Draft:Effusion 35

Effusion 35 is an American Indie rock band hailing from Philadelphia, PA. The band was formed by singer/songwriter Pat Manley in 1998 with bassist Sean Hamill. Guitarist Joe Napoleon and drummer  Randy Robbins joined in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Since the end of 2014, drummer Jim Napoleon, bassist Kevin Manley, and most recently, guitarist Tom DiGregorio have become full-time members.

The sound of Effusion 35 is a melding of their influences such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Helmet and David Bowie. One critic noted that fans of a guitar-heavy rock style “should find something in Effusion 35′s music they can relate to” in the band’s diverse catalogue.

The band’s name comes from an early version of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, The Eolian Harp titled “Effusion 35”.  Manley, who holds a degree in English Literature, had become enamored with Coleridge’s work and chose the name after briefly considering others such as The Rude Mechanicals, and Stratagem.

Over the last quarter century, the band has produced one full-length album, Stonewind, two EPs, Come Closer and Borrowed Time, Reluctant Rhymes, and over a dozen singles. They have performed in opening slot support of such well known acts as Sponge, Band of Skulls, Green Jellÿ, and The Ronains.

History

Pat Manley and Sean Hamill met while working at a restaurant in 1994. They found a shared interest in guitar-driven, melodic rock and met to rehearse the Led Zeppelin song "Tangerine" in 1996. A small concert was performed at a 4th of July Party in their native Collingdale, PA in 1998. The setlist consisted of two The Vaselines songs “Son of a Gun” and “Molly’s Lips”.  

Manley had been developing demos of original compositions since the summer of 1995, and the cassette tape, entitled The Epitome of Boredom became the foundation of their early songwriting. The first full concert with original guitarist Joe Laudadio and drummer Jimmy Teodoro took place on May 7th, 1999 at The Belvedere Lounge in Collingdale, PA under the name “The Rude Mechanicals”.  Shortly thereafter, Joe Laudadio and Jimmy Teodoro left the band, and a new three-piece format was adapted with drummer Joe Napoleon. After about a year of performing, Joe Napoleon transitioned to guitar and a new drummer, Randy Robbins, was brought in.

The early 2000s lineup featuring Manley, Napoleon, Hamill, and Robbins first performed at Doc Watson’s Pub in Philadelphia on November 13th, 2001. The very next show was at Philadelphia’s Hard Rock Café as a part of Garageband.com’s the “12 Bands of Christmas” competition. The band was victorious in the first round, on December 6, 2001 but was defeated in the second round one week later, missing the chance for a national competition and record deal opportunity. Effusion 35 continued momentum into 2002, releasing their first  single “Placebo”, recorded at Slap Studios in Philadelphia. Later that year the band was featured in a promo video for Slap Studios, and drummer Randy Robbins was highlighted in Origivation Magazine’s issue focusing on drummers, as well as the full band in a separated issue.

A second single, “Calm”, was featured as Garageband.com’s“Track of the Day” in the genre of Hard Rock,  on August 28th, 2003.  

In 2004, both “Placebo” and “Calm” continued gaining traction and were featured on the compilation Sounds from the Underground Volume 7, by Ground Control Recording. The release was accompanied by concert featuring many of the bands appearing on the compilation at the Pontiac Grille (formerly J.C. Dobbs) on South Street in Philadelphia

Stonewind and Opening Slot for Band of Skulls (2008-2009)

​In 2008, the band’s first full-length album, Stonewind, was released. In addition to the aforementioned “Placebo” and “Calm”, the album contained an additional 9 tracks, recorded between 2001 and 2008. Tracks such as "Stonewind" featured writing collaborations with Pat Manley and Joe Napoleon and "'Round and Back" and "Nothing Gets Done" featured such a collaboration between Manley, Napoleon, and Robbins, something that would become more common in future compositions. Reviews for the record were generally positive with one stating "Stonewind is a fine first effort. Let's hear more". Other's commended diversity of sounds, stating "Effusion 35 mixes a variety of styles; melodic “classic” rock, with some heavy metal whining lead guitar hooks, a bit a synth, and some harmonious vocals". More than one review cited "Soma (It's Not Enough)" as the standout track . 2009 presented the band an opportunity for an opening slot supporting U.K. outfit Band of Skulls on June 29th at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia. Members of the press and local rock station 93.3 WMMR FM were in attendance.

Come Closer, Bazaar of All Nations Soundtrack, and Media Theater Performance (2010-2013)

2010 saw the release of the Come Closer EP, which included 5 new songs lead by the singles “Waiting” and “Dark Alleys”, and including a song “Relative to What?” which originally appeared on Manley’s The Epitome of Boredom demo tape. Shortly after these sessions, the band contributed the score to the documentary film, Bazaar of All Nations, which was released later that year. The film, which included interviews with Vince Papale, Captain Noah, and Big Daddy Graham, gained media coverage, a theatrical run in the Philadelphia suburbs, DVD sales, and eventual broadcast on the Philadelphia PBS affiliate, WHYY TV 12. In 2012, Effusion 35 performed at the historic Media Theater as part of the One Song Rock Festival.

