When we say Cold Summer is a family oriented label, this is where it all started. Secret Remedy, an East Coast, Reggae/Rock outfit, was in many ways the genesis of Cold Summer Records. James Pasqua (Cold Summer Records founder) played drums in the band along side Sean French (guitar) and Mark Raimondi (keys) starting in high school (2005). The three of them collectively made music with multiple singers and players before landing on singer Jeffrey King (2010).
This was a turning point in the band, while they still were without a steady bass player, this opened the door for more opportunities. While the first five years playing together really solidified a sound and playing style, now paired with Jeffrey King’s lyrics and trained singing talents, they were off to the races. Soon after, Alonso Rios (percussion) and Dave Mulewski (bass) became stable members in the band.
After many shows in and around their home base of Cranford, NJ, they released their first self-titled EP including 4 songs and 4 dub versions in 2014. This was self released, produced and engineered by Cold Summer’s own James Pasqua. They used this album to get traction on shows like UDUB w/ DJ Kayla Kush in Madison, WI where Secret Remedy did their first out of state tour to.
While at this time, the band “dis-banded,” the connection was always there. A few years later, most of the members re-united to make music again in 2019. At this point most of the members lived in multiple points across the U.S. it was difficult for the band to always be able to play together. This led to the idea of coming back to make the full length album that never was. Essentially a collection of songs that were always Secret Remedy staples that were never previously recorded.
Skip ahead a little further, Secret Remedy is the obvious band to be on Cold Summer Records, as this is the family aspect of the label. It is the reason the label exists today. Without a planned release date, Secret Remedy is working on the full length album that never was to be released under Cold Summer Records, produced by James Pasqua.
Secret Remedy is an example of a band that even after “breaking up,” it never really stops growing. Just as a family, it is never truly gone, but just changes and grows stronger with time.
