E.C.: How did Borgo Pass form?

James Tamarazzo: Paul (Guitar), Tom (Guitar), YT (Bass) Joe (Drums) started out as a unit called SPD (Slow Painful Death). They started writing originals and were playing the circuit mixing in heavy covers into the set. At that time all the guys in the band lived in a house together and jammed together nonstop. They did some touring in the states and had a number of changes in the vocalist slot until we crossed paths. I was well aware of the band as I was playing drums in a band called Ritual Six. I came down and auditioned and joined like four months later. I was the first guy to come to the audition and we both waited four months to seal the deal. We all agree that we all felt reborn musically when we got together. We have done some done some serious damage in the short time we have been together. There is a wake of fire behind us and the best is yet to come I can assure you.

E.C.: Who are some of Borgo Pass' main influences?

James Tamarazzo: Collectively, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Lynyryd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Van Halen, AC/DC, Kyuss, Crowbar, Queens of The Stone Age, Pantera, Black Flag, COC, Metallica. The list could on forever. We all have so many different musical tastes but we all draw from the same battery as many heavy bands, it all started with Black Sabbath.

E.C.: How has growing up on LI shaped your music?

James Tamarazzo: I think it had a great impact on me especially at a very young age. I grew up five minutes away from Nassau Coliseum and back in the day anybody who was anyone loved to play that place. I used to scam my way into shows with my friends older brothers and my cousin. I was like this little peanut with a dirty rock tee shirt going to see ZZ Top, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica, Ozzy, Motley Crue in a cloud of pot smoke and people throwing M80 firecrackers at the stage from the top rows it was totally drew me in me, I was like this is heaven! If a big show came to town I was there with them and the club scene was out of control with places like Sundance, Spit, Hammerheads, The Roxy, Lamour, Malibu. If you could sneak your way in you could see bands like Slayer, or Anthrax in a small club setting it was insane, and the city was a train away to see any show you could think of. I saw the Ramones like seven times before I was fifteen years old. It was a very good time back then. I see a great resurgence of a heavy music scene out here right now and it could be even better if we all keep working at it.

E.C.: Explain the Borgo Pass songwriting process.

James Tamarazzo: We all get together and have low volume jam and then soon after blast out the ideas in a jam format on full tilt volume. I usually sing or hum along with the riffs ala David Lee Roth style until we get a common ground. I am always penning lyrics so we actually write the jams and then I lay down an appropriate lyric to the mood of the song whereever it goes. It is an open forum and everyone has a say in what is right for the song. It is a cool process.

E.C.: How would you describe Borgo Pass to someone that never heard you before?

James Tamarazzo: Heavy, Powerful, Melodic, Meaningful riff based heavy music that stands like a rock in a music industry that is falling to the wayside.

E.C.: What's are the best and worst things about being in a rock band from NY?

James Tamarazzo: On the good, I think that Long Island has a very healthy heavy music scene. I see a bunch of good things happening out here that I have not seen in years. There are tons of labels in the city that can come and see you perform. It has been said If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere On the bad, for years it has been thought of as cover band central and most of the bands that have flown to the top have been rather stylish in genre in that you would need to go and buy an expensive trendy outfit to go see them live, I am not about all that crap, it is a flash in the pan. My fashion statement is a dirty black cut off tee shirt. Another problem is that a good number of the clubs on the underground level keep closing and some have resorted to a horrible thing called pay to play. It is a pathetic thing that we will not be a part of. The bands should be getting paid if they bring people down that pay a stiff cover and pay good money to drink, end of story, especially if you have a big draw. We stick to the places that treat us with respect and pay us according to the size of the crowd we bring down. We are very professional about the business end of the band and very fair. It is a win-win situation for the band and the club and the crowds are growing. This is supposed to be fun business, and if I want to be stressed and miserable I will stick to working overtime at my day job!

E.C.: When I'm not in Borgo Pass, I'm...?

James Tamarazzo: Working in Manhattan selling big battleship-like photocopiers, playing drums, surfing, skateboarding, running, and spending time with my family and my dog.

E.C.: Do you prefer gigging or touring and why?

James Tamarazzo: I really like them both, when you are gigging you can draw a big crowd and then go home and sleep in your own bed and get up and do it all over again. But when you are touring you live in a really cool isolated reality where you can do what you want unlike a 9-5 lifestyle. We have only toured in a van with 5 band members and a roadie so it can rough and quite stinky and sometimes dangerous when driving yourselves at night, but I think doing a big tour in a average bus would be really cool.

E.C.: Put together your dream tour

James Tamarazzo: Borgo Pass on tour with Black Sabbath or a Van Halen reunion. That would be some wild shit.

E.C.: What's your take on the current NY music scene?

James Tamarazzo: It is pretty good on a whole, I think that Long Island has a great thing going on and if the bands keep joing together to strengthen the music scene, NY could be a super power but the clubs keep closing and they need to book the same genre of bands on a given night to attract more people to the clubs. NY is a great town if you are a big band coming through on tour, but can be real rough when you are cutting your teeth.

E.C.: What sets Borgo Pass apart from other bands?

James Tamarazzo: We are a brotherhood that has stood the test of time through change of all sorts. We are writing meanigful heavy music for a starved listening audience that has been force fed mediocrity in the maistream when it comes music and art. We love what we do and attack the art form with passion and intensity. I think it somewhat speaks for itself. We are also painfully loud!