EXIT WEEKLY MAGAZINE
cd reviews • June 2006
Lani Buess
Lonesome Sky
Exit Weekly Magazine

Finding The Lost Patrol

Eclectic band mixes vibes from around the ether
By Lani Buess

Wednesday, June 28, 2006; Posted: 12:00 pm EST

   The Lost Patrol is a term that was given to the 14-member crew of Flight 19, which vanished over the Bermuda Triangle in 1945. Stephen Masucci appropriated the idiom in 2000 to define the sound of his New York-based band, which, much like the naval disappearance, is cast in shroud of atmospheric ambiguity.

   The Lost Patrol (not to be confused with Swedish punk rocker Dennis Lyxzén's solo project, The Lost Patrol Band) seamlessly pulls together surf, lounge and alt-country with occasional pop and electronic nuances.

   Mesh Mazzy Star's dark daze-inducing sensibilities, Neko Case's resonating contemporary twang inflections and the dreamlike and surreal soundscapes that serve as a backdrop in every psyche-distorting David Lynch film and you get a brief glimmer of The Lost Patrol. What a pleasantly exasperating addled mind it is. While the recipe is a mishmash of various musical influences, the fine-tuned execution and individual flair is The Lost Patrol's own.

  "The most elusive thing for any artist is to have their own distinct style," said Masucci of Rockland County, NY, the band's founder, guitarist, bass player and programmer. "When you see a graphic artist, or a recording musician, or someone who is a songwriter, you can usually, although this is a generalization, tell what's in their CD player, or what art books they've been looking through when you see their art. We like doing what we don't own."

   You'd think that would be a daunting feat, given The Lost Patrol's influences - and songs circulating in the band members' iPods and CD changers - range from composers Ennio Morricone and John Barry, to classic punk icons The Ramones, X and The Cramps, to kitschy surfer fare like Southern Culture on the Skids. Actually, their full list of influences would take up this entire page, just check out their MySpace profile: myspace.com/lostpatrol.


  "We stop short of Peruvian rain dances," quipped Masucci of the band's eclectic musical tastes.

  "It's a self-indulgent bunch of influences - music we've all have been influenced by and listened to that when put together it makes for a pretty interesting combo," said Danielle Kimak Stauss of Morris County, lead vocalist, guitarist and percussionist. "It really wasn't specifically put together with any one goal in mind; it was really just textures, and tones and sounds that we enjoy."

   Besides Stauss bringing sweetly engaging melodies and Masucci the surfer reverb guitar, The Lost Patrol is rounded out by Michael Williams on 12-string acoustic guitar, keyboard and vocals and Seth Clifford on drums, keyboard and acoustic guitar.

   Having worked together for so many years has allowed the band mates to play on each other's strengths and gain an open mindedness to new instrumentation, like tambourines or mandolins.

  "It's like painting, you just try to use different colors," said Masucci of the various instrumentation the band incorporates, "see what it will do in a specific instance."

  "There is a little bit of 'let's try this,' or thinking about this element in a song,'" added Kimak Stauss. "It's a constant challenge."

   In staying with the band's efforts to keep its musical approach fresh, it records, paradoxically, onto an old school eight track.


  "By today's standards it's almost horrifyingly primitive, but we enjoy the restriction," said Masucci, who restores analog studio equipment by day. "We only have eight tracks to work with so you have to make everything count."

   After six years the band has released its fifth CD, "Lonesome Sky," and is playing some big gigs, like Musikfest in Pennsylvania, New York City's Loser's Lounge and the NJ Performing Arts Center "Sounds of the City" series.

  "One of the objectives of JPMorgan Chase Sounds of the City is to provide a world-class venue for up and coming bands to showcase their talents," said JPMorgan Chase Sounds of the City co-producers Verushka Spirito and Evan White. "We felt that The Lost Patrol was a band on the rise and that their ethereal sound was unique from the other bands we booked for the series."

  Larry Alexander, who produced albums for Sisters of Mercy, David Bowie and Paul McCartney, might echo similar sentiments, having mastered all of The Lost Patrols albums to date.

  But Masucci admits the band's sound may be too far-reaching for some.

  "We enjoy the individualism, but it may make it tougher for some people who need a reference point," he said. "It helps in the long run. It's not so great [as far as] short term success because people kind of need to pigeonhole you. They need something to hang you on."

  "It's different, it's melodic," added Kimak Stauss. "To me, it's nothing that far out, but it's definitely heartfelt and our own thing. It is what it is. We are gaining the people looking for this type of music. It's definitely not the flavor of the week."

  "Dan and I write to entertain ourselves," concluded Masucci. "That anybody likes it is almost icing on the cake for me."

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