by John Fitzgerald

Listen up! If you still doubt the potential of the Internet to revolutionize the music industry, you need to hear the story of the Fire Ants. These New York City based blues-rockers are living proof that the Internet is more than just a place to download term papers and naked pictures of Margaret Thatcher.

"We kept hearing good things about mp3 technology so we figured we might as well give it a shot," explains lead guitarist Mark Hermann. "Pretty soon we became 'Song of the Day' and our songs were being downloaded by people all over the world."

As the band's songs grew in popularity on the Net, the media started to take notice. They were featured in a CNN story about Internet music distribution and soon after they appeared in a similar article in Rolling Stone, followed by Wired Magazine. After mp3 linked to the Wired article to showcase Fire Ants as an mp3 success story, the band's popularity skyrocketed. "Eric, our bassist, was jamming with his cousin during SXSW down in Austin, Texas and a bunch of kids found out that he was in the Fire Ants and they went nuts," says Hermann. "They had only heard our songs through the Internet and they loved our music. It was crazy."

In contrast to the band's forward-thinking promotional efforts, the Fire Ants sound is deeply rooted in the past. "Good songs never get old," explains Hermann. "We're influenced by all the great rock bands - from Zeppelin, the Stones, the Beatles to Hendrix - but we also go back to the artists that influenced those bands like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson."

The band's live show and debut CD, "Save The World," both reflect a commitment to good old-fashioned rock n' roll. Songs like "Diamond Song," "Every Dog Has His Day," and "Man in the Mirror," sound like they could have been written during Aerosmith's "Get Your Wings" sessions. The band's live show is easily the best you'll see from an unsigned band in New York. The songs on the CD are brought to life by Hermann, Massimino, drummer Brian Delaney, and singer/guitarist Jason Appleton.

Longtime friends Hermann and Massimino perform songwriting duties. Growing up together in Connecticut, the two budding musicians received inspiration from their hippie babysitters' musical tastes. "Our babysitters kicked ass," says Hermann. "They would bring over albums from Steppenwolf, Cream and Johnny Winter, to name a few, and just crank it up. They really turned us on to some good music at a young age."

During the mid-90s, Hermann wound up in Los Angeles engineering and producing albums for such acts as Joe Walsh & Whitney Houston while Massimino played bass for various bands in New York including Sophie B. Hawkins, Mojo Son, and Sheryl Crow. Their paths crossed again when Hermann brought Massimino in to play bass on an EMI album he was producing and the two began writing songs outside the studio which became the genesis of a new sound. Eventually they decided to start up their own band to record their newly written material and Fire Ants were born. "When we recorded that album we hadn't played together live other than in the studio so I think our sound has definitely evolved since then. Our live shows have allowed us to really grow as a band and create a more distinctive sound."

Despite the cyber-success of the Fire Ants, Hermann says the band doesn't intend to avoid the major labels forever. "We've had a lot of interest from major labels, but right now we're having fun and making some money so we're going to keep doing things our way. We are not opposed to signing with a big label, but only after we've established ourselves to the point where we can get a favorable deal. You have to remember that most bands that sign with major labels ultimately fail because they just don't get the necessary financial support. We'll sign when the time is right."

That time could be sooner rather than later.

Buy Fire Ants' CD on their website at: www.fireants.net

In addition to being a staff writer at modernrock.com, John Fitzgerald is
President of Snozzberry Entertainment, a music video production company. For more information, email him at snozzberry@modernrock.com>