September 21, 2007

By Sabrina Cardin
Staff writer

NEWBURYPORT - In an ideal match, the group from the "City of Brotherly Love" will be in Newburyport this weekend spreading their message of peace.

The band Among Criminals, hailing from Philadelphia, has performed more than 220 shows within the last year; and although the members are only in their early 20s, they convey a message wise beyond their years.

"We want to promote peace, not blind-sided patriotism, riots and screaming in the streets. We want a peaceful change," said lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Gaughan.

During the summer, Among Criminals played in Newburyport and enjoyed the open stage so much they wanted to return for International Peace Day. On Sunday, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., the band will perform songs from their new CD, "Kill the Myth," in Market Square. The group's performance will continue the 30 Days of Peace events, which will end Oct. 10.

"Newburyport was our best show. The show was open to everyone and it attracted probably 100 people," said Gaughan. [Webmaster's note: The "headcount" for the 7/27 gathering was actually three times Ryan's "guesstimate."]

The first time the group performed in Market Square, a peace rally was coincidentally taking place behind the stage.

Gaughan describes the band's music as reggae infused with Latin and rock. Recently the group has played songs that are a little harder "because the music seems to get the crowd engaged quicker." Yet, their original sound and message are not lost.

"I'm still a sucker for mellow music," said Gaughan.

Recording on "Kill the Myth" took shape piece by piece from November 2006 to May 2007, Gaughan said. The band has been touring all summer in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine and Philadelphia.

"We were traveling and performing four to eight shows a week and recording on all our free days," said Gaughan.

The group, consisting of Gaughan, 23, Jarrod Pedone, 22, and Bean, 21, (alias remains unknown), comes from areas across the United States - Gaughan is from Boston, Pedone is from Staten Island, N.Y. and Bean is from Pacifica, Calif.

The group will hold a meet and greet before the performance and after the show, a 3:51 p.m. "peace offering" will be held at Somerby's Landing Sculpture Park.

(This article replicated online with permission of the Newburyport Daily News, an Eagle Tribune Newspaper. Find an abstract of the article archived online at www.newburyportnews.com at this link without.)