Behind the Lights

Rock-N-Roll: Something Old and Something New

“Just let me hear some of that rock and roll music,
Any old way you choose it.
It’s got a back beat, you can’t blues it,
Any old time you use it.
It’s gotta be rock roll music,
If you wanna dance with me.
If you wanna dance with me.” – Beatles “Rock and Roll Music”

Two different bands, two different eras, both with the same ambition to make it in the rock-n-roll world of music.

Spanning decades of rock-n-roll, the tales of these two bands — Rags and Bella Forte, with roots in Brooklyn and Long Island, show the desire to hit it big in this highly competitive industry that continues to burn brightly.

Joseph Occhiuto, also known as Joe St. John, started his band Rags in the early 1970s and is now an employer of Trader Joe’s working the demo hut area where free food samples of Trader Joe’s are provided for customers on a daily basis.  Bella Forte is a band in the making with its young musicians — Amie Buzadzija, Ashley Zeolla, Jeninne McCann, and Keaton Eisenhauer-Marotti.

Beginnings: Rags

Mr. Occhiuto, 56 and an employee of Trader Joe’s located in Queens went into the music business not only for his love of rock-n-roll but also because he was inspired by The Beatles when they came from England to New York in 1964.  Occhiuto’s father came home one day with the “afternoon newspaper in New York City called ‘The Journal American’ and above the name there was a picture of these guys and they were going to be on the Ed Sullivan Sunday night, this was a huge thing,” he said. “I remember sitting down with my family and I’m watching this and I’m like…that’s what I want to do.”  That was when the magic of Mr. Occiuto’s rock-n-roll music came to life.  He began to get into different bands playing the drums and eventually going to vocals because people who would hear him sing told him that he was “wasting his talent by playing the drums and keeping that voice to himself.”  Joe St. John, was Occuchio’s stage name because “usually people with names like myself who go into show business change their names.  So since my middle name was John I chose the name Joe St. John, and that worked very well.”

Beginnings: Bella Forte

Bella Forte had a little different approach to getting started.  Amie Buzadzija, 22, who currently works at Trader Joe’s, was always into music and singing but never really had the idea of forming a band until she met her current girlfriend Ashley Zeolla, 26, who had been in a number of bands from the age of 14 and thought it would be a good idea to get one together.  Buzadzija, who handles the vocals and lyric writing of the group, and Zeolla, who is the drummer, figured that they needed to venture out and find more people to join their two-woman act.

The ladies had checked out craigslist.com and one day came across the name Jeninne McCann, 35 and a kindergarten teacher, who stated she was a bass player and wanted to join a band.  “I was always looking to play an instrument but my parents were more into the school thing so I just decided to do it when my kids started to play their music,” said Ms. McCann.  Once the three women met it was set that they were now a trio of musicians in the band seeking a guitarist.

Keaton Eisenhaver-Marotti, 24, was found at Starbucks where he works with Zeolla.  “He was just there and I asked him if he wanted to be in a girl band and he said yea.  So he’s in a girl band now,” said Buzadzija.

This was how it all began at the end of September.  Bella Forte (the name created by McCann) was now officially a band and ready to start making some of their own rock-n-roll music.

During Occhiuto’s late teens and early 20s:

Occhiuto went on tour and played in band competitions in different states to get recognized.  When he pulled Rags together, the dream of having a band became a reality.  This all happened in the early 1970s when rock-n-roll was a huge hit on many radios.  “Everyone was a full time band player.  Everyday there was practice and getting ready for a gig or going on tour.  There was no time for a job; this was our job,” Occhiuto said.  “Going on tour and traveling with my best friends and younger brother was definitely some of the best experiences of my life.  There was nothing like it.  Meeting new people all the time and driving in a van everywhere was something you don’t do every day.  We were lucky enough to do what we did in our twenties,” Occhiuto said with a chuckle and grin across his face.

At the time it was hard to get signed with a music production company but each of his band members, along with Occhiuto, were fortunate enough to get in.  The reason for the difficulty was because that was when the group KISS was showing their stuff so most companies were looking to get their members signed with them; that was where the money was going to be.  KISS just had everything that the music industry was looking for at the time, the style, the sound, and the publicity of crazed fans.  They were like a gold mine.  “Once I heard them play I knew they were going to be big,” Occhiuto said.  He was right about KISS, but at least Rags got to make an album and have their songs heard not only in the United States but also in foreign countries such as Germany, Japan and Italy, especially their big hit “Rock-n-Roll Shoes.”

Getting Ready to Perform: Bella Forte

Bella Forte is only in the beginning stages of its music making.  The band members have practice at least two times a week and are getting together some songs to put an album together.  They have already recorded their first song called “Say Day” and are in the process of tuning up a few more songs.  Buzadzija writes the lyrics, Eisenhaver-Marotti sets up the start of the songs with a few key notes on the guitar, and Zeolla and McCann follow the guitar to come up with the rest of the music line.  “They’re awesome.  They just listen to Keaton play and go with it and I just adjust to their speed,” said Ms. Buzadzija.

Looking Back: Rags

Occhiuto does not regret a day of his time with Rags.  The band split up during the recording of the second album due to managerial difficulties and arguing amongst the band members and they each went their separate ways.  They all try to keep in touch and meet up every once in awhile and sometimes get back into the recording studio and just play their music like the good old times.  Someone is looking to get a documentary together on bands that played in New York in the 1970s.  Their one and only album still sells in other countries such as Germany and Japan.  Fans there want Rags to come and perform a concert for them.  They are flattered by the idea but not sure about how or when it could be done because of everyone leading different lives and schedules, he said.

Looking Forward: Bella Forte

Bella Forte is looking to “just do the normal stuff; play in bars and in battle of the bands and see where it goes,” said Ms.  Buzadzija.  The members of the band get together at a local studio in Farmingdale, Long Island to spruce up their upcoming songs.  They hope to get a music gig soon so that people can hear their rock-n-roll mixes and get some feedback on their songs.

Looking at the lives of musicians can be enthralling and eye-opening.  One never knows what really goes on behind the scenes of getting a band together or how much time and effort the work needs to be successful.  It is not an easy task but something that many people love putting their life into and hoping for the best outcome within their passion for music.

“It’s amazing,” Zoella said.  “Once you get a taste of it you don’t ever want to stop.”