This Foul Play: Local Rock Band

By Jennifer Ersalesi

Rutherford is home to many talented musicians. Four of those musicians came together as young high school students to form the band, Foul Play. For the last few years, they have performed at many different venues, including local favorites, PorchFest and the Williams Center. This is Rutherford interviewed the band to find out more about the band as a whole and each of the musicians.

Vinny Denunzio, Carlos Echeverry, Julian Statile, and Tyler Carroll.

TIR: How long has the band, Foul Play, been together?

Foul Play: The band has been together since July 2023, but we have gone through several lineup changes.

TIR: How did the band form?

Foul Play: The band formed out of the Rutherford Rocks program, which is an organization throught Rutherford Recreation that brings together kids who want to jam and celebrate rock music. Guitarists Vinny DeNunzio and Carlos Echeverry initially joined the program, and eventually Julian Statile joined, taking up the drums. Soon after, we started playing some local shows organized by the program with fellow musicians. In early 2024, we broke off from the program and were on our own, although we still maintained connections we made along the way. Bassist Tyler Carroll joined, and the band was in full swing.

TIR: Which instrument do you play? How long have you been playing? What is your favorite type of music?

Carlos Echeverry: I play guitar and sing in the band. I have been playing guitar for four years and singing for seven years. I enjoy R&B, metal, and rock.

Vinny DeNunzio: I also play guitar in the band. I have been playing guitar for years. I enjoy listening to rock, metal, and pop-rock.

Tyler Carroll: I play the bass in the band. I have been playing for three and a half years. I enjoy listening to rock, metal, and pop-rock.

Julian Statile: I play the drums and have been playing for six years. I like rock, Japanese fusion, and Hawaiian reggae.

TIR: Back in October you released your first single, "To Be Human Everywhere", tell us more about how the song was written and recorded?

Foul Play: The idea for a song first came about after Carlos showed Vinny a new solo he had been writing, and we thought that we could easily make a song out of it. We combined riffs that we had been writing, and the music for the song was complete. For the lyrics, Vinny gave Carlos the idea of writing a song about the greed and desperation that causes people to behave frantically and unprincipled. He then wrote the lyrics and melodies for the song, and "To Be Human" was complete. We recorded the song at Fox Studios in Rutherford and collaborated with producer Jesse Rocha to mix and master the song so that when it was released, it was of the best quality it could possibly be.

TIR: You have played in so many awesome locations...Dingbatz, the Prudential Center, Porchfest, The Sanctuary, The Williams Center, and so many more...can each of you describe your favorite place to play?

Carlos: Williams Center and Dingbatz are my two of my favorite places to play because they are both professional engineered venues.

Vinny: I always love when we play at the Williams Center. The stage is very large so we can move around a lot, and the professional lighting and sound makes both for a satisfying experience and stress free performance.

Tyler: Dingbatz is my favorite place to play. I love the lighting and how the venue makes us feel, even if we aren’t yet touring musicians.

Julian: I love playing Dingbatz because it's always a fun time and the lights and gear add to the excitement and fun.

TIR: What is next for the band?

Foul Play: We are working on recording an entire album, hopefully to be released in the upcoming months. Before then, we will have two more singles that will be released in the near future. We have several performances lined up, our next being an acoustic performance at Social Club Records in Rutherford on February 13. We intend to keep writing and recording new songs and performing live, even if obstacles such as college get in the way.