Young Rebel Goombas

Young Rebel Goombas are a popular Tropical rock band originating from Long Island, New York.
Band Members
The band members include guitarist/vocalist Richie Saccente, bass player and vocalist Cosmo Mallardi, percussionist and backup vocalist Brian "Uncle Bee" Johnson, percussionist and backup vocalist Randy Knudsen, and guitarist Kevin McCann. Richie Cannata, who is best known for his work with Billy Joel, Elton John, and The Beach Boys, plays saxophone and Bob Cassera plays trombone on Young Rebel Goombas' self-titled debut album (2008) and occasionally live.
Richie Saccente is a veteran guitar player who first picked up the instrument at the age of seven. He became serious about his music at age fifteen, performing with Cosmo Mallardi, his cousin. He studied guitar with Matt Dirjish, Brian Kelly, and Howie Morgan. Saccente appeared in several bands over the years, including Night Train (1977-78), Delusions of Grandeur (1978-80), Troll (1980-85), and Sweeney (1986-90). Playing in various duos through the 90’s, Saccente was the lead singer of the tropical rock band, The Mangos from 1996 to 2001. Saccente has also consulted in the development of guitar tutoring software.
Cosmo Mallardi is a graduate of Mannes College of Music, Juilliard pre-college and holds a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. He has conducted on Broadway and music-directed the national tours of Les Miserables, Jekyll and Hyde, as well as Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA. He supervised the Japanese and Korean productions of AIDA and conducted and produced the Japanese cast album of AIDA as well. He plays keyboards, and both acoustic and electric bass.
Brian "Uncle B" Johnson is a registered member of The Washtub Bass Society, which he joined as a member of The Fourth Way. A percussionist, drummer, vocalist, harmonica player, Johnson also plays pennywhistle and bodhran (celtic frame drum).
Randy Knudsen received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from University of North Texas and Queens College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance (percussion) and Music Education, and his graduate degree is in Music Education. He has substituted on the drum set for Les Miserables, and has performed and conducted at Carnegie Hall. Knudsen has also performed for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and the Canon Corporation; he recorded a commercial for Ford Motor Company. Knudsen has performed with the Peter Dutchin Orchestra, the Gus Colletti Orchestra, and the North Shore Pops Orchestra, as well as the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps.
The unique rhythm duo of Johnson and Knudsen comprise the smooth rhythms that characterize The Young Rebel Goombas’ sound.
On occasion Ricky Martinez joins the percussion section of the band on timbales. Martinez is a session drummer for the PBS program Sesame Street. He has also performed in the Broadway productions of Jelly's Last Jam, Miss Saigon and Caroline, or Change.
Kevin McCann is one of the founding members of the band Wonderous Stories. He also played the part of Elvis's guitar player (Scotty Moore) in Elvis: An American Musical, a major production that played for two years in Las Vegas and elsewhere, and was produced by Phil Ramone. McCann has played in other major off-Broadway shows.
Richie Cannata studied classical piano and clarinet at an early age. Tenor saxophone is his forte, but he also plays flute, keyboards, tenor, alto, soprano and baritone sax. Richie was a member of Billy Joel's band from 1975 to 1981, and joined him in tour once again in 2005. Over the past two decades he has been a member of The Beach Boys, playing on their recordings as well as all of the world concert tours. He is the co-owner of the recording studio Cove City Sound Studios.
Musical Style
The music of The Young Rebel Goombas reflects not only the reggae riffs and rhythms usually associated with tropical locales, but classical guitar bridges, as well as hard rock and Southern rock riffs. Latin-flavored instrumentation featuring congas spices up the acoustic guitar. Mambo, and other Caribbean-based rhythms are also featured.
Richie Saccente credits Duane Allman as one of his greatest musical influences. Reviewers have also noted such influences as , The Eagles, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffett, and The Beach Boys.
The band's unique sound is enhanced by an unusual percussion configuration. Randy Knudsen plays hand drums, including congas. Brian Johnson plays percussion instruments with sticks. In addition the two split up a drum kit, with Knudsen manning the bass drum and Johnson playing a hi-hat and snare drum. Both have a multitude of cymbals in each set up.
Awards
Mallardi and Saccente received an Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 2007 for composing and arranging the soundtrack for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) documentary Farmboy.

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