Barely Know Her stays true to roots

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Thunderous applause followed Barely Know Her’s rendition of Frankie Valli’s megahit “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” at Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck on Feb. 11.

The band, comprised of five Oceanside High School students, performed the song at the non-profit venue’s fifth annual Your Big Break competition, which each year showcases aspiring musicians — ages 15 to 25 — that do not currently have a recording or publishing contract. Barely Know Her also sang “UFOs,” one of a few original tunes available on ReverbNation.com.

Seniors Austin Sharpe and Chava DiMaio, and juniors John Bologna, Joe Sammartano and Paul Cirillo, formed Barely Know Her in 2014. Sharpe heard about the competition and submitted a recording of “The Okay Kids,” an original song that the group recorded after winning Purpl’s Fifth Annual Battle of the Teen Bands in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. last year.

The band later found out that they were among 16 acts — selected from more than 1,000 submissions — to be chosen as a contest semi-finalist. Though Sharpe said it was nerve-racking to perform in front of judges and record label executives, the group put on a great show, and was voted by the audience to advance to the finals on April 1.

“Getting all those compliments from new people who haven’t even seen us before and don’t even know us, it really makes it the real experience,” Sharpe said. “…It’s pretty surreal.”

Last year’s prizes for the winner included the chance to open for national acts at major venues, recording time at a Long Island studio, a feature at ReverbNation.com, public relations services and musical equipment.

But Barely Know Her, whose members are involved in OHS’s theater group, surrendered their spot in the finals to instead perform in the spring musical, Guys and Dolls, on the same night. Four of the band’s members — with the exception of DiMaio — have significant roles in the play.

Bologna, the band’s drummer, said the band was created when Sharpe realized the musical talent of he and others in the thespian troupe, and that though it was a tough decision, they couldn’t drop out of a production that represented Barely Know Her’s beginnings.

“We think that we have a long, long way to go,” Bologna said, “and if we really want to be the band that we want to be, we still have to connect with our roots and really hone our skills before we can battle through the music industry world.”

Though not available for the finals, fans can see Barely Know Her perform at the Revolution Bar and Music Hall in Amityville on March 18.