War in the North is the voice and pulse of what many grew up to around the … Read Full Bio ↴War in the North is the voice and pulse of what many grew up to around the small City of Amsterdam, located in upstate New York. The voice of the band is Singer/Songwriter Donny Gugliemelli Jr , who has a unique creativeness to his voice and music, where he sings what he and most people feel in a very candid way. Bandmate Nick Lazarou is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, and co-writer on War in the North’s music.
Both Donny and Nick find a way to communicate all the things that are looked down upon in society and nobody really talks about. Whether it is insecurities, self-doubt or subtle observation, War in the North finds a way to put a poetic swing on the disappointments and tragedies everyone will encounter in life. They also have an uncanny way to swing the mood with other uplifting songs that just make the crowd move and dance. This band truly has the weight of their own expectations, along with those of their family and peers on their shoulders.
War in the North’s music is a genre in itself, which incorporates the rawness of Rock N’ Roll, accompanied with the tone and theme, that can only be classified as something resembling organic indie/pop. Whether it is with keys, acoustics, or a banjo the band finds a way to make the listener feel every word that slips out of the mouth and feel the soul and power of the instruments they are wielding.
Donny and Nick are artist that truly played and grew up with the music that surrounded him. Starting their early life in alternative/ hardcore bands like Letters for a Lover (Donny), No Second Chances (Nick), and Dorothy I’m a Coward (Both), the two eventually progressed into playing more personal songs in the summer of 2011. The music they transitioned to play didn’t fall into the category of what they and their friends enjoyed any longer but instead what each of them felt and believed. In 2014, late in the album 'Yellow Animals', Donny and Nick asked multi-instrumental/vocalist Angel Galarza to join War in the North. There was an instant creative chemistry between the three so quickly it resulted in the writing of 'Take the Blame' which made it's way on the album and became featured for radio airplay by WEQX 102.7fm.
War in the North’s sound is unique in sound but resembles the likes of Bright Eyes, Jarrod Gorbel and Fun. They both are artists that truly find the benefit of the art is the release of their emotion and spirit.
“I was just singing about how I really felt and there was nothing holding me back because I didn’t think anyone would actually hear it,” Gugliemelli said. “The things that I’m saying are the things that everyone thinks or wants to say but never actually does.”
They explained that when they wrote tracks like “Known, Have, Should” and “Bad Luck” or “Irene” they were no longer thinking about making it big, but instead what was really going on in their complicated minds. However frank and honest those emotions put in a rhythmical tone are; they remain true to what they felt and were experiencing at that moment in life. While several artists sing about their personal life in a scenario basis, Donny and Nick always find a way to put their confessions and feelings in ink on a superior intimate level.
That compassion and dedication to the art of music is amplified in the live setting, where each can really show the progression and passion in every line and chord.
“ is my outlet and the only thing I know how to do to express what I feel and think at that moment,” he said.
Whether you consider yourself a fan of a specific genre or music itself, this is a band that will truly be felt and understood on the most personal level. Their music is genuine and sincere in a brutally honest way that is rarely exposed and spoken in today’s industry. The music that is played is an outlet not only for their personal journey, but every person that has been in a situation where they are feeling the pressures or struggles of life.

War in the North
By LEVI PASCHER