I would like to introduce you to a very special musical project It's called the Bam Bam Project And to tell us all about it We have Larry Neil, lead vocalist and songwriter.

Hi and welcome to the ezine,How are you?

very well thanks

First Tell us what is the project for?

This is the first memorial CD to our good friend and bandmate Thom "Bam Bam" Parisi. Thom passed away 2 years ago from brain cancer. At Thom's gravesite, all of us involved in the project wanted to do something, anything you know. So because we were all dear friends and musicians, we decided to record this CD for Thom. It became therapy for us in coping with his death. Thom and I grew up together and know each other since we were thirteen.We became published songwriters together. One of our songs was used in a movie on NBC and another recently used on the MTV' show "Dismissed". But Thom wrote tunes and played with each of us, so he touched us all in a very profound way and we miss him dearly. All the profits from the sale of this CD will go to benefit The Talia Parisi College Fund and Memorial Sloan Kettering Brain Cancer research.

Tell us a bit about Thom Parisi?

Thom was born in Simsbury Connecticut in the USA. He moved to New Rochelle, New York and moved next door to me. Thom studied theology and communications at Fordam College and was a multi instrumentalist. However ,Thom was best known for his hard hitting style of drumming, hence the nickname "Bam Bam". Thom was the drummer in The Hip Pocket band with Ken Eichler on guitar, Joel Smith on guitar and Dr. C (Keven Crutchfield) on lead vocals. Eddie Denise joined the band later on and played bass.

Ken, Joel, Doc and Eddie and Thom were very close. The band made a splash with their record "Rock and Roll Wakes Me Up" and the song eventually became an opening tune for a morning show DJ on Long Island. Thom and I along with Kenny also played together in a band called Eric Von Zipper and The Flies in highschool.

Thom leaves his wife Teresa and their beautiful 5 year old daughter Talia behind. Our dear friend actor Vinnie Pastore (The Sopranos etc...)recently hosted our CD release party which was a huge success.

What style of music is the CD?

The disc is a blend of rock, rhythmn and blues and reggea. A very unique CD in that there are 5 different voices singing these 14 songs.We covered "Dock of The Bay" and "Harvest Moon" but the remaining 12 songs are original pieces written by all the Bam Bam members.

Who is involved in it?

Myself on lead vocals, Dr. C on lead vocals, Joel Smith on guitar and lead vocals, Eddie Denise on bass and lead vocal on "Beat Your Drum" and of course Ken Eichler who produced the CD at his studio (Sliding Door Studios) and played guitar. The very talented Maura McCabe did the lead vocal on our cover of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" (Maura sang this song at Thom's grave)

Thom co-wrote, played on, jammed on or otherwise was involved in all the 12 original songs contained on this CD.So his stamp of approval is on this project.
Ted Muller is the project's photographer.

Where can it be purchased?

The disc can be purchased through Amazon.com, CDBaby, CDStreet and through our website The Bam Bam Project

Is it getting decent reception in traditional media?

Being such a unique project it's going to take a greater effort to get the word out. We definitely aren't Britany Spears! We do have a good following and fan base and have started getting airplay and believe we'll get much more. We certainly are supporters of internet radio as well as commercial radio and feel together we'll get the much needed exposure.

I can imagine it was one emotional recording session?

It took many sessions because of scheduling but each session was enjoyable because we are all close friends with a common goal. It took more time than usual to record, but every moment was special.

I would like to thank you for taking part in this interview and sharing with us the memory of a great musician and above all a great individual who touched so many people.

Any last word for our readers?

Get out an purchase this CD! It'll do alot of good and you'll love it from start to finish. We're hoping to start recording our follow up CD in the near future so look for more from The Bam Bam Project. I would like to invite the readers to tune in to K.L.O.D Net Radio as we will be playing some track from the cd on the january 21 playlist.

Please visit the Bam Bam Project website:http://www.thebambamproject.com

or email From the website or to:rockin714@aol.com

or call up your favorite local DJ and request it!

This is a special project so... C'mon let's get the word out!