February 6, 2015
Andrew Milea is a musician/songwriter who plays guitar and sings backup vocals with the indie rock band Long Faces. His band just released their first LP album “Old Friends” in October 2014. He graduated from Wm. Paterson University with a degree in Musical Studies in 2014 and currently works as a technical support specialist for the faculty at WPU.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Glenwood Avenue in Leonia has always been my home. I live with my parents, Louis and Elisa, my older brother Frank and younger sister Mary. I went through the Leonia Public School system.
Q: What town activities were you involved in?
A: I was on the LaBianco Tigers baseball team and worked as a Wood Park camp counselor for a few summers. Since the age of six I’ve been a skateboarder, but the thought of breaking my hand and not being able to play guitar is just unthinkable, so my skateboarding days may be coming to an end.
Q: What were your interests in school?
A: Primarily music. In fifth grade, I took up the clarinet and played that and the saxophone. In seventh grade, I began taking private guitar lessons, and played guitar in both the LMS and LHS Jazz Bands. I studied piano and viola as well. Guitar is my primary instrument now.
Q: When did you first begin writing music?
A: My dad is very technical, and got me my first USB microphone when I was 13. I found all the technology fascinating and it opened me up to the possibilities of writing and recording. I began writing music and thought about becoming an audio engineer.
Q: Any standout memories from high school?
A: The band trips to Myrtle Beach, Boston and Philadelphia were fun. Looking back on my high school years, I realize that the principal Ed Bertolini and music teacher Larry Silverman always had my best interests at heart. They were both very approachable with an open-door policy and gave good advice to me.
Q: What type of music interested you in college?
A: 1–Musical arrangements. I began writing parts for cellos and horns and other musical arrangements. 2–Jazz guitar; I practiced ten hours a day. 3–Joining a band. I joined a garage band at 19. At 20, I decided it was time for me to try singing, and became a singer in the band White Trunks.
Q: When did you join Long Faces?
A: I joined two years ago as their guitarist/backup singer, after meeting Mike Neglia (drums, vocals) in a music theory class in college. He and Matt Condon (lead vocals, guitar) had been playing together for eight years. Both had an extensive music background. The fourth member, Lou Panico (bass, vocals), helped us put together our first EP album. My band members, all from northern New Jersey, are prolific songwriters and it’s great working with them.
Q: How would you describe Long Faces’ genre?
A: It’s a mix of classic, folk and alternative rock. Our music is original and evolving.
Q: What was the process of releasing an album?
A: In May 2014, we met with a public relations firm to come up with a strategy. Part of the PR campaign was to push one song a month, for five months, before the release in October. During that time our tracks were reviewed and we were interviewed by numerous music writers. We performed in several NYC venues during the Indie Music Festival last fall and had a release party. It was an incredible experience.
Q: What was the reaction to “Old Friends”?
A: Thankfully, positive! We were listed on Huffington Post’s CMS Music Marathon Playlist–in the top 20! One of our songs, “Leave It There,” was featured on Indieshuffle.com, a global music blog that helps you discover and download new music. That song has been played 10,000 times. The LP received an enthusiastic review on http://www.Surfrockmusic.com, another source for indie music. And in February, we will be the featured NYC Area Artist of the Month on the indie music blog http://www.thedelimagazine.com.
Q: What music has influenced you?
A: I feel like I am most inspired by my fellow friends who are musicians. I try to hear them perform as often as possible and always hear something new that challenges me to write and play even more creatively. I like classic musicians such as Bob Dylan, and most acoustic guitar music. I’m also a huge fan of Dr. Dog.
Q: What’s next for you and Long Faces?
A: I’d love to be on tour, performing live shows all over the world. Nashville! Sicily! Northern Italy!
Q: What’s your favorite holiday(s)?
A: We’re a big Italian family, so Christmas Eve is a favorite. We serve sushi and Sicilian pizza and invite all our Jewish friends and neighbors, who bring more fish and pasta. New Year’s Eve with my Dad’s family is great too. There’s always 30-40 family and friends ringing in the New Year together. One of my favorite vacations was when 35 extended family members went on a cruise to Bermuda last summer.
Q: What’s the best Christmas present you ever gave your mom?
A: I wrote a song for her when I was sixteen. My friend Theron Cromer sang with me, and we burned it on a CD. “Even though I’m a pain in the ass, you still drive me to class…”
Q: Do you have a favorite family tradition?
A: My mom is a great cook and we sit down as a family for dinner every night at 6 p.m. No phones; no TV. Just good food and conversation. I assumed every family did this, but realize my family is the exception, not the norm, these days. For family birthdays, we go for sushi at East in Teaneck.
Q: What’s your most treasured possession?
A: My Nissan Versa. After that, my guitars, or I should say, my dad’s guitars. He lets me play his 1972 Gibson Les Paul and his Epiphone Casino, which I love! I own a couple of acoustic guitars too.
Q: When do you find time to write songs?
A: I’m always composing songs in my head, and during breaks at work, I’ll sit at the piano and work on them.
Q: What is your dream concert?
A: I’m not really a concert- or festival-goer. Listening to Dr. Dog play in a basement anywhere and talking music with them afterwards would be a perfect evening for me.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I enjoy boxing at the gym, bicycling and backpacking.
Q: Any thoughts about your peers, the millennial generation?
A: Communicating, via words or music, is important to me. My generation has lost the art of communicating in person. They text mind-numbing conversations in which every other word is “Hey.” I prefer having face-to-face conversations, around the dinner table, or while listening to music with friends.
Q: What would you most like to see in Leonia?
A: The trickiest thing about being a musician in northern New Jersey is to create a scene and inspire other kids to do the same. The closest thing to ‘a scene’ I had growing up in Leonia was my neighbor Dave Gumley’s house. He’s a guitar fanatic and his house was like a music clubhouse. I’d like to see a town clubhouse, a venue for young musicians to perform in Leonia, one similar to Cool Beans in Oradell. It’s a coffee shop with an open mike for musicians every other Sunday.
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