Powerpop group playing their way toward success

The four Pope John students already have fans among their peers , hoping to make a wider splash soon, By Rachel Higgins SPARTA — Writing songs, playing music, and performing at concerts have become everyday things in the lives of four ordinary, yet musically talented students from Pope John High School. Ever since September of 2010, these students have been creating music as the band Cheers to Romance. The band includes two seniors from Montague, Peter Mantia, son of Peter Sr. and Laurie Mantia, and Carl Pariso, son of Frank and Cesca Pariso. Two brothers, Mike and Patrick Bolger, a junior and sophomore respectively and sons of John and Karen Bolger from Hopatcong, are also part of the band. After only a few months of being together, the band has already played at multiple venues including The Crocodile Rock Café in Allentown, Penn., and Café Incite in Lyndhurst. They are currently in a battle of the bands — they made it past the preliminary round and are performing in the semifinals in March. These performances are gaining Cheers to Romance much popularity throughout Pope John and the community. Many of Pope John’s students have become big fans of the band. After attending one of the band’s shows at Café Incite, Christina Marinaro, a PJ sophomore said, “I thought they were great. They put on a really good show for the crowd and they’re such nice guys. Their music is all original and it is really catchy... you find yourself trying to sing along even if you don’t know the words, and your feet start tapping instantly.” Carl (singer/bass player) and Peter (drummer/backup vocalist) came up with the idea to form the band. They had been playing at Carl’s house for a while and decided to turn themselves into a band. Last spring, Pope John held a talent show, and Patrick (keyboard/backup vocalist) and Mike (guitarist/backup vocalist) had played together. Carl and Peter asked them to try out because they thought they would be perfect for it. Now, as a band, Carl writes all of their original songs, such as “Story I heard,” “Far From Fantastic,” Sunrise of Your Dreams,” and “Girl of the Show.” They play a type of music called powerpop, which sounds like pop/rock. Currently, they are finishing their first album, Born Ready, and will be releasing it by the end of February. It will soon be available along with T-shirts and bracelets at their performances. Playing in Cheers to Romance has turned out to be a good experience for all of its members. Before their first practice, the four barely knew each other. Patrick said, “I had no idea who Carl or Peter were until our first practice, but we are best friends now. And it has brought me and Mike closer together as brothers because we help each other out now, and we spend weekends together.” “I like that we get to spend time together and have fun playing our music all at the same time,” said Mike Bolger. So far, their biggest event was at a battle of the bands contest called The Break, which took place at The School of Rock in South Hackensack. They made it into the semifinal round of the competition, which will take place on March 6 at the same club. If they make it to the final round and win they will be playing at Bamboozle 2011, a music fest where many different artists play for huge crowds. They are looking to their friends, family, and community for all the support they can get. Other upcoming events they have are The Croc Rock in Allentown, PA on February 20, 2011, which is a benefit concert for a teacher in need of a wheelchair. They are also playing a show at Dingbatz Venue in Clifton on Feb. 27 and another show at Architekt Music in Butler on March 25. For more information you can check out them out on Facebook or at myspace.com/CheerstoRomance.