is a fun batch of material for sure!
Why did you select The Bridge for this release?
It’s kind of our home court since it’s literally where “the LAB” is. We recorded Volume II out of Fazeone Studio at the Bridge so it’s kinda cool to bring it full circle and do the release party there too. Nicole from the Bridge is the shit and we’re really thankful for her letting us do our thing there. Between us, SRSLY!?, Mario Giancarlo from Hunters Of The Alps DJ’ing, and $5 whiskey cokes, it’s gonna be an absolute riot…we can’t wait to see ya there!
