The Cluster Flies break into the city’s music scene with new album

Evan Palmieri ’19 and Chris Palmieri ’22 have had music in their home in Newtown Square, Pa. since they can remember.

Now, that home serves as a practice and recording space for their band, Twwhe Cluster Flies.

Keith Banquer ’19 started the band during his freshman year of high school with his friend, Dave Zielinski, [who now lives in Massachusetts and plays the drums.] Banquer transferred to St. Joe’s in 2019 from the University of Vermont, where he first started writing songs for the band.

The band’s distinctive name raises a lot of questions, according to Banquer.

“We got it from the band Phish; it’s a line from their song ‘Farmhouse,’” Banquer said. “We’re not a jam band. It has nothing to do with us, I just figured we need a name, and it’s kind of unique.”

Banquer’s band lost two of its original members, and it wasn’t until Banquer’s sophomore year that they were replaced by Evan Palmieri, his roommate in Pennbrook Hall.

“Keith was on my floor freshman year, so I got to know him because he was playing guitar in the lobby and so was I,” Evan Palmieri said. “Sophomore year, I joined the band and that brought us closer, and now we have my brother involved.”

Chris Palmieri joined the group in October 2018, despite saying he did not always think about making music with them. He said he started really enjoying music in seventh grade because of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“I started playing guitar once Evan left for school,” Chris Palmieri said. “I took one of his guitars, I learned to play a song four years ago. I just kind of took it and ran.”

Currently, the band is made up of Banquer on vocals and bass, Evan Palmieri and Chris Palmieri on guitar and Zielinski on drums.

Since the band came together completely last fall, the Cluster Flies put out a full-length album on Jan. 25 titled “Beer and Loathing.” The album has nine songs and a single called “Highland.”

Their song “Reminders” was featured on an album titled “We Believe You” put together by Old Press Records to benefit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

Their music is available on all streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify, as well as on their bandcamp website where they called themselves “Philadelphia’s number one boy band.”

Running the band’s operations without a label gives them control over what they are putting out, but it is a big time commitment, according to Banquer.

“It’s a lot more work than you think it is,” Banquer said. “Beyond just playing and recording there’s so much that goes into it that you don’t think of, especially when you’re doing it all yourself.”

Being based in an area with a reputation for being one of the best music cities in the country has worked to their advantage, especially with the variety of live music venues the city has to offer.

The Cluster Flies are involved in the DIY music scene, which is a community of artists and fans who host events and concerts.

“DIY venues are what we’re into basically, whether it’s a bar that’s into the DIY music scene or houses that serve as venues where people want to put up their houses for us to play in,” Evan Palmieri said. “We’ll play pretty much anywhere.”

The Cluster Flies have been putting their energy into their new album, so they have only played five shows together so far.

Most recently, they played two shows to promote “Beer and Loathing” on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 in Philadelphia and Montclair, N.J., respectively.

They have a following in Massachusetts as well as in Brooklyn, which is their second biggest market. Still, Philadelphia remains their home and biggest backing.

While they hope to expand their audience beyond the Philadelphia area, they are grateful for the support they have here, especially within the St. Joe’s community.

“We have a lot of people here that come to our shows, listen to the album, push the album, send it out,” Evan Palmieri said. “They’ll repost [and] do whatever it takes, because they believe in us.”

The band said they rely on their personal networks as well as social media, mostly Facebook and Instagram, to get the word out about their projects. They use their personal accounts, and they have accounts specifically for The Cluster Flies that are run by Quinnipiac University graduate Lianna Regina, the band’s manager.

According to the band, Regina’s role is a contributing member of the band who isn’t involved musically, but she helps with their direction and social media outreach.

Aside from expanding their audience beyond the immediate area, The Cluster Flies hope to land the opportunity to be the student openers for the 2019 Spring Concert at St. Joe’s. They tried out the past two years but were beat out by other artists.

Another goal they have for the year is to go on a short East Coast tour, drawing good crowds for their shows.

Despite their hopes to grow professionally in the next year, they aren’t in a hurry to sign to a record label just yet.

“It would have to be a good relationship [with a label],” Zielinski said. “We’re definitely not going to take the first offer that comes our way unless it’s exactly who we want to work with. We’re not looking to do music for the money, but it would be really nice to get that financial benefit for something that we enjoy this much.”

The Cluster Flies have two upcoming shows in Manayunk and Elizabeth, N.J. on Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, respectively.