Princeton HS Band Releases Album Recorded At Abbey Road Studio

PRINCETON, NJ - Exactly a year ago, Princeton High School’s Studio Band visited London for a few performances. It was during this pre-pandemic trip that the band recorded their full-length album at the famed Abbey Road Studios.

“Just knowing that so many albums were created there, and that The Beatles recorded there was something I was grateful for,” said band member Gabriela Lacheta.

The group of 36 student-musicians — freshmen to seniors — along with three vocalists and band director Joe Bongiovi, spent three days in the studio, recording eight tracks.

“I thought recording at the studio was really interesting, because it was kind of an inside view at what a lot of recording artists and other musicians in the field actually get to experience,” said student-musician Audrey Yang.

The Abbey Road’s Studio Two is famous for hosting artists from the Beatles and Pink Floyd, to Adele and Maroon 5.

Knowing that so many famed musicians recorded at the studio made student-musician James Novak a bit nervous. “Going into it, I really did think it was going to be stressful, but actually, it was really productive. And I think things went a lot smoother than we thought it was going to go,” he said.

Similarly, the experience was a “little nerve-wracking" initially for Alex Greenberg. “I think we settled down and got really good as we went along. It was definitely a lot of long hours during the day, but you know, in the end, it was all definitely worth it,” he said.

For Nicholas Budny, the coolest thing about being at the studio was experiencing the whole recording process. “It was very much like a backstage look at the time and dedication that goes into recording an album, sound design and stuff that we never get to experience just performing,” Budny told Patch.

Seven songs from the album have unique new jazz arrangements of legendary classics from the 1960s to the 2000s, commissioned specifically for the album. The eighth song is an original jazz fusion composition written by award-winning composer and conductor Drew Zaremba.

Band members worked really hard during their recording session. “In between all our breaks, everyone would be sleeping along the chairs. You could see how much effort and energy everyone put into it,” said Aditi Balasubramanian.

For Yoko Franklin being in Studio Two was “really crazy.” “My family had always been really huge Beatles fan, so it was just kind of weird and cool though,” said Franklin.

"I'm very grateful that I got to experience. We (band members) got really close on the trip. And even though we had to wake up really early, and they were really long days, it was definitely worth it,” she said.

The Princeton High School Band travels every other year, sharing their music and experiencing other cultures. The band performed a few concerts in London, but Joe Bongiovi, Princeton High School Band Director, wanted the students to have a more “meaningful musical experience.”

“This is the first time we've been to London. It was an opportunity for us to see if we could do it (record at Abbey Road Studios) and see if we could schedule the time, make it affordable. And we did,” said Bongiovi.

The band spent three days recording the album. “Making an album and recording it was going to be meaningful, no matter where we did it. But because we got to travel there (London) and have the sound of that room impact our album, it was special,” he said.

Currently, the band is trying to get through the pandemic. “We are limited by health officials on what we can and cannot do in school. So, we're sort of waiting for the green light to be able to play live music again,” said Bongiovi.

While some students from the London trip have graduated, others are currently trying to put together a virtual performance.

The band will not be travelling in the coming year due to the pandemic.

“Everything is shut down. We're hopeful that we can travel again soon, but now everything's a big question mark,” said Bongiovi.

The band’s new album ‘Princeton Studio Band: The Abbey Road Sessions’ is out now. The music is available for streaming on all the major services. Physical copies can also be ordered from their website and the students have released a video for each of their songs on their YouTube channel.

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