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Aston

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Hometown	North Attleboro, MA
Genres
Band Members	Dan, Mike, Jeremy, Nick
Achievements
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:	Artist / Band Member Dan Altieri altieri.d@neu.edu 508-776-9782 Booking Dan Altieri ihateaston@yahoo.com 508-776-9782
# Years Experience Performing Live:	5
# Live Perfomances Past Six-months:	10
Market Draw:	Home Market: 251-300; Boston, MA: 101-150; Providence, RI: 101-150
Venue History:	The Middle East - Cambridge, MA Lupos Heartbreak Hotel - Providnce, RI THE LIVING ROOM - Providence, RI Jane Pickens Theatre - Newport, RI Sacred Heart University - Fairhaven, CT Afterhours - Boston, MA Northeastern University - Boston, MA Central Congressional Church - North Attleboro, MA Attleboro Elks L - Attleboro, MA Mansfield Elks Lodge - Mansfield, MA North Attleboro Masonic Hall - North Attleboro, MA Sad Cafe (all ages) - Plaistow, NH Firehouse 13 - Providence, RI Six Flags New England - Agawam, MA Aquarium - Long Island, NY JCC - Fairhaven, CT
Opener Experience:	All Time Low; Secondhand Serenade; Plain White T's; Greeley Estates; Madina Lake; Halifax; The Ataris; Just Surrender; Drive By; Four Year Strong; Therefore I Am; A Rocket to The Moon
Similar Artists:	The Starting Line; Foo Fighters; The Ataris
Performing Rights Society:	ASCAP
Discography:	TBA EP—2010; Another Second Chance LP—2006

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About the Artist

Aston is a 4 piece, rock/pop-punk band from Southeastern Massachusetts. They've played shows all over MA,CT,RI,NH, and NY and over the last 4 years have gained a loyal following in the area. After a successful debut album release in 2006, which gained...

