Fred's Long Island Introduction

The Vibe Lounge, Dec. 10, 2007

Fred Mascherino at the Vibe Lounge on Dec. 10, 2007. Photo by Brittanee Friedman.

By Chelsie Friedman

Fred Mascherino is sitting behind the merch table at the Vibe Lounge on Monday, Dec. 10, asking his fans if they need anything as they approach him. Most of the time it’s a picture or an autograph, and Mascherino is more than happy to oblige each and every time. The Color Fred, sporting a name chosen by fans, had a day off from its tour with Straylight Run, and headlined Long Island for the first time in the new band’s career.

Worlds apart from Mascherino’s past life in Taking Back Sunday, riding in tour buses and performing in front of packed stadiums, the Vibe Lounge in Rockville Centre is a small club with a capacity of about 200; maybe half that was present on this particular night. But the amount of people and the size of the club don’t phase Mascherino one bit. He thanked the crowd throughout the night for just being there. He explained that he knows that his band is new, and didn’t even expect most people to know the words. Nonetheless, Mascherino played his new album “Bend to Break,” in its entirety with more intensity than I had ever seen him play before. Switching back and forth between acoustic and electric guitars just as the CD does, he played with a truly sincere love for the music. With complete freedom to write and play what he wanted, it seems as though Mascherino has had the clichéd “weight lifted off his shoulders.”

The show also featured Dear in the Headlights from Phoenix, Arizona, currently on tour with Straylight Run and The Color Fred. Long Island acts Big City Lights and Life Between Sleep opened the show, and luckily for me, classic pop-punk never gets old. Catchy choruses and clever hooks always keep me listening, and both locals performed to the extreme.

As the show came to a close, Mascherino ended his set with “Don’t Pretend,” the last track off Bend to Break. It surprised me that Mascherino didn’t close with his single “If I Surrender,” but, then again, it’s not really like him to follow the most obvious trends in his life (for instance, quitting a world famous rock band to go it alone). Why should his set be any different?