Cathedral Ceilings
On September 6th, New Jersey power trio Cathedral Ceilings will release their second album La La La…Whatever! on Dromedary Records. La La La…Whatever was recorded and co-produced by Tom Beaujour (Nada Surf, Aeon Station). It’s an album that presents a dozen hot, guitar driven rock numbers in quick succession, with the same intensity as their growing word-of-mouth live shows will attest. The band specializes in driving rhythms and memorable hooks, delivered at a blistering pace. It's clear they were raised on a steady diet of Ramones, Marked Men, Cheap Trick and beer.
The album’s lead single, "My CEO," which premiered at Magnet Magazine, showcases the band’s knack for blending sharp commentary with infectious hooks. The track is a love song. “But not in the typical romantic partner sense,” says guitarist Ralph Malanga. “This is a love song about money, and how it can cloud a person's identity, trajectory, and moral standing. It's about how people turn a blind eye to the evil wrongdoings of their bosses or the companies they work for, in order to pay rent, or pay back their student loans. I almost feel bad for these people who tackle the moral dilemma of working for Raytheon, Halliburton, or the Trump org. Almost. The three of us play on this song with a kill or be killed mindset. Rip them off, before they rip us off. The main riff was ripped off from Cheap Trick. Which they ripped off from The Move. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Smile. Repeat.”
Cathedral Ceilings is Ralph Malanga (guitars and vocals), Nick D’Amore (drums) and Tom Diello (bass and backing vocals). Ralph is known for his work with the Dromedary band Stuyvesant and prior to that he played the NJ punk band Footstone, who released their first single on Dromedary in 1993. Nick played drums in the shoegaze band Overlake, who were on Bar/None Records. He also currently plays drums in the political thrash band Worldsucks. Tom is a New Jersey punk veteran who has played in a number of bands, probably most notably Bad Karma.
The band formed in New Jersey in the late 2010s, originally as a side project for Ralph’s songs that weren’t right for Stuyvesant. Although Stuyvesant is still an active band, Cathedral Ceilings has evolved into a full band as opposed to a side project, partially because of their excellent songwriting and partially on the strength of their energetic, nonstop live performances. Today the band members are based in New Jersey and in the Hudson Valley of New York.
The first Cathedral Ceilings single “Thanks for the Guitar, Mommy” came out on Dromedary in 2020. They followed that up with another single, “I’m A Band!” and their debut LP, Summer of Misguided Dynamite in the summer of 2022.
Like any good working band, Cathedral Ceilings plans to hit the road after the release of La La La…Whatever! You can also catch them as part of the upcoming DromFest ’24 taking place August 31st-September 2nd in Catskill, New York.