Rye Coalition

Rye Coalition is a hard rock band based in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. The band has released four full length albums, three EPs, a split 12" with Karp, and several 7" records.

Rye Coalition has released most of their albums on the Tiger Style or Gern Blandsten Records labels. The band's most recent album, Curses, was produced by Dave Grohl. The album name refers to the band's 2003 deal to sign with the ill-fated Dreamworks Records. After Dreamworks Records was sold to Universal/Vivendi, the band ended up "jumping from one sinking ship to another", eventually ending up at Interscope Records. Interscope paid to record Curses, but the Rye Coalition was dissatisfied with the label. By mid-2004, Rye Coalition had managed to sever ties with the label and keep the rights to Curses, which they released on Gern Blandsten.

History

Rye Coalition began from a desire between Jersey City high school kids Jon Gonnelli (guitar) and Ralph Cuseglio (vocals) to form a band. They found their drummer in David Leto - an ex-member of legendary local Jersey band, Merel, whose status gave the group some instant interest in their home area - and a bassist in Leto's childhood friend, Justin Angelo Morey (Leto and Morey became friends while attending Our Lady of Mercy school together) Cuseglio, Gonnelli and Leto were schoolmates at St. Peter's Preparatory School. Taking a cue from local hardcore acts like Merel in their writing, the band (simply called Rye at the time) played chaotic, distorted songs with screamed vocals and more emphasis on dynamics than speed. Shortly after forming, Rye added Herb Wiley as a second guitarist.