DELI BANDITS High school band mates to reunite close to home
Although they had a lot of fun together, group members separated in 1997.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- If perchance you instantly recognize the name of this early '90s regional alt rock outfit, then you've just dated yourself. Don't worry though, many others have as well, which is why the Northeast Ohio band's upcoming reunion show Dec. 29 at The Royal Oaks is garnering press.
"It was kind of a fun band," said bassist Carl Basile, calling from San Francisco. "It was a fun thing we did when we were undergrads, and I had a great time with it. I enjoyed playing in Youngstown. It was just a bunch of guys hanging out."
Those guys -- Basile, Kristian Richards (singer), Scott Kozuch (drummer), Justin Cwynar (guitar) and Tom DePolo (guitar) -- were all high school friends in New Castle, Pa., before college spread them out over the region.
However, their friendship remained tight. They formed the Deli Bandits in 1990 and lasted for the next seven years, performing plenty of memorable shows at the old Penguin Pub and Cedars Lounge.
During that time, the band released the cassette "Sequins in the Sun" and single "Brian Wilson and Dennis Hopper Don't Remember the '70s." The group broke up in 1997 when Basile, and later Richards, moved to California.
Continuing intrigue
Considering interest in the band continues, perhaps those rare releases are selling for big-time bucks on eBay?
"I haven't been checking," laughed Basile, who attends Golden Gate University Law School. "And I still have a few. Actually, I have all of the stuff as MP3s for people to download for free at our Web site [Delibandits.com]."
In fact, that's where two Cincinnati filmmakers, making a mockumentary about professional table tennis players, found the Deli Bandits' song "Ping Pong Lady."
They contacted Basile who granted its use, and now the track can be heard in feature film "The Little White Ball."
Having reunited twice over the past eight years, the Deli Bandits -- which are influenced by the Pixies and the Replacements, and have been known to throw in a cheesy '70s cover from time to time -- apparently can't stay away from Youngstown.
"I'm surprised that people still want us to play," Basile said. "It's flattering. That was the thing about our shows. We always had fun. We weren't about pretension or arrogance. We were simply just having a good time. We were having as much fun as the audience was."