Reserved for Rondee at the Bowery Electric

Reserved for Rondee was founded in New York in 2010 by guitarist Billy Magnussen and bassist Tom Degnan. They met on the set of the long-running but now defunct television soap opera As the World Turns, playing two super-buff brothers who hated each other. They  actually got along pretty well off the set and started a band with another buff man, drummer (and former preacher) Warren Hemenway. They recruited lead guitarist (and daytime history professor) Nick Fokas and lead vocalist (and fellow actor)Trevor Vaughn. They began playing rock venues, including Fontana's, Sullivan Hall, Arlene's Grocery and the Mercury Lounge, and opening for national bands at the Bowery Ballroom and Irving Plaza. The band has a self-titled 2012 EP and a 2013 album, Back in Velvet.

Reserved for Rondee attracted a sizeable crowd to the Bowery Electric tonight, the third time the band performed at the rock club. The band earned its following. Vaughn fronted the band as a unrestrained rocker sporting a strong 1960s-style rhythm and blues singing voice. The band performed as a tight and powerful classic rock-style band with an alternative and grunge edge. The band's secret weapon, however, was Fokas on guitar. While the other energetic musicians bounced around the small stage tonight, Fokas subtly and sweetly played lyrical guitar leads that sounded like the Beatles' George Harrison on some songs and slurring slide guitar like the Allman Brothers Band's late Duane Allman on other songs. Fokas grounded the high-flying band with outstanding nitty-gritty blues and rock licks. The band covered the Beatles' "Come Together," but otherwise played a diversified set of well-crafted and well-executed original songs. The band's fan base can only increase.

Reserved for Rondee will perform at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 7. Visit the band at www.reservedforrondee.com.