The Movielife is a Long Island punk rock band composed of vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarist Brandon Reilly, and drummer Brett Romnes. The band originally formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2003, but announced their official reunion in December 2014.

The Movielife
Background information
OriginLong Island, New York
United States
GenresMelodic hardcore, pop punk, emo[1]
Years active
  • 1997–2003
  • 2010-2011
  • 2014–present[2]
Labels
MembersVinnie Caruana
Brandon Reilly
Brett Romnes
Past membersEddie Reyes
Dave O'Connell
Nick Ghanbarian
Alex Amiruddin
Dan Navetta
Phil Navetta
Evan Baken
WebsiteOfficial website

History edit

Formation and first two albums (1997–2001) edit

The Movielife formed in 1997 in Long Island, New York[3] with vocalist Vinnie Caruana, guitarists Alex Amiruddin and Eddie Reyes, bassist Nick Ghanbarian and drummer Evan Baken. The band recorded a tape titled Red Demo with Mike Sapone.[4] Reyes left the group to form Runner Up[5] and subsequently Taking Back Sunday.[6] He was replaced by Dave O'Connell, who in turn would leave shortly afterwards to form the Quick Fix Kills, subsequently being replaced by Brandon Reilly. Ghanbarian then left the group and was replaced by Phil Navetta.[5] Ghanbarian would later join Bayside.[7] In 1998, the band recorded another demo tape, titled the White Demo.[8] The demo caught the attention of Fadeway Records, with whom the band signed a one-album contract.[5] The band recorded their debut album with Peng Chia at Tin Pan Alley Studios.[9]

It's Go Time was released through Fadeaway Records in September 1999[10] and was supported by heavy touring.[3] With the band's growing popularity,[5] they almost signed with Equal Vision Records, however they instead signed with Revelation Records.[11] The band recorded their second album with producer Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studio in Washington, DC.[12] This Time Next Year was released through Revelation Records in October 2000.[13] In February 2001, while touring with Reach the Sky and Bane, the Movielife were involved in a van accident, which resulted in them dropping off the tour.[14] In April 2001, the group went on tour with Glassjaw, New Found Glory and Autopilot Off.[15] In July and August, the band supported Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger on their co-headlining tour of the U.S.[16]

Drive-Thru Records era and break-up (2001–2004) edit

Shortly afterwards, it was reported that the band had signed to Drive-Thru Records.[17] A proposed September 2001 tour with Finch and the Starting Line was cancelled following the September 11 attacks.[18] Instead, the Movielife supported Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger again for a handful of shows in September and October 2001.[19] They released the EP Has a Gambling Problem EP in November 2001.[3] The band ended the year supporting Good Charlotte and H2O.[20] In January and February 2002, the band supported the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on their headlining east coast US tour.[21] On March 30, it was reported that Amiruddin left the band;[22] he went on to start Keep Breathing.[5] Amiruddin explained that he "grew disenchanted with the new direction of the music, and my friendships with the other guys in the band suffered for various reasons".[23] He was replaced by Dan Navetta, Phil's younger brother.[22] In April and May 2002, the group supported Face to Face on their headlining US tour; the trek included an appearance at Skate and Surf Fest.[24][25] In May and June 2002, the band toured Europe as part of the Deconstruction Tour.[26] Between late June and mid-August, the group went on Warped Tour.[27] Between October and December, the group went on a US tour with Brand New, the Reunion Show, and Orange Island.[28][29][30]

In 2003, Forty Hour Train Back to Penn was released,[31] and reached number 164 on the Billboard 200. In February 2003, the band supported The Used on their headlining tour of the US East Coast.[32] Following this, the group went on tour with Finch and Senses Fail until early March.[33] In April, Baken got in a van accident, which resulted in the band drafting a friend in to temporarily fill his role in time for a UK tour.[34] In May, the band filmed a video for "Jamestown" directed by Motion graphics company Digital Kitchen.[35] The band went on The Made Tour, which ran from June to August; they played alongside Further Seems Forever, Autopilot Off, and Anberlin.[36] The trek included an appearance at Hellfest.[37] In September 2003, the band went on the 5 Dollar Tour, with Fairweather and the Honorary Title.[38] On September 29, a note on the band's website revealed that the Movielife had decided to break up.[39]

Reunions and other bands (2004–present) edit

Reilly and Caruana reunited for a one-off acoustic performance of Movielife songs in December 2004.[40] Most of the members of the Movielife formed other bands; Caruana formed I Am the Avalanche,[41] Reilly formed Nightmare of You,[42] in which Phil Navetta also played briefly, but has since left and currently resides in Queens, NY. Dan Navetta founded Heavy Rescue and a media company, while Baken worked in business management.[43] In 2011, Amiruddin joined Wiretap Crash.[23] Other members went on to form South Shore United alongside members of Halfway to Hell Club.[44]

