Road Trippin’ with Gringo Star

1 van, 8 people, 2000 miles, 4 venues, 140 minutes of music and 1 night of mayhem

Gringo Star’s like a lot of bands that haven’t signed with a label — although probably more dedicated than most. They’ve worked bullshit jobs at local restaurants for years, while maintaining the freedom to head off on physically brutal tours. In 2007, they played 200 shows in 44 states and four foreign countries. In April, they pinballed through the Southeast and the Midwest, then over to New York to perform 28 shows in 23 days. The group — formerly called A Fir-Ju Well — consists of Nick and Peter Furgiuele, Matt McCalvin and Pete “P.D.” DeLorenzo. Nick and Peter invited me (full disclosure: I’m their neighbor) to hit the road with them this month on a relatively light four-shows-in-four-days spin through New Jersey and New York City.