For Kingston 530, It’s been a Long Time Coming

Hometown favorites Kingston 530 will celebrate the release of their highly anticipated debut album, Long Time Coming, tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe. It’s fitting album name for a band that quickly earned high praise for their infectious songs and energetic live performances that helped propel them to wining both the Hard Rock Cafe’s Ambassadors of Rock and Boston Music Spotlight Battle of the Bands in 2010.

Tonight’s show, which will also feature sets from Nikolas Metaxas, In Like Lions, Massachusetts Delta, and Your Sister’s Canary, will serve as benefit for the Music Drives Us Foundation. Mix 104.1′s Kennedy will emcee the event, which will also feature raffles and a silent auction.

Earlier this week, we caught up with lead singer Chris Ferrara to discuss Kingston 530′s new album, the CD release party and their plans for the future.

Boston Music Spotlight (BMS): After winning the Hard Rock Cafe Battle of the Bands, you continued that success just a few months later by winning the BMS Battle of the Bands in 2010. How were you able to carry that momentum in the studio?

Chris Ferrara of Kingston 530 (CF): Winning both battles in a span of three months was quite the rush for us. To top it off, we closed out the year by opening for the Gin Blossoms and then performed alongside Scott Stapp (Creed) at Shonda Schilling’s SHADE Foundation charity event. Each of those experiences made it all the more clear that we needed to get in the studio and record our album.

BMS: Tell us about the recording process and how the album came to fruition.

CF: For many of us, it was our first time in a recording studio, so we overly excited. We were asking questions like “What does this button do?” and “Is it cool if I do this?” Luckily, the engineers at Northfire Recording Studios in Amherst were very accommodating. Angelo Quaglia, the head engineer and producer of our record, got a big kick out of us. Long Time Coming is a compilation of nine songs that we’ve been playing for a while but could never afford to record. We received donations from friends, fans, and family via Kickstarter.com which allowed us to finally turn the dream into a reality.

BMS: For people that have yet to hear Kingston 530, what song of yours should people listen to first and why?

CF: The title track off of the album, “Long Time Coming”, would be the first song they should listen to, and, cconveniently enough, it is the first song on the CD. Other notable songs include “Tonight” – the first song Kevin Sullivan and I wrote together (and featuring arrangements by Jorge Rodriguez), “95″ -  a feel good, get-in-your-car-and-go fan favorite featuring the soulful guitar licks of Ben Caccia, and “Carry On” – an anthem of hope and perseverance to push through the economic struggles we are all facing today.

BMS: Are there any new tracks on Long Time Coming that you are particularly proud of?

CF: We have been playing all of the songs from the album for a while now and we are pretty proud of all of them. After each show, someone will tell us how a particular song spoke to them, and that is very humbling. That is why we do what we do and write how we write. We don’t need to talk about fast cars or swimming in money. Sure, that’s fun, but being able to hit home and really connect with our audience is more rewarding for us. We all work the 9-5 grind, so we do what we do to help others forget about theirs for a little while.

BMS: After the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last spring, you released a great video for “Long Time Coming” – How did that come about?

CF: Call it fate, but our single was set to come out right around the same time as the 2011 Stanley Cup. We are all Bruins fans, and when they won the cup, we found it incredibly fitting for us to create a highlight video to associate with the message of our song. Bassist Shaun O’Loughlin’s sister is a video editor, so we pitched the concept to her and she came up with the video. We were all blown away by the finished product, so we put it on YouTube. The video has received close to 4,500 hits and we have gotten some great feedback on it.

BMS: How do you feel the band has evolved over the past couple of years?

CF: We have done a lot of soul searching and growing up as a band. Last year, our drummer decided to take another path, so we had to experience the growing pains of auditioning new drummers. Luckily, Mike Dawley found his way into our lives and we haven’t looked back since he became the newest member of the family. Through the guidance of friends in the industry, we have also begun establishing the image and sound of Kingston 530. This has been a learning experience; one that we have embraced and are actively evolving into.

BMS: With the new album out, what are the band’s plans for playing live and possible touring?

CF: Our goal is to get this album into the hands of as many people as we can. We have already set up dates for shows in New York and Boston, and we are hoping to do show swaps with multiple acts in Philadelphia, Nashville, and other cities across the US. The networking skills of some of the guys in the band are pretty ridiculous, so we’re anticipating 2012 to be a very big year for us.

BMS: The CD Release show is actually a benefit for the Music Drives Us Foundation, tell us about your relationship with this organization.

CF: We became ambassadors of Music Drives Us after we won the Hard Rock Cafe Battle of the Bands. We found their mission to be completely in line with who we are not only as a band, but as individuals. Whether it was attending the Berklee College of Music, being involved with music programs in school, or using it as a creative outlet and stress release, we probably wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing or be the people we are today without the presence of music in our lives. MDU has been incredibly supportive and we couldn’t be happier to be involved with them.

BMS: What can people expect from the show on Friday?

CF: They can expect to see the end result of a lot of passion and hard work. There will be a raffle and silent auction with prizes including Bruins tickets, Boston Harbor Cruise packages, Autographed Memorabilia, and more. The event is being hosted by Kennedy from Mix 104.1 and will feature five incredible local talents: Kingston 530, Nikolas Metaxas, In Like Lions, Massachusetts Delta, and Your Sister’s Canary (from New York). With a red carpet and photo booth to top it all off, this is definitely an event worth going out of your way to attend.

Kingston 530 will perform at the Hard Rock Cafe on Friday, January 27. Tickets for the show are $10 or $20 with a copy of Long Time Coming. All proceeds will benefit the Music Drives Us Foundation.