Local North Fork Band, The Crushing Violets, Sees Dreams Soar

MATTITUCK, NY — A popular North Fork band will be taking the stage, just in time for the holidays.

Antanina Brooks, vocalist for the band The Crushing Violets, an alternative rock band from Mattituck, said the group will be performing at Green Hill Kitchen in Greenport on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. The night will include great music, food and fun, she said.

The Crushing Violets, she said, have appeared on television on LTV's East End Underground, and have performed at many clubs, including at The Bitter End and Pianos in New York City and The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett. Their latest CD Ghost Fields has been played on radio stations in the United States and around the world, she added.

And for Brooks, watching shared dreams soar gives great joy. She and her husband BP Brooks both grew up in Miller Place, but always loved the North Fork, and moved permanently in 2000. "We truly love living on the North Fork," she said.

Her husband, she said, has been in many bands throughout the years and is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. Brooks said she has written songs with him for other projects he was in, and then, the couple decided to form The Crushing Violets in 2014. They then collaborated and wrote the first songs for their debut album, Starless Sky, released in 2016.

Other members of the band include Mike Dilgen on drums and the couple's son Connor C. Brooks on bass.

"They are extremely talented musicians and are an integral part of what makes our sound unique," she said.

The couple enjoys performing together in The Crushing Violets, Brooks said.

"One of the greatest gifts is to have a song forming in your head, be it lyrics or a melody, and watching it fully form into a recorded song," she said.

The band records its songs at both their home studio in Mattituck, called Buddha Sun Records, and at Mick Hargreaves' studio, Lantern Sound Recording Rig, in Manorville.

Highlights of the experience so far, she said, have included performing onstage at famous venues including The Bitter End and Pianos in New York City and at The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett. They also enjoyed performing on television on LTV's East End Underground in East Hampton; the show aired in April, 2018.

"They are very big supporters of the local musicians on both the North and South Forks and give us a platform where our music can be heard and enjoyed in the area in which we live," she said.

So far, they've recorded two albums, Starless Sky and their latest album, Ghost Fields.

"In addition to being very inspired creatively by where we live, we also did a photo shoot for Ghost Fields in Orient in Robert Berks' studio, who was a very famous sculptor," Brooks said.

Carl Timpone, a local photographer, did the photos and laid out the artwork for Ghost Fields, and artist Jenine Doczy created the images for the album, she said.

For both Brooks and her husband, the band is a vision realized.

She has been an avid writer for years, since she was seven years old, Brooks said.

"I particularly love poetry and songwriting. I love that I can write the lyrics for my songs and be able to express them vocally. All my songs come from my heart or experiences I have had — or just my observances of life. All the songs I have written have meaning to me and are from my heart," Brooks said.

Each of the band member has many different musical influences that have come together to give the band its unique sound. "Our music has been described as psychedelic, haunting, melodic and ethereal," Brooks said.

Looking ahead, Brooks said, their greatest dream is to keep moving forward in the band, both musically and creatively.

"Our music has been played on many radio stations throughout the United States and the world, and it is always exciting to hear your songs on the radio," Brooks said. "We hope to be on bigger stages in the coming years and to have our music heard by as many people as we can. Being able to share our music is a gift we never take for granted."

To others who might just be starting out, Brooks urges taking the proverbial leap.

"I would say to anyone, no matter what age, to follow your dreams and if that dream includes sharing your voice and music with the world, go for it!" she said. "You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It is a truly beautiful thing to create art in any form and be able to share it with people. That is truly the most enjoyable thing about being a musician —connecting with people who are moved by the lyrics and music you create. That is a dream come true."

Photo courtesy of The Crushing Violets.