By Sarah O'Brien

“Call me crazy, I think you’re amazing,” are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Action Item. Action Item is a small town band from New Jersey. The five members of the band include Brian Cag (vocals), Anthony Li (guitar, backup vocals), David Buczkowski (bass), Mark Shami (keyboard), and Daniel Brozek (drums). These five guys have been making music together for a very long time. The story about how they met, though, is quite an interesting one. Brian and Anthony have been playing and writing music together for a very long time. They already had a small group going performing in local areas. A little while later, Brian and Anthony met David and Daniel at a party through mutual friends. The four of them created a band. Mark was in another band playing keyboard. He then went to a show with this new band in it. Mark asked if they needed anyone else in the band and Brian said yes. It was then that Action Item was created. As far as the type of music goes, Action Item is an up-and-coming pop band. Their sound may seem similar to all the other pop bands out there, but when you listen more closely you can see the difference. They have taken pop to a whole new level. Not only does their music make them a fun band to listen to, but their charisma and charm do as well. As time has progressed their new lead single, “Somewhere Out There,” has landed a spot in the regular rotation on Radio Disney. Their most recent concert in the United States was Bamboozle. To play at Bamboozle is a big honor in the modern music world. Action Item is now touring in Canada with a band called Allstar Weekend.

As far as how I discovered the band, it was at an Allstar Weekend concert in New York. Action Item was the opening act. They were really fun as well as good. After the concert they even hung out with all the fans. That’s when I knew that I was going to be seeing them again. One day, I was on Facebook and an ad popped up for Action Item, saying that they were going to be doing a Living Room Tour for the last time. A Living Room Tour is when the band comes to someone’s house and plays in their living room. I was so excited, and I knew they had to come.

On May 10th, Action Item came to my best friend’s house. They set up their instruments on the back patio and did a sound check. The show was acoustic and they played eight songs in total. After the show we all ate some dinner and hung out and talked. After that we played some games, including Scategories and the headband game (a game in which you have a card on your forehead and you have to guess what it is). After the games we ate dessert. Lastly, we took group pictures as well as individuals with the band.

Having Action Item come to my friend’s house was amazing. Before their arrival I kept wondering what they would be like and if they would actually want to hang out with us. When their van pulled into the driveway and they came out with smiles on their faces, I knew that it would be a great night. The boys lived up to their charismatic reputation. They wanted to talk to us. Personally, I had many great conversations. I connected with each of them, which made me like Action Item even more. Not only were they charismatic, they were also gracious. After every song they played they said thank you. Hanging out with Action Item felt like hanging out with a bunch of friends. After they left I expected to see them soon because I felt like we were new best friends. As cliché and cheesy as it sounds, the members of Action Item are truly wonderful people and I hope to see them go far in their career.