Local band making its mark

The members of Choice Nugs — from left, Rory Alger (guitar), Ciaran O’Hara (vocals), Liam Ledwith (bass), Phil Giardina (guitar) and Donald Gill (drums, not pictured) — as they practiced for their July 8 show.

It’s no secret that many famous musicians have called Long Island home — Billy Joel, Joan Jett and Steven Vai, to name a few.

Even recent Long Island acts, like Envy on the Coast and Taking Back Sunday, have certainly made an impact on the music industry, selling thousands of records and playing at music festivals and stadiums throughout the world. As a result, Long Island has become a haven for thousands of musicians, each trying to make his or her mark on the industry.

One local band, consisting of members from both Malverne and Lynbrook, is trying to prove its unique in both sound and style.

When Lynbrook residents Rory Alger, 23, and Liam Ledwith, 24, started Choice Nugs (a reference to a line from the popular HBO show, “Eastbound and Down”) in the winter of 2010, they had one goal in mind. “We’ve always had fun playing music. We wanted to combine our influences with other musicians to form a new sound,” Alger said, adding he and Ledwith have been playing together since the summer of 2008.

“It’s hard to categorize us. I guess we’re a little bit of everything,” said Ledwith as he restrung his bass on a couch in The Roxy, a studio in which the band practices.

The Roxy, located on the corner of 29th Street and Review Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, has a “CBGBs” type of feel with posters and cut outs from countless rock magazines scattered all over the walls. Alger and Ledwith have been practicing at the studio for several years with other bands of which they have been part, and now Choice Nugs uses the studio to prepare for the next show and a potential record.

The most recent show — at Tommy’s Tavern in Greenpoint, Brooklyn,  on July 8, — “went really well,” according to band member and Malverne resident Phil Giardina, 20. The newest member of the band, Giardina was added in early June 2011 after the group was impressed by his skills on guitar.

“[After the show], we’re taking a little break from playing live to focus on recording,” said the band’s singer, 23-year-old Ciaran O’Hara, of Malverne.