Dream Street
Dream Street | |
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Background information | |
Origin | New York, US |
Genres | Teen pop, dance-pop |
Years active | 1999–2002 |
Labels | Atlantic |
Associated acts | Jesse McCartney, Open Till Midnight, Raposo |
Past members |
Dream Street was a short-lived American pop boy band that was formed in mid-1999 by Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Dream Street later disbanded in 2002 following a legal dispute between parents of the band members and the band's managers.
History
The group was initially put together by failing music producers Louis Baldonieri and Brian Lukow. Originally named 'Boy Wonder' (a name borrowed from the nickname of comic book character Robin from the Batman comics and films). The band featured several boys aged 11–14 from the New York Broadway/Acting scene.[1] Baldonieri and Lukow hoped to make an impact on the pop music industry by introducing a group of teenagers to the scene, all of whom had prior stage-singing experience. Among these original members were Greg Raposo and Chris Trousdale, who would continue on into the remade group from 1999 until 2002. The lineup was changed not long after they debuted the show in front of several talent agents and record label reps. Their debut included a tap dance number and a jazzy theme song, both of which were sacked quickly after. It also included a cover of the main song from the musical Rent "Seasons of Love."
Jesse McCartney, Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger, Frankie Galasso, and Chris Trousdale would become the new faces of the group and were given the name "Dream Street," which was the name of Lukow and Baldonieri's recording studio in New York City. The only original song they kept was titled "Jennifer Goodbye", which was initially written for Brian Lukows fiance, then was changed into its modern incarnation months later. Their eponymous debut album was released in 2001 It was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA peaking No. 1 on Billboard's Independent Albums chart and at No. 37 on the Billboard 200.[2] The songs, "It Happens Every Time" and "I Say Yeah" were frequently played on Radio Disney. The boys soon made appearances on various talk shows and television events. In late 2000, Dream Street made an appearance on a show that fellow member Jesse McCartney had a recurring role on, ABC's All My Children. The final Dream Street release was the soundtrack album to the released 2002 film The Biggest Fan starring Dream Street member Chris Trousdale, who co-starred in this film with Kaila Amariah who played his "Biggest Fan". Despite achieving gold status overall sales for the album were disappointing for producers who had hoped that the group would become another multiplatinum success like Backstreet Boys or NSYNC. One of the big factors that contributed to this disappointment was the waning appeal and popularity of the teen pop movement around 2001/02. Dream Street had their first concert in December 1999 for the Variety Children's Charity. The boys released two DVDs from 1999 and 2001.
Breakup
In mid-2002, parents of the band members filed a lawsuit against Baldonieri and Lukow, alleging that the underage band members were "exposed to booze, women, and pornography".[3] In August 2002 the parents were ruled against, releasing four of the five original band members from their contracts.[4]
New beginnings
- Jesse McCartney since the breakup has enjoyed a successful solo career releasing four CDs, and spawning three top ten singles. He's appeared on many television shows, including Disney's Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Jesse also appeared on an episode of Law & Order: SVU. Jesse had a starring role on The WB's show Summerland, alongside future stars like Zac Efron, and was set to star in Locke and Key(however the pilot was not picked up for an entire season). In 2008 Jesse was cast as the lead role in the independent film Keith. Jesse had a recurring role in Season 4 of the ABC Family series, Greek, and appears as a lead role in the 2012 movie Chernobyl Diaries which was a moderate box office success. In June 2011, Jesse released a fragrance for women, "Wanted". Jesse has also forayed into voice acting, performing as Dick Grayson/Robin on the show Young Justice, Terence in the Tinker Bell films, Theodore in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and voicing the Roxas and Ventus in the popular (English versions) of Kingdom Hearts series of video games. He now stars on the hit ABC Family show Young & Hungry as Cooper.
- Greg Raposo has been continuing his music career, performing in bands called "Raposo" and "Dead Celebrities". He is also a real estate investor and developer. Rapso is currently playing solo, mostly on the east coast but has toured as far as Japan and Costa Rica. Following the Dream Street breakup, Rapso released a self-titled album in 2003 that charted on Billboard at No. 40 during its opening week. He second solo album, LossLoveLife was fully funded by his fans through Kickstarter and released in May 2012. Fans also funded Greg's first official music video for the first single off his new album, That Day, which he wrote for a fan with cancer. Rapso has produced for many young artists and most recently signed a licensing deal for his original material. Currently Rapso is in the studio working on a new sound and writing towards his third solo album.
- Frankie Galasso is also a solo singer now. In 2009, Frankie auditioned to be on Glee, but did not make it. At the moment Frankie is still working on an album. So far, Frankie has released one album to Amazon on iTunes, containing three songs. Following the breakup of the band, Frankie was in a 2003 movie called "A Tale of Two Pizzas". Frankie currently performs with the First National Tour of Jersey Boys.
- Chris Trousdale since the breakup had started on his solo career, even being in a second movie with Kaila Amariah called "Seducing Spirits". Chris took short break from the limelight to be with his family. Towards the end of 2010, Chris popped up again to the public eye, when he appeared on Disney's Shake It Up as a parody of Justin Bieber on an episode called "Age It Up. Chris also appeared recently on the show Days of Our Lives. Chris auditioned for The Voice in 2012, but did not make it past the blind auditions. He currently works at a dance studio.
- Matt Ballinger did not go solo, he went on to be the lead singer for a band called "The Juice", which broke up in 2008. He is currently the lead singer in a brand new band called "Open Till Midnight". He appeared in an episode of 30 Rock. He married on August 24, 2013.
Discography
Songs
- "Feel The Rain"
- "They Don't Understand"
- "It Happens Everytime"
- "Gotta Get The Girl"
- "Sugar Rush"
- "Jennifer Goodbye"
- "I Say Yeah"
- "Matter of Time"
- "Let's Get Funky Tonite"
- "This Time"
- "Hooked on You"
- "Someone To Hold Me Tonight"
- "Dream On"
- "I Miss You"
- "You're Taking Me Over"
- "With All My Heart"
Albums
- Dream Street (2001)
- The Biggest Fan (2002)
Singles
- "It Happens Everytime" (2000)
- "I Say Yeah" (2001)
- "Sugar Rush" (Valentine's Day Limited Edition - 2001)
- "With All My Heart" (2002)
Compilations
- Pokémon: The Movie 2000 soundtrack (2000)
- The Little Vampire soundtrack (2000)
- Radio Disney Jams Vol. 4 (2001)
- The Biggest Fan soundtrack (2002)
- Radio Disney Jams Vol. 5 (2002)
Videos
- Dream Street LIVE [Video/DVD] (2001)
- Dream Street Live at Criterion Theatre [Video/DVD] (1999)
Movies
- The Biggest Fan (2002)
References
- ↑ Biography at Allmusic
- ↑ Albums chart information on Billboard
- ↑ "Parents of Dream Street Members Sue". Billboard. Associated press. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
- ↑ "Dream Street To Resurface With New Members". Billboard. Associated Press. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
External links
- Greg's ReverbNation Page
- Jesse's Website
- Open Till Midnight (Matt's Band) - Official Site
- Dream Street Choreographer - Claudia Swan's page
- Jesse McCartney's MTV Interview - Dream Street mentioned
- Chris on Zang Radio - Radio Interview
- Chris on WZRA TV - Radio Interview
- Greg talks about his favorite Dream Street memory - Fanvasion Exclusive [2011]
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