Based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Parlor Mob are a hard rock outfit… Read Full Bio ↴Based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey, the Parlor Mob are a hard rock outfit whose electrifying live shows and gritty '70s-influenced sound helped them win an audience in the late 2000s. Songs like the bluesy, Led Zeppelin-esque "Hard Times" from their 2008 debut and 2011's grungier "Into the Sun" from follow-up Dogs, set the tone for further experimentation within their heavy rock parameters as they continued to grow on future releases like 2015's Cry Wolf and subsequent singles.

The initial lineup of vocalist Mark Melicia, guitarists Dave Rosen and Paul Ritchie, bassist Nick Villapiano, and drummer Sam Bey arose out of the ashes of an earlier, short-lived band named What About Frank in 2004, and quickly attracted a small following in local clubs. Early on in their career, the Parlor Mob earned critical praise for their captivating translation of classic '70s rock devices (think Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Captain Beyond, Granicus, etc.) into modern indie rock aesthetics. Inspired live performances and songwriting sessions continued apace and, before long, the band had scored a development deal with Capitol Records. But, just as the band's eponymous, four-track EP was headed for release in early 2007, the Parlor Mob became embroiled in the messy merger between Capitol and Virgin Records, watched most of their on-staff supporters laid off, and thus decided to part company with the label rather than cope with any additional fallout. Finding a new home with Roadrunner Records later that summer, the band immediately set about preparing their debut full-length, And You Were a Crow, for an early 2008 release. After touring for the album, the band settled in to work on new material, but tensions within the band resulted in the departure of Nick Villapiano, who was replaced by Anthony Chick. The Parlor Mob eventually followed up in 2011 with their second album, Dogs. The album's lead single, "Into the Sun," found some wider exposure thanks to its use in both a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial and on Monday Night Football. Following a hiatus that effectively began at the end of 2012, the Parlor Mob returned in 2015 with the self-released Cry Wolf EP, a surprisingly lengthy five-song affair that at time dipped into progressive rock territory.

Another three years passed before the band emerged with new material, this time for BMG-affiliated Brittania Row Recordings. The departure of guitarist Dave Rosen and second bassist Anthony Chick made for a reshuffled quartet lineup that included Melicia, Ritchie, Bey, and incoming bassist Gianni Scalise. Beginning with "4th of July," the Parlor Mob issued three tracks throughout 2018. In 2019, they released their fifth album, Dark Hour, which featured production by Malay and found them experimenting with synth and electronic sounds.

Biography by Eduardo Rivadavia