Every Hero has a story. Ours just happens to have its own soundtrack.
In 1995, Steve Lee graduated fromBoston College, where he had beena member ofthe Acoustics co-ed a cappella group. In search of a new creative outlet a year later, he invited four friends to join an informal, all-male a cappella group he dubbed "Unsung Heroes." That summer, the five rehearsed one song — Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecelia" — before Lee's move to Washington, D.C. prompted them to disband in September 1996.
Six years would pass before Lee returned to Connecticut and breathed new life into Unsung Heroes in the spring of 2002. He called upon some of the guys from the old group — Calvin Lai, Chris Besgen and George Konidaris — and Chris Serico, who recruited his friend Mike "Obie" O'Brien. Lee, Serico and O'Brien held an organizational meeting at a Stamford sports bar, where they mapped out the Heroic rehearsal schedule, location and vision before resorting to several rounds of bad billiards.
Searching for an excuse to meet at the ESPN Zone in Times Square, all six group members met for the first time and agreed, perhaps in a drunken stupor, to purchase customized bowling jerseys. With a clinking of beer steins, Unsung Heroes was reborn.
The group spent the next year building a vocal band from scratch as well as a set list of rock, pop and R&B "songs that don't suck."
On March 22, 2003, Unsung Heroes made their stage debut, hosting the Bostonians of Boston College at the New Dance Group Studio near Times Square. A crowd of 90 cheered as the eight men belted Boyz II Men's "Thank You," Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game," a parody of Bud Light's "Real American Heroes" (renamed "Real Unsung Heroes") and Stone Temple Pilots' "Interstate Love Song." Since then, the group has performed dozens of songs in its ever-expanding repertoire.
In the fall of 2003, Unsung Heroes became a co-ed vocal band with the addition of two women, including Samantha Cordon, who remains with the group to this day. With the arrival of Heroines came the departure of the bowling jerseys. Change is good.
Unsung Heroes have wowed audiences on great stages throughout New York City, including Crash Mansion, Symphony Space, Kenny's Castaways, Alphabet Lounge, Don Hill's Rock Club and South Street Seaport. The group has also performed on the campuses of NYU, Columbia University, Boston College and Harvard University.
With a current roster of four men and four women, Unsung Heroes are Samantha Cordon, Ashley Fochtman, Carson Hinners, George Konidaris, Oliver Libby, Chris Serico, Juliana Tarris and Whitney Wood.
Once a Hero, Always a Hero!
All-time roster, in chronological order:
1. Steve Lee
[founder, original member] — 1996, 2002-2003
2. George Konidaris
[original member] — 1996, 2002-Present
3. Calvin Lai
[original member] — 1996, 2002
4. Ernie Lai
[original member] — 1996
5. Chris Besgen
[original member] — 1996, 2002
6. Chris Serico
[co-founder, publicity manager] — 2002-Present