Justin Biaggi and the Hopeless Romantics are a unique synthesis of a bygone 50s pop ethos and a straight-up garage rock vibe. Through a post-punk lens, they explore both the sounds of the doo-wop era and tragic balladeering in the tradition of Coldplay, resonating high energy that has been likened to the Foo Fighters, and a sardonic humor that brings to mind the Queens of the Stone Age. The result is a clever sonic landscape that many have identified with Elvis Costello and the Attractions on the one hand, and Weezer on the other.

singer/songwriter, guitar, piano (Member ASCAP)

Justin Biaggi is a singer/songwriter who, very early on, mastered the sometimes forgotten art of the memorable three-minute song, with its catchy licks, thoughtful lyrics and abundance of musical and poetic energy. In the tradition of the eloquent simplicity of the Beatles, he is a solid melody maker, and first and foremost a musician.

Originally trained as a drummer, Justin quickly took to playing guitar and piano, though it might be argued that his greatest gift is his voice. Justin is truly an amazing vocalist - his range is vast, varied and transformative, with a fluid falsetto that recalls the ethereal vocal ranges of Jeff Buckley and Ben Harper.

Justin is involved in the creation of each of his songs at every possible level, from the melodies to the lyrics to the production and performance- in fact, many tracks on the album feature Justin playing on all the instruments!

Justin is an incredibly charismatic performer, who is energetic and funny, interjecting unexpected and witty one-liners between songs during shows. his band, the hopeless romantics, are a solid and talented quartet, featuring Derek Delisle on lead guitar and backing vocals, Keith Keresey on bass guitar and Joe Piteo on drums.

Justin Biaggi and the Hopeless Romantics have developed a following in the New York music scene and continue to perform all around NYC, including CBGB's, Knitting Factory, Crash Mansion, Lion’s Den, Kenny’s Castaways, The C-note, Alphabet Lounge, ICU Bar, Siberia lounge, The Continental, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Underscore.

Justin Biaggi was born on August 29, 1980 in the Bronx, New York. At age 10, after repeatedly being asked not to bang on the walls and furniture by his mother, he built a drum set out of old Tupperware containers, paint sticks and duct tape. When he finally got a real drum set, he studied under Dave Radachek and Steve Grossmark, and avidly performed with various groups at university: the musical orchestra, the school jazz ensemble and a death metal band. At age 18, he became Peter Cincotti’s drummer, performing in a trio alongside bass player David Finck for several month-long stints at the Red Blazer Hideaway in NYC. It was this early multitude of influences that Justin has sought to actively maintain in his quest to become a more well-rounded and adaptable musician and composer. Graduating with a B.A. in Music provided Justin with a more classical level of musical training and theory, and it was during this time that he learned to read music, picked up the guitar and piano and began developing the musical ideology and talents that would lead to the writing of the album Chivalry is Dead.

Justin has described his goal for music as “writing songs dynamically, in the same way we feel things dynamically.” To that end, his songs explore the shifting and unpredictable quality of human emotion, particularly where love and heartbreak are involved, and as such, are consistently reinventing different avenues of sound. On the topic of heartbreak and tragedy, Justin’s songs include everything from jazz and soul based jams, soft ballads with little production, and hard, power-chord driven rock anthems. In that respect, his goal is always to investigate unfound aspects of his musical and poetic personality, truly realizing his influences, while steering clear of pastiche. Justin’s ultimate aim is to tour, perform, and constantly write, continuing to explore a variety of influences – poetic, musical, and emotional – that is already the mark of Chivalry is Dead.

Justin Biaggi wants to make you feel like he did when he wrote the songs for the first time.
And he and the Hopeless Romantics want to break your heart.

