Talented hotties deserve a listen

It was Lukas Hass, the adorable child star of “Witness” who then went on to become the freakishly thin and way-too-feminine looking teenage star of films such as “Boys” – in which he made Winona Ryder actually look fat and masculine whenever he stood next to her – “Mars Attacks” and the Woody Allen directed “Everyone Says I Love You,” that once said something that stuck with me. While reading an article about him in Newsweek or Time or maybe it was Tiger Beat, he mentioned that he had started a band. “Now that I have had moderate success as an actor I will be starting a band like every other young male actor because it is the cool thing to do,” he said sarcastically. Though I never heard much about Hass’ band – nor much more about his acting career – I do believe what he said has some truth to it. Some actors follow the motto of “establish a good acting career, but not one that you are so much a superstar that your fans will only associate you with the characters you have played and not your music.” Oh, and also get that “I wash my hair when I feel like it and if I can’t see because of my bangs so be it – I am too busy feeling the music” look.Such actors that have followed this regime include Hass, of course, Jared Leto and Jason Schwartzman. Other actors such as Keanu Reeves and Russell Crowe also have bands, but they did not follow this path.This long-winded introduction does have a purpose, however, in that the band I am reviewing, Rooney, is the most recent prototype of the actor/musician formula. The lead singer is actor Robert Carmine. This name is only familiar to those of you who have seen “The Princess Diaries,” in which Carmine played the love interest. Carmine also happens to be the brother of Jason Schwartzman of “Rushmore” fame and lead singer of the band Phantom Planet. I am not sure why they have different last names, but interestingly enough, their uncle is world-renowned director Francis Ford Coppola and their cousin is actor Nicolas Cage, so maybe they all just picked them out of a hat. Rooney, which is named after the absurd principal in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” entered the music scene in early 2002. Their debut album, creatively titled “Rooney,” is very reminiscent of that of The Strokes, plus I believe both bands are sharing the same clothes and just rotate them. The single from the CD, “Blueside,” produces a sound that I would say is a hybrid of The Cars and The Strokes. With cunning lyrics like “I’ve been given my brush and plate/ Where will I paint my life/ And will the buyer in the sky believe in what I dream/ It’s so hard for me to explain,” the listener is instantly drawn to the song. My personal favorite from the album is the catchy “I’m Shakin’,” in which Carmine sings about how he is shaking from what I am guessing are the tremendous physical effects of being obsessively in love – “I’ve forgotten what it feels like to feel normal/ To be normal/ And I’ve forgotten what food tastes like/ The way it tastes right/ The taste buds taste right/ Well I wake up in so much spit and sweat/ It is not normal.” Well, he is either very much in love or has salmonella food poisoning. I was able to see the band perform in the comfort of my own living room when they recently guest-starred as themselves on the Fox drama “The O.C.” And you know, if the kids on “The O.C.” think they are good, then it must be true. So, if you would like to see a gaggle of cute boys who actually play their instruments and do it well, check them out on their Web site, www.rooney-band.com, or go buy their CD. Now, if only that Smith guy from “Sex and the City” would start a band, I would be set.Lepore can be reached atmlepore@campustimes.org.