Backstage Pass

So here's a really good scenario for a band: It's playing songs at its CD release party that are so new, they aren't even on the CD.

Even better: The songs are just as catchy, if not more so, than the ones on its already-impressive CD.

This was the case at Bandcamp's CD release party Sunday night at the sold-out Boulton Center in Bay Shore.

The Seaford-based quartet played most of its forthcoming CD "Wanna Dance" (E.V.L.A.), including the once-and-future hits "Someone" and "Celebrity" ("You better know the words to this one," singer/guitarist Matthew Bair told the crowd, once they hit the sing-along part) as well as the strong songs "One Day" and "Brightest Dark."

Just as impressive, though, were new songs "Natalie Crush" and "Never Seen a Movie at All," which showed the band is continuing to move forward.

On a related note, Harlan Friedman, WLIR's music director, said he will be adding Bandcamp's new single "Fonzie Movement," a retro-rocker filtered through a Weezer-like sensibility, to the station's playlist on Tuesday.

SETLIST: Get to You / Thinking about You / Situation Lose Lose / Crash and Burn / One Day / Brightest Dark / Valentine / Someone / Natalie Crush / Face of the Planet / Never Watched a Movie at All / Fonzie Movement / Celebrity

Bandcamp plays Best Buy, 1050 Old Country Road, Westbury, at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Matthew Bair isn't in any hurry.

Sure, the 19-year-old from Seaford has already been writing songs for half of his life and playing guitar for as far back as he can remember. His song "Celebrity," which recently became a staple at Shea Stadium during the Mets playoff run, won the international "Song of the Year" contest in 2004. And his group Bandcamp signed a deal with Atlantic Records and recorded its debut album before he graduated from Seaford High School last year.

But after that initial rush, Bair and Bandcamp did what so many bands do when dealing with the music industry - they waited. They waited for company politics to shake out. They waited for industry reshuffling to settle down. They waited until they felt they couldn't wait any more. On Tuesday, the waiting will finally end, when the band's debut album, "Wanna Dance?" (E.V.L.A.), finally arrives in stores - more than a year after it was completed.

"We're all just really excited to get these songs out there," says Bair, calling from a tour stop in Detroit. "It's been great to see people's reactions. We've lived with these songs for a while, but to most people, they're brand new. That excitement gives them a new life, a new energy that comes back to us."

For Bair, "Wanna Dance?," which was produced by Dave McNair and Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, marks another important transition - from solo singer-songwriter to part of a band, with his brother, drummer Kris Mazzarisi, guitarist Sean Gould and bassist Steve Shebby. "I still write songs, but everybody puts their two cents in; we all work on the arrangements," Bair says. "It grows from a 'Matt song' to a 'Bandcamp song.'" [More...]

PHOTO: Bandcamp is (l. to r.) Sean Gould, Matthew Bair, Kris Mazzarisi, Steve Shebby.

Listen to "Get to You" here

Watch "Celebrity" video on the jump

In case you've forgotten what the Bandcamp boys look like, the Seaford-based band put a pretty cool homemade video for "Celebrity" online. Not only does it feature lots of live footage of the soon-to-be celebrities, it also includes shots of Long Island luminaries like WLIR's Harlan Friedman, Jay from Greener and one-third of the Backstage Pass posse.