Writing by Emma Lazar
Marialisa “ML” Zywotchenko: lead singer; president/owner of Cyrus Contracting
Joe Viggiani: guitarist; special education teacher
Kaden Abreu: bassist; recruiter at RightClick (joined the interview briefly from a Yankee’s game)
Alexander “Al” Moore: drummer; high school chemistry teacher
There are “how we met” stories, and then there’s Blame It on the Bourbon’s story. “I met Al a couple of years ago when he auditioned for another band I was in,” says Joe. “But the pandemic happened, and that band ended. Then, I saw Kaden at a gig I was playing, and he said he played bass. So I approached him, and we called up Al.”
Joe then turns to ML to finish the story. “A year and a few months ago, I was rehearsing with my other band at Outrage Studios, and as I was walking out, I saw these three guys walking in,” she remembers. “I noticed they didn’t have a singer, so I said, ‘Hey, you guys want a singer tonight?’ And they said, ‘Sure!’”
Get to know them
What’s the greatest band of all time?
ML: The Beatles.
Al: It depends on my mood, but I’m gonna go with Vulfpeck.
Joe: I have to say Social Distortion. The only reason I’m going with them is because every time I see them, it’s a religious experience.
Al: I grew up listening to The Grateful Dead, Phish, Dave Matthews Band, and 90s music like Primus. But then I’ll listen to Grace Potter; I’m all over the place.
Let’s talk about the recorder. Thoughts?
Al: I’m pro-recorder as a father of elementary school children. One of my bands, called Party in the Playroom, is me and my kids, but right now, my keyboardist and my singer are in contract disputes over TV time for practice, so we’re having some issues there. But if you ask my students at work, they’ll confirm my position because I’ll sometimes take Dunkin Donuts straws and cut little slits to make little saxophones or recorders out of them. It’s fun. I like to do it when they’re taking tests.
Joe: Al, if I were in high school, I would want you as one of my teachers.
Music Trivia
We asked eight music trivia questions. Here are some of their answers.
What group had the most number-one songs in the 1970s?
ML: Zeppelin?
Joe: The Bee Gees!
Connect to Northern Westchester (CTNW): Yes!
ML: How’d you know that, Joe?
Al: He’s Googling it.
Name at least three famous musicians who play more than 10 instruments.
Al: Pharrell Williams.
ML:Marcus Mumford.
Joe: Al Moore. (ML laughs.)
ML:I don’t know anymore.
Al: Paul McCartney.
CTNW: Yes! I’ll give you a hint. One of them played in the Super Bowl.
Al: Oh, uh, what’s his name? Bruno Mars!
Al: Uh, Leon Bridges?
ML:Joe, Google it!
Joe: I’m spending enough time just trying to figure out how to mute and unmute myself (laughs).
Al: Uh, Dave Matthews? Corey Wong, that’s up there.
Joe: Who? (laughs)
Al: He’s the guitarist from Vulfpeck.
CTNW: One of them is Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.
ML:Wow! I didn’t know that.
Al: He did that cool thing with David Bowie a few years ago.
CTNW: He plays 25 instruments.
ML:Wow!
Which artist rejected singing “Don’t You Forget About Me” from “The Breakfast Club?”
Al: Oh my God, that’s a great song too. We should do that song.
Joe: We should. We should.
ML:Annie Lennox?
Al: So it had to have been back then too, right? So I’m thinking of David Bowie? Are they still considered relevant?
CTNW: Yeah, I would say so. There’s a guy whose last name is Joel…
Al & ML: Billy Joel?
CTNW: He has the same name, so it’s Billy something.
Al: Billy Idol?
CTNW: Yep!
Would you rather?
We gave the band 12 “would you rather” scenarios of possible bandmates. They had to choose one for each. Here are our favorite answers.
Chewbacca or Hermione Granger?
Al: Oh my God, Chewey.
ML: I really think Chewbacca would sound good with our kind of vibe.
Al: We need backup vocals, for sure. Can you imagine him in a metal band?
Joe: That would be cool.
Al: That would bring a whole next level to screamo. It would be a genre of metal. People would say, “I listen to Chewy.”
Van Halen or Bon Jovi?
ML: Oh, Van Halen.
Al: Van Halen.
ML:Best guitar ever! Oh, sorry, Al (laughs).
Al: It’s okay. It wasn’t about the guitar for me; it was about the drive.
Joe: It’s about the hair. I know what you’re thinking. You’ve got a big poster of them in your room, and you stare at it regularly. I get it.
Al: It’s like hair envy. I can’t do that. Those days are gone.
Joe: You’d probably wear a white leather jacket with fringes.
Jack Black or Miley Cyrus?
ML: Jack Black is awesome!
Al: My students recently saw the Minecraft movie and said I was the person from the Minecraft movie (ML and Al laugh). And it’s not the first time I’ve been compared to Jack Black. And you know what? It’s a compliment to me because he’s really cool.
ML: He’s awesome. And he’s got a great voice; he’s got a great presence; he’s hilarious. He’s the total package.
Al: Tenacious D is awesome too. I love that album.
Batman or Superman?
Al: Alright, I got an answer. You guys go first.
Joe: I’m gonna go with Superman.
Al: What genre of music is it?
CTNW: It’s your band!
Al: If it’s goth or grunge rock, you gotta go with Batman, right?
CTNW: What would Superman be if he were a genre?
Al: If they’re a social justice kind of band that speaks out for that, I think I’d go for Superman. If you really think about Batman, is he a good guy? What if he just took all that money for the Batmobile and put it into Gotham to make it a better place? You know, make the schools better and create more public health benefits.
Joe: How would he be as a bandmate, Al?
Al: Yeah, if it’s a grunge rock band, I want Batman. Or, a screamo band. (ML laughs) Can you imagine that? Especially if he puts out his cape for the scream?
Joe: Yeah, and you could see it.
Al: But if we’re doing Pearl Jam covers or Dave Matthews, then I’m going Superman. Or maybe, what’s that song? “Kryptonite?” Well, maybe Batman would cover that song. But we don’t have to go there (laughs).
Iceman or Maverick?
Joe: I’m gonna go with, wait. Which one was Iceman?
CTNW: Val Kilmer.
Al: I never saw it. I haven’t even seen Titanic all the way through, either.
ML:What?!
Al: I just know that he’s not on the raft from all the memes, okay?
Joe: I don’t know how much longer Al’s gonna be in the band! (Everyone laughs.)
Al: Maverick? I did see the most recent Top Gun. I hope that’s redemption (laughs).
ML:I’m gonna say Iceman. He’s cold, calculated. He’s also really cute. Joe?
Joe: Iceman. He’s the catalyst and the reason behind a lot of things. He’s the bad guy with a good side.
Al: I retract my statement. Even though I don’t know Iceman, I’m going with him based on what I’ve heard. I saw Maverick in the second movie, and he doesn’t seem like a team player. So, in a band, he’d probably just take random solos and then ignore you and play super loud.
ML:That’s a good point. Iceman is a team player. He made it to admiral in the last movie—way higher than Maverick.
Okay, thanks, everyone.
Al: This was fun. Thank you!
Joe: Yeah, I learned a lot about Al.
Al: Oh no, I’m nervous.
Joe: I posted an ad for a drummer; just ignore that, Al.
Before Al gets replaced, follow them @blameitonthebourbon to learn more.
This article was published in the July/August 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Emma Lazar
