Frequent Season reunites Boardman High grads

Two of the band members are former Mystic WIP
Hustler members.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

It’s a new and different day for Mystic WIP Hustler band members Charlie Cervone and Brad Meehan, who moved to New York City over two years ago with the notion of experiencing life in the big city.

Instead, the duo crossed paths with fellow Boardman High School graduate Jared Farrell, who also moved to the Big Apple in hopes of finding musical stardom, and formed rock act Frequent Season.

“We’re all here in New York for the same reason, our love of music,” said Cervone, calling from his New Rochelle, N.Y., home. “It’s cool to get together and do this stuff.”

Whereas popular Youngstown act Mystic WIP Hustler explored a more discriminating jam band motif (everything from jazz, bluegrass and pop music to heavy metal and rock), Frequent Season — Farrell (guitar, vocals), Cervone (bass), Meehan (drums) and Boston resident Sae Lee (guitar, vocals) — is more focused. 

“This band rocks,” Cervone said. “That’s just the only way to put it. Mystic WIP is a little bit more jam-oriented, a little more stylistically diverse, where this group is just a rock ’n’ roll band in every sense of the word.

“I’d say we’re probably influenced most by bands like Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World. We have tendencies toward a lot of modern rock bands like The Killers and stuff like that.”

There’s already talk of Frequent Season recording its debut disc this spring. Among the tracks in the mix are “Family Reunion,” “Old News” and “Faded Grey.”

The road to Frequent Season proved interesting for Cervone. With Mystic WIP Hustler on hiatus, Meehan joined Farrell to start an earlier version of Frequent Season initially formed with other members. Then earlier this year the bass player left the group. However, Cervone wasn’t just given the job.

“I did have to audition to make sure it’s the right fit,” Cervone said. “The fear I think was coming from Mystic WIP Hustler, I’m a pretty notes-y bass player. I play a lot of notes and Frequent Season is more of like a driving rock band. It’s a different style of bass playing and they wanted a particular kind of bass player. So I wanted to prove to them I could do it so I auditioned.”

While on the surface auditioning for friends and current band mates may seem kind of odd, Cervone wasn’t fazed one bit.

“No, it was nice,” Cervone said. “This band is very professional, and I think it was only appropriate that I audition.”

The future appears bright for Frequent Season, which has scheduled its Youngstown debut. Considering all of its Northeast Ohio members were coming home for the holiday anyway, a local show opening for The Zou is planned for Christmas at Cedars Lounge.

“I’m so excited about it,” Cervone said. “It’s such a pleasure playing Youngstown. Like anytime I get to perform at home, it’s a dream come true because the people in Youngstown are so welcoming.

“And we’re hoping to see some old friends of Mystic WIP Hustler there and friends of The Zou. It should be a lot of fun.”