Long Island Sound: The song ends for Envy on the Coast
Members of the group Envy on the Coast. Credit: Handout
Envy on the Coast has called it quits.
One of Long Island's most promising bands, which released two excellent albums, including "Lowcountry" in March, Envy decided to break up after guitarist Sal Bossio and bassist Jeremy Velardi announced that they wanted to leave the band.
"They explained that they are no longer happy being a part of this, and there was nothing [guitarist Brian Byrne] and I could do or say to change that," singer Ryan Hunter wrote on the band's Facebook page last week. "Because Envy on the Coast was founded upon the musical and personal relationships between the four of us, Brian and I have decided that we would rather move forward rather than finding musicians to replace Sal and Jer."
Hunter said he and Byrne would continue on in a new band. It's unclear how the breakup affects Hunter and Byrne's relationship with Photo Finish Records, which had planned a long promotional campaign for the hard-rocking "Lowcountry."
"It's all still kind of new to us," says Gerardo Cueva, Photo Finish's director of marketing. "We're not sure what will happen next."
There are hopes that the band will do some farewell shows on Long Island before the members go their separate ways, but nothing has been finalized.
"We decided we wanted to preserve integrity, credibility and put our art at the forefront above all else," Hunter wrote. "We knew turning down certain opportunities would sometimes leave us broke and maybe regretful, for some of us, but we knew it wasn't within our capability to compromise. Sure, we did a lot of things we were apprehensive about at first, but on 'Lowcountry,' our most recent effort, I can proudly say we made something that was 100 percent us."
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