By Mark Hallum
Birds in the Boneyard is gaining traction beyond the realm of their home borough of Queens, as the three musicians perform in front of children at schools and at bars throughout the city.
Born and raised in Bayside, brothers Mikey and Petey Condoleon have been playing music since they were young. Now in their early 20s, they have been joined by Teo Vanovski on drums and are sculpting a hybrid of pop and rock sound they claim is as raw and straightforward as the borough in which they formed their style.
“It can be pretty stripped down at times,” Vanovski said, describing the style they have created. “Sound-wise, I think it is right to the point. Queens is a blue blue-collar sort of place, no fuss, no frills. I think the music is kind of like that, straight to the point – guitar, bass, drums. That’s it.”
Although Birds in the Boneyard had been a duo for almost three years, in January the Queens brothers were joined by Vanovski, who was born in Bulgaria and raised in Denver. The trio has been seeking out bigger and better venues since getting together and mainly plays in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“I think we can do this on a national level,” Mikey Condoleon said. “I feel it’s going to get to a point where we hit the next mark and we keep going from there and building. It’s ambitious, but it’s what we love doing and I think it’s very plausible.”
According to Mikey, bringing their talents to schools, in what the band has dubbed an educational tour, has given them a chance to spread their love of music to a younger crowd of middle- and high-school students. The exposure also serves to grow their fan-base.
“What we find is that younger kids, before they really define themselves and their tastes, are more open to new things and new music,” Mikey said, explaining how the three hope to visit schools not only in the city, but in neighboring states.
The group’s first Spotify release, “Can’t Complain,” has been circulated 100,000 times as a single with more coming. With a full album in the works, the three artists are writing and releasing their music song-by-song. Later, they plan to compile the songs into an album scheduled to go online after the new year. Their next single is currently in production.
Birds in the Boneyard can also be found on iTunes and Pandora, as well as at Bowery Electric in Manhattan, where they will perform on Sept. 9.
Contact reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