guitar

Hey, guys. My name is Derek and I’m the guitar player for Justin Biaggi and the Hopeless Romantics. First off, thanks so much for hitting this site and being who you are. Since I’m so stoked to introduce myself and have nothing else to do for hours, here begins my e pic tale spanning twenty-four years and three thousand pages. Just kidding. Five years after I was born (May 7th 1981… that makes me a Taurus) a cassette tape of Elvis made its way into my hands as one of my first material possessions. Taking off into fantasies of singing like the king to adoring female fans soon became an obsession with me. The first song I ever recorded was done on a portable cassette tape recorder with a plug-in microphone. I belted out an original a cappella verse with my olive oil eight-year-old pipes and waited for the record companies to come toppling over each other to sign me. Ok, so nobody came to sign me. I reworked my plan to starting alto saxophone at age ten and reworking once again with piano at thirteen. Though successful with piano, winning talent shows for my renditions of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” I needed the guitar at age fourteen. My first lesson I conquered Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” (thanks, Kevin) and with that song as my audition piece, got into my first guitar band. Sticking with the guitar this time I was off to SUNY’s Schenectady campus for musical boot camp in 2002 and had graduate in two short years after playing lead guitar in the school’s Jazz Ensemble. Moving to Westchester in 2005 to attend SUNY Purchase I met Justin and you know us from this point on. I’ve always been a Hopeless Romantic and probably always will be.


Bass

Hi there! My name is Keith Keresey and I am proud to be a member of Justin Biaggi and the Hopeless Romantics. I play bass guitar in the band, and have been for a little over a year now. I’d like to start this out by thanking Justin for having me in the band. Justin is one of the most animated, creative and innovative people I ever met, and for “whatever it’s worth,” he is a great friend. With that said, I’d like to tell you all a little bit about myself and how I got to this point today. I was born on June 18th, 1981, (that’s right ladies, Gemini) in Stamford, CT, and I grew up in Rye Brook, NY. My musical side came out early listening to Guns ‘n’ Roses when I wasn’t allowed to and banging on pots and pans, using the lids for cymbals. When I got old enough to start playing an instrument, one of my coaches (thank you Mike Taylor) who played guitar taught me Eric Clapton’s “Let it Rain,” and the beginning to “Uncle John’s Band,” by The Grateful Dead. When I turned 13, I met a guitar player named Ron Caccavale who I played Ice Hockey with and he introduced me to a band named Rush, and history was made. I knew from the moment I heard “Tom Sawyer,” that I wanted to play the bass guitar and nothing else. Rush opened up a gateway to me where I fell in love with bands ranging from old Metallica and Queensryche, to Pearl Jam and Green Day. I fell in love with the bass and wanted to learn every song that I could. Throughout high school I played in a band named Stranger with my friend John Kiyak and played at various venues, getting a feel for performing live. For the past 5 ½ years, I have been working at Guitar Center in Larchmont, NY, where I met Joe Piteo early on, and most recently Derek and Justin. Since we met, there has been a connection, almost fate, as cliché as that sounds, but once you get to know Justin Biaggi and his Hopeless Romantics, you will hopefully understand what I mean. These guys are very special and the feeling I get when I play with them is genuine. Justin’s music is beautiful and different, and I can’t say how happy it makes me to be a part of this great band. So, there you have it folks! A little background from the backbone of the band, and if you have any questions for me, please come and see us.


drums

It all started one day, in a small town in the suburbs of New York City, when Joe was about 2 years old, his father went to the store to get diapers, and instead, came home with a toy drum set. From what his parents can remember, it only took about a week before Joe ripped through the paper heads, and that drum set needed to be thrown in the trash.

Later on, when Joe was about 10, his father, who is a professional trumpet player, brought him home an old Ludwig snare drum, and eventually, a small bass drum as well. It wasn't long before Joe put together his first real drum set, and he still uses that Ludwig snare drum today when he performs.

Joe picked up the saxophone when he was in 3rd grade, which he played all throughout his school days. He also began learning how to play the guitar when he was about 13, but he never stopped playing the drums. He would come home from school, go down to the basement, sit down at the drums and play along with Jimi Hendrix and Billy Joel records. by the time he was in high school, he knew that his passion was the drums. He auditioned for, and began playing with some of the local rock bands, and soon, there was a new young drummer on the scene.

By the age of 15, Joe was playing drums with several bands, and was performing in all of the hottest clubs in NYC. As a teenager, Joe worked with many different kinds of bands and had the opportunity to explore and play a variety of musical styles such as Jazz, Fusion, Rock, R&B, and Hip-Hop, all of which became the ingredients to the making of his own unique sound.

Today, 26 year old Joe Piteo often shares the stage with many of New York's top musicians and plays drums for some of the most talked about bands in the city. Aside from working with Justin Biaggi and The Hopeless Romantics, Joe Plays drums for the R&B group, NRG, and also performs with guitar virtuoso and Grammy Award nominee, Gil Parris.