Longtime Levittowners Ashu Tambar and Justin Vegh formed their band, Existence Factor, over two years ago with two guys, two guitars and high hopes.
Although the Division Avenue High School grads, both 23, have only been playing together for a few years, both have been involved in music for most of their lives. Their years of practice and persistence have paid off as the band has made it to the semifinals of the Long Island Music Festival. Winning the first round, Existence Factor will next play on Friday, Aug. 14 at the The Candlelite Cabaret in Amityville.
While Vegh said some people refer to their band’s music as “mellow,” he prefers to describe is as “the Allman Brothers if you just stripped it down to two guitar players.”
The 32-act competition will be reduced to 10 bands in the next round, which will be judged by both record company representatives and the audience. In the finals, which will take place on Aug. 28 at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, acts will be solely judged by record company executives. Good Times Magazine is hosting the LIMF.
Tambar and Vegh said they are playing to win one of four cash prizes, recording studio time and exposure.
“We’ve had a couple of guys get recording contracts out of this,” said LIMF founder Rich Branciforte. “This even has been a springboard for many artists over the past 15 years, helping local musicians get a little closer to achieving their goals.”
That goal for Tambar and Vegh is “playing at Madison Square Garden.”
“We’d like to use the band as a stepping stone to play all over,” Vegh said.
For more information about the Long Island Music Festival, visit www.longislandmusicfestival.com or call 280-2100.
