Happy New Music Friday everyone! This week we’re featuring Long Island’s own Alt Rock band, I Ignite! On April 14th, 2023, I Ignite released their first single in over five years; “Left In Me“! If you have been a fan of the band over the years, this song is exactly what you have been dying for; if you have never heard of them, this is what will turn you into a fan! Read on for the review of the single and an interview with vocalist, Eddie!
I Ignite features Eddie Raccioppi on vocals (and recorded bass for the album), Stefen Milana and Corey Grucci on guitar, and Jeff Braunreuther on drums. “Left In Me” is the first single released from their upcoming, ten track album. From the second the song starts, it is clear why I Ignite chose this as the first release in years. “Left In Me” begins with a guitar riff that just screams ‘I Ignite‘. The sound is infectious and gets you rocking instantly. The guitar leads into the first verse, and this is where the band shines. The fast-paced drumming and guitar mixed with Eddie’s raw, emotion-filled vocals is what I Ignite fans have fallen in love with over the years and the boys did not disappoint! Something that really stood out to me are the breakdowns sprinkled throughout the verses. They are heavy and will have any crowd moshing like crazy!
I Ignite has never been one to stray away from real emotions, as their songs always relate to the lives of themselves and their listeners. I LOVE the message that “Left In Me” stands for. Eddie sings “the time has come and you finally know what you’re meant to do. The only voice that counts is the one that’s screaming inside of you. And when the world decides that everything you want from your dream is gone, PROVE THEM WRONG. They say we’re older now, we should know better. Give up this broken dream, we’ve spent forever. I’ve never heard of a dream come true without a nightmare or two.” This message is so important. Too often do we give up on our dreams when we reach the first obstacle/hardship. It’s time to persevere and make your dream a reality!
The After Hours Review has been following I Ignite since the beginning days of the blog. They blew us away when we first heard their album, “These Lessons Learned” and with this new release, we can’t wait to see what’s in store for the band! If you need some fresh new music in your life, make sure you stream “Left In Me” as well as all of I Ignites’ previously released music! Check out the interview with Eddie and the music video for “Left In Me” below!
Dan: What is new with I Ignite?! Any lineup changes, etc?
Eddie: The line up for the new material and shows moving forwards is:
Stefen Milana and Corey Grucci on guitars
Eddie Raccioppi on vocals(recorded album bass)
Jeff Braunreuther on drums
Joey dammacco joins us on stage for live bass
Jeff joined the band a few years ago but this will be the first time he’s drums will be featured on recording with us, he did an amazing job and we can’t wait to show everyone the rest of the material!
Dan: How was it getting back in the studio with the band after a few years?
Eddie: Like a breath of fresh air, Anthony Lopardo and Ray Marte (Moontooth/Westfall Studios) were a pair we’d worked with before and this new material just clicked with everyone. There was a clear view of what our end result should sound like and feel like. Everyone was on the same page, and we all had and understanding that each track would have a bit of a different and individual vibe to them. We love working with the Westfall fam.
Dan: Was it difficult to get back into the right mindset for I Ignite rather than your other bands you play in?
Eddie: I think the difference between the two is that with I-IGNITE i focus more on the lyrical direction of the song first before anything else while I’m writing. With my other band A Farewell Fire i focus more on the guitar
playing and melodies and let Bill (AFF vocals) focus on the storytelling end of it. When I’m writing and working on ideas i can just feel the difference between an I-Ignite song and an AFF song, for me it’s very noticeable even at the demo stages. I ignite is a bit more post hardcore/pop punk and AFF is a bit more heavy rock/metal.
Dan: What was the inspiration being Left In Me? Tell us about the writing process for the song! Is there a message behind it?
Eddie: “Left in me” is the first brand new song/video in over 5 years for us, so I felt it important to make the first single from our new album be lyrically inspired by what we (as a band) have been through since our last release “These Lessons Learned” in 2017.
The song is about our place in the scene and the trials that we as individuals go through just to keep our passion for this music moving forward. It’s about facing the hurdles of life like bills, family responsibilities, time management and age. We’ve actually been through a lot as a band and in a way, we wear our age as a pride point instead of a negative. Everyone is married and some of us have kids, but we all fight to keep moving this project forward cause it means something to us. That’s the inspiration behind the lyric “they say we’re older now we should know better, give up this broken dream we spent forever, I’ve never heard of a dream come true without at nightmare or two”.
The song is about fighting for what you love and what you wanna do even when the world doesn’t understand why you’re doing it. They cant understand, cause they aren’t in your shoes and they’ll never care as much as you do…
Dan: Is the band affiliated with any music groups currently?
Eddie: Right now we are just stepping back into the scene and refinding our place amongst the new bands and new faces we see at shows, and we love it. We are open to working with anyone who is on our level of passion for our art and the drive to push us.
Dan: How has it been back on stage as I Ignite? Any special memories from the recent show you played at AMH?
Eddie: Every time we get to perform live it’s a blessing, I’m so lucky to be able to perform this material along side people who get along, work hard, and share the same passions for playing live, like i have. The last AMH show was just as much fun as all the shows we get to play there.That place is great. Since the loss of the venue “Revolution” the spirit of the long island scene has moved to amh even harder than it was before. It’s a great vibe in there, we love it. No better feeling than hearing people sing back the lyrics you’ve poured your heart into.
Dan: What is next for I Ignite? Any singles, EP, album, shows/tour planned?
Eddie: Right now we are working on booking more shows to get ourselves back into the scene and spread the new single around. We have a full album all ready to go but are taking our time in releasing it, to get the most out of the work we’ve put into it. People have short attention spans now a days and we believe it’s a smarter play for our situation to focus on singles like albums until we are at a beneficial place for our full length to be heard.
For me personally, I’m having a lot of success performing “live” guitar on tiktok just about every single night, so one goal of ours is to move our focus onto that platform for full band live performances at some point. The app has been very responsive and welcoming towards musicians looking to expand. Go follow me at:
tiktok: eddiemakessounds
Tiktok: IIGNITE_official
Facebook: the ignition fan group
And the bands link tree: https://linktr.ee/Iignite?fbclid=PAAaZ_452ifmOZSWgbLYSzPLHlSB1cd-GO06cn2t-HIfZWHaNzsQh8pma-hMg