Somewhere between classic pop and manic new wave lies The Great Bandini. The Boston quartet got together in late 2005 and began writing songs that featured shades of Sloan, Badfinger, and The Knack. They originally called themselves The Sidemen, all the members having been supporting musicians in well-known Boston-based groups: Singer/guitarists Eric Barlow and Scott Janovitz were with Yep Roc artists Jake Brennan and The Confidence Men, while drummer Matt Burwell was in The Pills, and he and bassist Chris Zembower both played with Bleu. When it quickly became evident that this was more than a side project, the band name was changed to The Great Bandini, in honor of Arturo Bandini, author John Fante's classic protagonist. They spent the next year working on new material, playing buzzed-about, high-energy shows around the northeast, and recording their recently-released, self-titled debut album.