In 2008, Caruana performed a set of the Movielife with Set Your Goals backing at The Bamboozle festival.[45] On December 16, 2010, a video was posted on Caruana's YouTube account featuring himself and Reilly, announcing that the Movielife will be playing at The Bamboozle in New Jersey, marking their first performance in almost 8 years.[46] They followed this up with a show in New York in August. Caruana remarked in 2015 the group had planned to continue, however, he "[didn't] think [he] was ready. I don’t think Brandon was ready. The timing was wrong -- we were trying to force it, but our lives weren’t there yet".[47]

Caruana and Reilly re-connected as friends and shortly afterwards began talking about a potential the Movielife reunion. The band subsequently began rehearsing in December 2014,[47] performing their first shows since 2011 in New York City at Irving Plaza in February 2015. Asked whether a new album would be released, Caruana said he would "never rule that out".[47] The Movielife performed several additional shows in the US later in the year,[3] including an appearance at Today's Mixtape Festival,[48] as well as a tour of the UK in June.[49] In March 2016, Caruana revealed that the band were in the process of writing new material.[11] The following month, the band released "Future Feeling (Afraid of Drugs)" as a single.[50] In 2017, the group performed at Slam Dunk Festival in the UK.[51] All promotional materials posted to the band's Twitter after the 2016 Presidential election feature only Brett Romnes, Brandon and Vinnie, implying they are the only current members of the band.[52] The band's fourth album, Cities in Search of a Heart was released in September 2017 through Rise Records.[53] In May and June 2018, the band supported New Found Glory on their Sick Tour in the US.[54]

In February 2022, when asked by the Podioslave Podcast about what's next for The Movielife, Caruana said “I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more Movielife music. Brandon’s just got to write it. I don’t think I should be writing it.”[55]

Discography edit

Studio albums

  • It's Go Time (1999)
  • This Time Next Year (2000)
  • Forty Hour Train Back to Penn (2003)
  • Cities in Search of a Heart (2017)

Members edit

Current lineup

  • Vinnie Caruana – lead vocals (1997–2003, 2011, 2014–present)
  • Brandon Reilly – guitar (1997–2003, 2011, 2014–present)
  • Brett Romnes - drums (2016–present)

Touring members

  • Matt Fazzi - bass guitar, vocals (2017–present)[56]
  • Chris Regan - guitar, vocals (2017–present)[57]

Past members

  • Eddie Reyes – guitar (1997)
  • Dave O'Connell – guitar (1997)
  • Nick Ghanbarian – bass (1997)
  • Alex Amiruddin – guitar (1997–2001)
  • Phil Navetta – bass (1997–2003, 2011, 2014–2016)
  • Dan Navetta – guitar (2001–2003, 2011, 2014–2016)
  • Evan Baken – drums (1997–2003, 2011, 2014–2016)