Wages of Spin II Soundtrack and Borrowed Time, Reluctant Rhymes (2014)

In 2014, a new song, called “Never Be Forgiven” was included in the soundtrack to the documentary film The Wages of Spin II: Bring Down that Wall . The film is the middle entry of a trilogy of documentaries focusing on payola scandals in the music business, and starring such industry notables as Charlie Gracie. The EP Borrowed Time, Reluctant Rhymes, was released later that year, which includes “The Garden Path” and “Bad Neighborhood” which became live staples and remain so to this day.

Lineup Change, Leaving Virginville Soundtrack, Penn Treaty Park, and Single Releases (2015-2018)

In late 2014 the first major shift in the band’s lineup began, with bassist and founding member Sean Hamill stepping away, as well as longtime drummer Randy Robbins. With these vacancies, bassist Kevin Manley, and drummer Jim Napoleon, the brothers of Pat Manley and Joe Napoleon respectively, joined the group full-time. Also during this period there was a substantial increase in frequency of shows, particularly in 2016 and 2017. 2016 also marked the first instance of a tradition of playing a concert at historic Penn Treaty Park each summer, which continues to this day. The band contributed several songs to the 2017 film Leaving Virginville, including new mixes of  the previously released "Bad Neighborhood" and "The Garden Path", as well as the album versions of "Just One More Sunrise", 'Round and Back", and "Juxtaposition". Pat Manley also contributed the film score as well. The film screened theatrically and has won dozens of awards on the festival circuit. During this period there were also several single releases, including a new mix "Never Be Forgiven" and new recordings "Ledge", "All I Need Is You", "Doppelgänger", "Apple (Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree)", "Calm(er)", and "King of the Pack".

Performances with Green Jellÿ ,The Ronains, and 20th Anniversary Show (2019)

2019 was a significant year for the band,  being the 20th Anniversary of the first performance, and it started with a opening

slot for the well-known Comedy rock band Green Jellÿ in a sold out show at the Philadelphia venue, Kung Fu Necktie. Consequently,  Effusion 35 would have a repeat performance opening for the band again in 2020, almost a year to the day of this show. In April 2019, the band opened for Scottish band The Ronains at The Fire in Philadelphia. While this was their first U.S. tour, The Ronains have had sustained success in the UK with top 10 charting singles, songs highlighted on BBC1, and sold out tours/festival shows. In November, Effusion 35 celebrated their 20th Anniversary with a career-spanning set at Bourbon & Branch in Philadelphia. The band was rejoined on several songs by bassist and founding member, Sean Hamill. The entire show was professionally filmed.

Songs for Space, Opening for Sponge, New Album,  and 25th Anniversary (2020-2024)

On October 13th 2021 Chris Boshuizen carried a Star Trek-themed USB drive containing the Effusion 35 song “Missing Time”, amongst others submitted to a popular Reddit thread, on the Blue Origin NS-18 rocket launch. The flight, which also carried actor William Shatner, received heavy media coverage, including live TV broadcasts, streaming, and a documentary entitled Shatner in Space. On  May 31st 2024 Effusion 35 was the opening act for the platinum recording artist, Sponge in front of a sold out audience at Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia during their Rotting Piñata 30th Anniversary tour. Effusion 35 moved towards completion of a new concept album conceived by Joe Napoleon and comprising some of the singles released over the past few years such as "King of the Pack", "AII I Need Is You", "Apple (Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree)" and "Shitbag" as well as several new compositions. The band celebrates its 25th Anniversary and a celebratory performance is slated for later in the year.

Awards/Nominations, Highlights, and Broadcast History

The band quickly gained some accolades in the early 2000s, consistently leading in rankings on the regional website Localriffs.com. In 2001 the band won the first round of "The 12 Bands of Christmas" competition at Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia. In 2010, "Placebo" was ranked the #17 song in all genres on Indie-Music.com. In 2016, Effusion 35 was voted "May Artist of the Month" by RockonPhilly.com. Also that year, the band's performance at Penn Treaty Park was highlighted on CBS3 Philadelphia. In 2021, the band was highlighted in a profile by the Philadelphia bar, The Monkey Club.

In 2021 the band was nominated in 4 categories for the "Homey Awards"  (Best guitarist, Best bass player, Best drummer, and Best rock song) on the radio program Hometown Heroes Delaware Public Radio. Hometown Heroes both on their former station 93.7FM WSTW and their current Delaware Public Radio broadcasts, have played the songs "Don't Wanna Talk About It", "King of the Pack", "Never Be Forgiven", "Placebo", "Something on You", "The Garden Path" and "Waiting". Y-NOT Radio has played "Waiting", "Ledge", and "Against the Grain" as well as a live acoustic performance of "Something on You". WXPN's The Key, featured "Waiting" on a story about the One Song Rock Festival in 2012.

In 2023 a rooftop tribute to Effusion 35 appeared on I-95 in Philadelphia near the I-676 exit.