It’s never fun to see a band that you really dig have a seismic shift in their lineup. This happened with one of this writer’s favorite local acts, The Vaughns, saw David Cacciatore and Tom Losito part ways with the band. However, things happen for a reason and while The Vaughns still remain a great band, Tom and David went off to start an equally terrific band of their — the dt’s.
the dt’s have this wonderfully melodic power pop/pop rock sound that immediately delivers the same “radiation vibes’ that we heard from Fountains of Wayne. It’s an undeniable sound that is toe-tappingly infectious and with new music on the horizon it’s an exciting time for the band. We recently caught up with the dt’s to discuss their new music, the Asbury music scene and what’s on the horizon for them.
the dt’s are (Band Members & Instruments They Play):
At our core, the dt’s are David Cacciatore (Vocals and Guitar) and Tom Losito (Vocals and Guitar). We are lucky to have talented friends and musicians help us in a live setting to have a full band. Those friends include:
- Rob Jennings – Bass
- Matt Raspanti – Bass
- Lou Panico – Bass
- Frank Lettieri Jr. – Drums
- James Macintosh – Drums
- Joseph Santoro – Keys
For Monday, you can expect to see Matt Raspanti and James Macintosh on the stage with us.
Year We Formed: 2020
We’re Based Out of: Central Jersey
The Story Behind Our Band Name: Initially, we were going by “Dave & Tom,” but always wanted something that sounded better and was easier to say. Eventually, Dave’s girlfriend’s dad suggested that we shorten the name to “the dt’s.” We liked it so much that we decided to change the name of the project.
Our Sound Has Been Likened To: Oasis, The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, Fountains of Wayne, Harry Styles, John Mayer, Red Hot Chili Peppers
You’ve Seen Us in Other Bands Such As: Youth Gone Grey, White Wing, The Vaughns, Lou Panico Band.
Famous/Awesome Bands We’ve Shared the Stage With: In previous projects, we had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Brian Fallon, Parachute, Japanese Breakfast, Low Cut Connie, and Vinnie Lopez.
The band just dropped a new single “All in My Head” — can you talk about the message and meaning of the song, as well as where this song marks you guys in your musical journey?
“All In My Head” means a lot to us. It was a song that came together so naturally, which is our favorite part. Initially, the life of the song started as an idea in Dave’s head. He sat on the melody for a while. Then when the pandemic hit, he thought it was a perfect time to revisit the idea. Once he had a structure for the song, he based the lyrics on relevant events that were happening in his life at the time.
When he showed it to Tom, Tom immediately loved the song and added vocal harmonies and different guitar chord voicings/riffs to round it out and give it that dt’s pop sound we envisioned. This was the first song that we brought to the studio not finished, or having a complete vision in mind. We were open to any suggestions that our bandmates and producers had. It was such a healthy place to express and experiment with ideas. We’re grateful that our good friend and producer Joey Papa created that environment for us, and dealt with our crazy ideas. Overall, it was such a natural and cathartic experience for us to create, and we could not be happier with how the song turned out.
How important is it for a show like Happy Mondays to exist in Asbury Park, especially when so many original venues are dwindling in the scene?
Happy Mondays is so critical to the vibrancy of the local scene, allowing the talent around the area to showcase and hone their performances. As you said, it has become extremely hard for many local artists to find avenues for creation and expression given so many venues have closed or morphed into strictly cover music. This will be the third Happy Mondays we have participated in since it was brought back to the Wonder Bar. At the beginning of our journey when we were an acoustic duo, one of our first shows was at the Wonder Bar. So, we are always grateful to return. The staff, stage, and sound at the Wonder Bar are top-notch, and it is one of our favorite places to play!
Shoutout to our good friend Brian Erickson (The Extensions, The Hard Maybes, Brianna Musco) for coordinating the return of Happy Mondays!
You dropped a new record in 2022 — can we expect any more new music, even a full-length coming in 2024?
Absolutely! Since our debut EP, You with Me in 2022, we have released a couple of new singles and plan to release another brand-new single very soon. In between that time, we were able to play at Lakehouse Live, part of their artist spotlight series, and release a new music video for our latest single “All In My Head.” Both of these are out now!
After our experience of recording and producing everything for our debut EP, and having our good friends Frank Lettieri Jr. play drums and Joseph Pomarico mix and master the songs, we knew we wanted to get into a studio for the next batch of songs that we had. So, we went to Sonoma Beach Studios with our friend Joey Papa, and our full band. This was such a fun experience, especially when we were able to capture that live essence of the full band. We hope to get back into the studio to record some new tracks with our band soon. We are constantly writing and have a full batch of songs between the both of us. As music fans, we love full-length albums, but we have enjoyed releasing singles in this project so far. We would love to release a cohesive collection of music soon.
For those who’ve never seen the dt’s before — what can they expect from your live show?
A big part of our shows is crowd interaction and having a blast on stage. We always hear from people that it looks like we are having the time of our lives when we play, which is something we always keep top of mind! Being able to share the stage with our band for the last couple of years has been incredible. We have a tight rotating cast of local musicians and friends who help us in a full band setting. Their interpretations and flairs on our tunes have kept our live shows fresh, dynamic, and most importantly fun. We also love throwing in a cover for each set too!
Outside of Happy Mondays — any other shows on the horizon?
Yup! We love getting the chance to perform, and have a few shows coming up, which include:
May 17th – Lions Roar Brewing
May 23rd – The Bowery Electric
May 24th – Asbury Hotel
June 7th – The Coffee House
What do you love about being in the dt’s?
The camaraderie, friendship, and having an artistic avenue where we can share ideas. We have been playing music together for over 10 years and have become extremely close, not only as songwriters but as friends too. The project is extremely refreshing, no pun intended, and we are so grateful to have the support from the local community and musicians that we’ve met over the years who want to help bring our songs to life. </span
Finally, what’s on the horizon for the band that you’re most excited about?
The most exciting thing about being in this band is that anything can happen! One day we were filming short online videos for content and fun, and then the next day one of those videos blew up and now has over 7 million views! Another time we were promoting our latest single, “All In My Head”, and then the next day we were in the Gaslight Anthem’s music video for their song, “Spider Bites”. But as far as definitive plans, our Lakehouse Live session and new music video for “All In My Head” were both recently released, which we were extremely happy about! Shoutout to our friend Salvatore Zeppi Rubinetti for directing and the talented Frank Lettieri Jr. for editing the music video!
We also just put out new merch including t-shirts and buttons, and are planning for a full schedule of spring/summer shows both as a full band and duo.
We are excited to be releasing a new single soon (we may even preview the new single at Happy Mondays!) Finally, getting back into the studio to record more tunes with our band!