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Press Coverage

Front Page article from local newspaper! by North Attleboro Free Press
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH - Only a week ago, Dan Altieri, Mike L'Homme, Jeremy Quaglia and Jon Tirrell were normal college kids home for the summer. They had menial summer jobs, played plenty of Guitar Hero, competed in sports, visited their favorite local eatery, Tex Barry's, and hung out with friends. As L'Homme put it, they were, "just a few kids from Attleboro." And oh yeah, they had a band called Aston that among 200 bands received the leading tally among 100,000 votes to win MTVu's online battle of the bands. Before this weekend, Aston played at high schools, halls, lodges, local clubs and parties; but on Friday, July 17, the four members of Aston headed to Six Flags New England in Agawam for what they thought would be an unnoticed opening gig for a couple newly-popular artists: the Plain White Ts, Secondhand Serenade and the Bamboo Shoots. The way Aston describes it, they almost expected to be swept into a corner before their performance. Instead, they were surprised by the big-time perks awaiting them. We shared a Winnebago with the Bamboo Shoots," said L'Homme. "We had ac, soda, fruit, water. They treated us like all the other bands. I brought a duffel bag with me and by the end it was full of freebies," said Altieri. Along with quality gifts and treatment courtesy of MTVu, Aston was treated to access to the entirety of the Six Flags New England amusement park: "It was so cool to have an all-access pass," said Quaglia. The excitement came through, as three members of Aston-Altieri, L'Homme, and Quaglia, excluding Tirrell--shared personal jokes, each finishing their band mates' sentences in a race to fully recap their first "big deal" concert. The concert was the result of a battle of the bands hosted by MTVu, MTV's 24-hour television channel dedicated to the college music scene. Altieri submitted their recordings and photos to several contests hosted by MTVu, and after placing as finalists for three, eventually made it as one of five bands chosen by the public to perform at Six Flags Amusement Parks around the country. People kept asking us if we were nervous. But I wasn't," said L'Homme. "It felt right. Personally, at first there were a few butterflies, but once we got onstage, it just happened. What "just happened" was: Aston, an Attleboro-based band comprised of Altieri and Tirrell doing vocals and guitar, L'Homme playing bass guitar, and Quaglia on drums, went on what Altieri described as "easily the biggest stage we've ever played on" and rocked the crowd with a high-energy performance that kept the crowd screaming through the headliners' shows. Altieri plays down the reaction: "I was happy with how we played, and usually I'm really critical." But if you check out Aston's myspace site, you can scroll through 4,000 positive comments from adoring fans to gage the response to their performance. The four members of Aston met while attending Bishop Feehan High School and formed their band for a one-time only performance at their school's talent show, each member claiming their own musical background. Altieri has always known he was meant to make music; which is what he loves doing most. L'Homme was influenced by his parents--huge classic rock fans. And Quaglia cites early conditioning by his parents: "I was really brainwashed into liking music. I was one of those kids where the dad put the headphones on the mom's belly while she was pregnant. Whatever their personal inclinations, what stands out about Aston, is the huge talent of the members who, though they've improved their trades through years of lessons, each started as self-taught musicians. Amazingly, for such a young band, their repertoire consists of original songs, with the exception of one shameless cover of Mariah Carey's “Always be my baby.” When they started in 2005, Aston kept to small shows, building up a loyal fan base at their high school and community. For most high school bands, college seems to be the defining moment. With Altieri in Boston at Northeastern, L'Homme and Tirrell in Fairfield, CT at Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University, and Quaglia finishing off his senior year at Bishop Feehan before heading off to Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, the last year was a particular test of their determination. With hundreds of miles between them, Aston was still able to put out their debut album Another Second Chance, promote their music on myspace, and win the MTVu Six Flags Battle of the Bands. This isn't merely luck. Aston has seen its share of hard times in their two-year career. Just the other day, with the Six Flags Summer Concert impending, disaster seemed to strike Altieri. I'm a maintenance man during the summer," he explained. "I was mixing cement and I dropped the cement mixer. It caught my hand. I thought I'd broken my thumb." Altieri's accident crushed the tip of his left thumb. With his hand mangled--the hand with which he holds the guitar neck--Altieri prepared an alternate guitar player for the big weekend. According to his band mates, Altieri has a reputation of overcoming injuries for shows. The guys recount an incident from back when Altieri played hockey at Bishop Feehan, involving a fallen Altieri, his leg, and the sharp blade of a teammates skate. But, as L'Homme says, "Dan is always getting hurt and playing. Altieri, amazingly, played the Six Flags Summer Concert with his hand bandaged, and though he insists that the injury was nothing and his performance was "sloppy, definitely not my best show," his band mates say otherwise: "He was a trooper. These "kids from Attleboro" have gotten loads of praise for the attitude they displayed at the concert. They entered the event with gratitude for their family, friends and the people behind the Six Flags Summer Concert, and gave back with overwhelming appreciation for their audience. No one had ever heard of us," said L'Homme. "They didn't know one word, but the crowd still got into it. Almost naturally, and without a second thought, Altieri, L'Homme, Tirrell and Quaglia walked into the crowd to speak with their new fans, sign shirts and take photos. We talked to everyone," said Quaglia. "The bouncers told us that the best thing we could have done was talk to people. I guess nobody does that. They're not letting this star treatment get to their heads. They don't think of themselves as the rock stars they are sure to become. In truth, they're still students, music lovers and sons. I was signing shirts in the crowd," said Quaglia. "My mom called me over to say, 'Jeremy, what time are you going to be home tonight?' Aston has a lot prepared for the future. Before heading back to school this fall, they plan on putting together a show for friends and family. We had a lot of support from our parents, as long as we go back to school at the end of the summer," said Altieri. Though school is the priority, Aston's members have their hearts set on bringing their band to mainstream. We want to do this while we can," said Quaglia. Besides promoting themselves on myspace, each member has defined goals for improving Aston. I need to learn more about music," said Altieri, who is currently pursuing a major in music. "There is so much to learn. I have a long way to get better. I'm looking forward to more practice. L'Homme hopes to use his major in business administration and management as a means of managing the band. Through an internship, he has established a working relationship with Red Blue Records in Boston. Red Blue has helped us out. They've supplied connections for merchandise, designs, photographers and networking," said L'Homme. While Altieri plans to spend much of his time writing with Tirrell, and L'Homme continues upgrading their publicity, Quaglia has started cultivating his percussion sound by building custom drums with his father. While these guys definitely have a serious approach to their career, they're not forgetting the more important aspect of their music: the pleasure. [Six Flags Summer Concert] was a lot of fun," said Altieri. "We usually have a lot of fun. As Quaglia put it, what's better than, "ice cream sandwiches for a day?" referring to the concert's constant supply of treats. What gets better than a group of pals, joking around, and jamming together? Nothing. Like L'Homme said, "We have fun. We're best friends. The End. Aston's plays next September 8, 2007 at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport. Check out their website at www.myspace/aston

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