References edit

  1. ^ "The Movielife Has a Gambling Problem – The Movielife – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "The Movielife have reunited – News – Alternative Press". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Loftus, Johnny. "The Movielife | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  4. ^ Red Demo (Sleeve). The Movielife. Self-released. 1997.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ a b c d e Jávorkút, Ádám (July 29, 2011). "The Movielife" (in Hungarian). Nuskull. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  6. ^ Tatone, Jenny (April 19, 2016). "Taste Of Tuesday: Looking back at musical thrills and offstage spills with Taking Back Sunday". Alternative Press. Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  7. ^ Apar, Corey. "Bayside | Biography & History". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on February 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  8. ^ White Demo (Sleeve). The Movielife. Self-released. 1997.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ It's Go Time (Sleeve). The Movielife. Fadeaway Records. 1999. fadeaway 002.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Movielife News and Reviews". November 9, 1999. Archived from the original on November 9, 1999. Retrieved July 8, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ a b McGrath, Ryan (March 23, 2016). "An Interview with Vinnie Caruana of The Movielife: This Time Next Year…". The Aquarian Weekly. Diane Casazza, Chris Farinas. Archived from the original on August 6, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  12. ^ This Time Next Year (Sleeve). The Movielife. Revelation Records. 2000. REV:97.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ D'Angelo, Peter J. "This Time Next Year - The Movielife | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  14. ^ White, Adam (February 5, 2001). "The Movielife in a Van accident in North Dakota". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
  15. ^ "Formally Cooter, now Autopilot Off". Punknews.org. April 13, 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  16. ^ White, Adam (May 14, 2001). "Crouching Fish, Hidden Finger Tour". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  17. ^ Paul, Aubin (August 23, 2001). "Movielife now playing at the Drive-Thru…". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "Head 2 Head with The Starting Line". Music Head. October 10, 2001. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  19. ^ "News". Reel Big Fish. Archived from the original on February 7, 2002. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
  20. ^ Whiet, Adam (November 17, 2001). "The Movielife …has an E-Card problem". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Heisel, Scott (January 5, 2002). "Bosstones Gear Up For New Tour". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  22. ^ a b Heisel, Scott (March 30, 2002). "The Movielife has a guitar problem". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Manley, Brendan (January 2, 2013). "An Oral History of LI Music Scene's Class of '02-'03". Long Island Press. Jed Morey. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  24. ^ Paul, Aubin (February 2, 2002). "Skate and Surf Fest 2002". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  25. ^ DuFour, Matt (March 19, 2002). "Face To Face Ruin Everything". The Fader. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  26. ^ Heisel, Scott (March 21, 2002). "No Use For Touring Europe?". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  27. ^ D'Angelo, Joe (January 30, 2002). "Warped Tour '02 To Feature Bad Religion, NOFX, New Found Glory, More". MTV. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  28. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 9, 2003). "The Reunion Show new record, mp3 previews, tours, etc". Punknews.org. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  29. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 22, 2002). "Brand new Brand New news!". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  30. ^ Heisel, Scott (October 6, 2002). "Orange Island joins Movielife / Brand New tour". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  31. ^ "Forty Hour Train Back to Penn – The Movielife – Release Info – AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  32. ^ Moss, Corey (December 16, 2002). "The Used Want To Add Ozzfest To Already Packed Itinerary". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  33. ^ "Tour News!". Finch. January 3, 2003. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  34. ^ White, Adam (April 12, 2003). "Movielife Drummer Injured In Car Accident". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  35. ^ Heisel, Scott (April 2003). "The Movielife". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  36. ^ Heisel, Scott (June 22, 2003). "Made Tour website launched". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  37. ^ Heisel, Scott (April 25, 2003). "Hellfest lineup announced". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  38. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 1, 2003). "The Honorary Title signs to Doghouse". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  39. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 29, 2003). "The Movielife (1997–2003)". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  40. ^ Shultz, Brian (December 26, 2004). "Northstar hiatus of sorts / MovieLife acoustic reunion show". Punknews.org. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  41. ^ "I Am the Avalanche – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  42. ^ "Nightmare of You – Biography & History – AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  43. ^ Alexandra, Rae (April 2, 2015). "The Movielife Talk Past Troubles, Newfound Dedication, and the Importance of Multitasking". SF Weekly. Jay Curran. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  44. ^ Paul, Aubin (May 30, 2009). "South Shore United (ex-the Movielife, Halfway to Hell Club) post material". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  45. ^ Paul, Aubin (January 11, 2008). "Vinnie Caruana / Set Your Goals to do Movielife set at Bamboozle". Punknews.org. Aubin Paul. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  46. ^ "YouTube – The Movielife Bamboozle 2011 Announcement". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016.
  47. ^ a b c Alexandra, Rae (March 13, 2015). "Vinnie Caruana on The Movielife's reunion: "We're mature now"". TeamRock. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  48. ^ McGrath, Ryan (June 24, 2015). "An Interview with The Movielife: It's Go Time!". The Aquarian Weekly. Diane Casazza, Chris Farinas. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  49. ^ Beech, Dave (June 17, 2015). "Pop-Punk Legends The Movielife Return For A Handful of UK Shows". Louder Than War. Eugene Butcher. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  50. ^ "Future Feeling (Afraid of Drugs) - Single". iTunes. Apple Inc. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  51. ^ "Beartooth, Tonight Alive, Against Me! And More For Slam Dunk 2017 – Kerrang!". kerrang.com. January 8, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  52. ^ "The Movielife (@TheMovielifeNYC) | Twitter". Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  53. ^ Punknews.org (May 30, 2017). "The Movielife announce new album". www.punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  54. ^ Dickman, Maggie (January 16, 2018). "New Found Glory announce headlining tour". Alternative Press. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  55. ^ "Episode 103: A Conversation with Vinnie Caruana of The Movielife/I Am the Avalanche/Constant Elevation". Podioslave Podcast. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  56. ^ "Instagram post by Matt Fazzi • Sep 28, 2017 at 12:55am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  57. ^ "Instagram post by Chris Regan • Sep 22, 2017 at 4:04pm UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2017.

External links edit