By John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
Northeast Ohio-native and multi-genre rock band Nineteenth Paradise will headline the stage for Fall Fire Fest at 8 p.m.
The five-piece band, formed in 2019, is made up of lead guitarist James Desharnais, vocalist Nathan Queen, rhythm guitarist Santino Testa, bassist Shane Hogle and drummer Evan Stefancin.
With the upcoming show, Jenny Layfield will assume lead vocalist duties, as she’s appeared in several of the bands previous shows.
Stefancin said the opportunity to play for Youngstown State University and the Youngstown community again after Federal Frenzy is a great feeling.
“It’s always really special to be able to play for people who are going to appreciate your music and play for our peers and show them what we’re working on and what we like to do,” Stefancin said.
The first show Nineteenth Paradise did in coordination with Penguin Productions was the Federal Frenzy Face-Off show at Westside Bowl. Desharnais, senior audio and music production major at YSU, said getting to play for the crowd reignited the band’s musical passion.
“It’s really nice that we get to continue this partnership with [Penguin Productions] and bring what we can to YSU and to the students,” Desharnais said.
Besides being the band’s lead guitarist, Desharnais does the recording and mixing for the band, as well as booking shows. He said the band’s debut album, “Parallel Paradise,” was recorded on the second floor of Bliss Hall, and he is currently working with YSU professors to remaster it.
“I’m working with the professors to try and fix and mitigate the small little details and learning how to really get a record label quality production out of these songs because there’s a lot more of a story to be told within the songs than what was put on the album itself,” Desharnais said. “It’s a world of difference so far, and it’s all been doing it in-house here at [Dana School of Music].”
After a trip to YSU, Nineteenth Paradise will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at Westside Bowl alongside Velvet Gentlemen, Hope For The Worst and Franklin Dead Rose.