Local Teens' Original Music Video Gets National Attention

For Jake Tuohy, shooting and editing video is more than just a fun side project – it's his passion. The same holds true for his friends Vin Jacovelli, who loves composing rap lyrics, and Roy Lenzo, whose talents lie in the music and the beat.

The three are 2013 Comsewogue graduates who call themselves the F.I.R.E. Squad, and who have created a song and music video that has garnered national attention as the No. 5 video in the GotChosen.com video contest out of more than 400 videos.

Their song, "We in the Building," is a statement of confidence. The chorus starts like this: "We in the building / You stuck in the yard / And where we chillin? / Yeah you know up in the stars."

"The chorus says it all. It’s us. It’s about the F.I.R.E. Team," Jacovelli said.

The video, one of about 20 that the trio has made, was shot and edited between June and August of 2012. Tuohy shoots and edits the videos, while Lenzo records the music and Jacovelli writes the lyrics.

Tuohy said he's proud of this one because many people seem to like it.

"My dad likes to show it to all his friends," he said. "Older people don’t really like rap but they like that song. I think that’s what’s special about it."

Lenzo said he created the beat by "trial and error" working one night on his keyboard.

"I was just trying to figure out what would be cool as a verse," he said. "It just kind of came to me, trying to see what sounded the best."

They call themselves "the trifecta."

"It’s definitely great. We have a lot of chemistry and we’re all good friends," Lenzo said. 

In the fall, Jacovelli will head to SUNY Brockport, Lenzo will head to Five Towns College, and Tuohy will head to Suffolk Community College with plans to transfer to Hofstra.

"You’ve got to get your education first," Jacovelli said. "It doesn’t mean we can’t do what we love on the side during the process. ... That’s the difference between a hobby and a passion. You always make time for it because you want to, not because you have to."