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DON GIOVANNI RECORDS REBOOTS:
Black Wine, Shellshag and Screaming Females Top 2010 Roster

This week New Brunswick's Don Giovanni Records has three new releases are sure to be among your Top 10 lists for 2010: The debut album from Black Wine (ex-Ergs, Hunchback,) a new full-length from Brooklyn noise-punk duo Shellshag, and a singles compilation from New Brunswick basement heroes Screaming Females.
Read our reviews here...

Guest Editorial:
Billy Boloby on the life (and death) of a punk rock band

The onset of Crohn's Disease and other physical ailments put an early end to Billy Boloby's music career. But as he explains in this touching and frank memoir, his days in a punk rock band were numbered even before his health became an issue. Read Billy's story here...



Jersey Minstrel PJ Bond and the Year of 1000 Roommates

Lots of touring indie bands depend on the kindness of strangers when it comes to finding a place to crash for the night, but singer/songwriter PJ Bond pushes that idea to the limit on his current Year of A Thousand Roommates tour. We caught up with PJ to find out what it's been like so far as his tour wends it back back to his home base of New Brunswick, where he'll perform at the Court Tavern on Saturday, February 13. Read our interview here...


Dromedary Records Reborn:
Nineties Jersey scene stalwart gives it another go

Back in the Nineties, Dromedary Records released records by some of the best indie bands in the New Jersey area - including Footstone, Jenifer Convertible, the Mommyheads, and cuppa joe - and its owner Al Crisafulli was a regular contributor here at Jersey Beat, creating our Quiet Corner column. And now, Dromedary Records is back, with plans to reissue some of the favorites from its back catalog digitally as well as offer new music to the public.
Read our interview with Al Crisafulli here...

JERSEY BEAT VIDEO:
Glenn Mercer Band - Hoboken For Haiti Benefit, Maxwell's, January 31, 2010

Glenn Mercer and Dave Weckerman of the Feelies, performing with Bob Torsello and Adam Berardo, whip through the Feelies' "Higher Ground" and then treat the crowd to something a little extra.


BAD MASK: Ripping It Up In The 609


Medford, NJ may not be anyone's idea of a metal or punk scene, but it is home to Bad Mask, whose debut album V2 impressed us so much with it's pulse-pounding energy that we just had to find out more about hem. Meet Bad Mask here...


Photo courtesy of www.theNJUnderground.com


Bouncing Souls close out a banner year by bringing it all back home for the holidays

Mosh pits and merriment, mind-blowing opening bands and a set list made up by a rabid fan, and to top that all off, lots of cool giveaways. The Bouncing Souls came "home for the holidays" for a four-night stand at The Stone Pony at Asbury Park, and our Tim Norek reports it was the perfect ending to a pretty amazing year.
Read Tim's review here...

JERSEY BEAT'S BEST OF 2009

Our staff picks for our favorite music of the year


Read the Jersey Beat staff's picks here...

NOSTALGIAPALOOZA II:

New Brunswick rockers support their scene - 15 years after the fact

Buzzkill, Prosolar Mechanics, 3 To 6 Inches, and The Stuntcocks - all important presences in the Nineties' New Brunswick indie-rock scene - reunited on Saturday, December 26 as part of an ongoing series of concerts to bring attention to Stuart Wexler's documentary in process, "Cruel But Fair."

Jeff Norstedt wasn't even legal back he started seeing those bands, but through his adult eyes he found Saturday night's show both nostalgic as well as major musical statement in its own right.
Read his review here...

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK (OR A REUNION):
New Brunswick's Prosolar Mechanics return from the cosmos

Prosolar Mechanics, one of the late Nineties' most intriguing New Brunswick bands, returns on December 26, along with contemporaries Buzzkill, Stuntcocks, and 3 To 6 Inches. We caught up with Prosolars Amy Jacob and Alex Saville to see where they've been and what they've been doing since their last galactic excursion. Read Jim Testa's interview here...

PICTURE ME BROKEN:
East Bay Tweens Rewrite The Book On Pop Punk

They started playing in the basement when they were 12 years old, but plenty of critics point out that it was Duane Allman's basement. Layla Brooklyn Allman wants you to know that her dad's DNA may have helped with her chops, but these teens (whose credits already including several radio festival appearances and an MTV Video Music Award) are finding their own way in the music industry, with a sound that's a bright mix of Paramore, Heart, Flyleaf, blessthefall and Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

Deb Draisin chats with the band and finds these kids are all right...



VINYL RACCOON STUDIOS:
Not Just A Place To Record, But A Clubhouse For Artists

Deborah Draisin visits Vinyl Raccoon Studios in Lodi and learns not just about state of the art recording technology, but how a studio can be a haven for major label rockers and DIY punk rockers alike. Read Deb's story here...


FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Reviews by Jim Testa

Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears
the Courtesy Tier
The Dimes
Drew & The Medicinal Pen
God Fires Man
Goldspot
Greenland Is Melting
The Serlingtons

Read Jim Testa's reviews here...

 

FEATURED REVIEWS:

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK - My Dinosaur Life (Sony)

Motion City Soundtrack has always stood about the day-glo skinny-pants clones in the power pop scene with strong songriting and exciting performances, and they do not disappoint here. Maybe the songs do no more than make you happy; but hey, doesn't everyone want to be happy anyway? Recommended. Read Damien Ellinghaus' revew here...

 

ALESANA - The Emptiness (Fearless)

Damien Ellinghaus reviews the latest release from emotionally-charged metal rockers Alesana, a concept album revolving around the visions of a disturbed sketch artist.

Read Damien's review here...

 

 

BOUNCING SOULS - Ghosts On The Board Walk (Chunksaah)

The Bouncing Souls don't really seem like a band that's been around for 20 years. It's more like they reinvent and reimagine themselves every time a new generation of fans flies into one of their moshpits for the first time, staying relevant and true to viewpoints from fifteen to 50. On their latest album - released single by single over the course of 2009, the band's 20th anniversary year - does not disappoint. Read Tim Norek's review here...

 

SING SOS: SONGS OF THE SPECTRUM (SINGSOS.ORG)

This compilation brings together a host of artists singing songs inspired by childhood autism, including contributions from Jackson Browne, Marshall Crenshaw, Teddy Geiger, Dan Bern, and NJ's own Cucumbers. Joe Wawrzyniak calls it "a lovely and quietly powerful collection of first-rate songs."
Read Joe's review here....



TRIS McCALL - Let The Night Fall (Melody Lanes Records)

From school yards and summer camps filled with not-so-innocent children, to the cigar-smoke choked backrooms of old-school ward politicos, to the basement storerooms at Newport Mall to the burger joint that used to be a Jack In The Box before it was a Lucky Wong's, from improvised studios in Brooklyn to venerable Water Music in Hoboken, and right into the office of the Mayor, Tris McCall takes us on a musical exploration of Jersey City that examines its culture, politics, and people with both a jaundiced eye and an unmitigated sense of pride.
Read Jim Testa's review here

JERSEY BEAT COLUMNS:

POP VULTURE by Phil Rainone

The exciting alt-rock of NJ's Red Flag Fleet wins a big thumb's up, plus Phil reviews new albums from The Plain Truth, Galactic, and Brewtal Thirst. Phil raves about the psychedelic garage punk of Shannon & The Clams, the bubblegum power pop of the Yum Yums, the fun pop punk of the Cute Lepers, and the Irish punk of Neck. Phil finds the long-awaited return to action by NJ hardrocking trio True Love to be "ruggedly real," with impressive emotional depth. He also reviews new eleases by Shakey Deville, Cassette, Murder Majesty, the Kris Heaton Blues Band, and Mainman Records' tribute to Queen, Horse Feathers And Animal Crackers.

Read Phil's column here...

THE QUINLAN CHRONICLES
by Rich Quinlan

Rich finds the reissue of Cleveland punk heroes Face Value's back catalog "amazing hardcore energy at its most pure." He's similarly intrigued by the quirky alt-folk-rock of Ohio's The Hit And Mrs., enjoys the retro hard rock of The Super 400, and enjoys the timely folk punk of Vendetta Against.

Read Rich's column here...

MATTERN OF FACT: By Chris Mattern

Chris is amazed to discover Landlord, a band out of his home base of Bloomington Indiana that's actually not half bad. Of course they're only half good, but that's better than what he usually hears. Also reviewed are new releases by the Street Eaters, Torture The Artist, The Ex Gentlemen, Knife The Symphony, Droids Attack, Dan Webb & The Spiders, Hello Shitty People, and a big shout out to the excellent charity compilation, Protect 2, which features tracks from the Dopamines, the Copyrights, Be My Doppelganger, and others. . Read Chris' column here...


METAL AS ALL HELL by Dan Siano

Dan finds the comprehensive 3-disc Grind Madness At The BBC absolutely essential and gives you a track by track rundown of its contents, but has little use for The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists, which gives you lists but has a very fuzzy understanding of what heavy metal is in the first place. The self-titled release from Hatebreed gets a big thumbs down for its generic swipe at breakdown metal, while Dan does highly recommend Strike Anywhere's Iron Front.
Read Dan's column here...



LOOSE THREADS by Chris A.

Deeply submerged in the indie rock underground of San Francisco, our latest correspondent brings a myriad of tools to his task of being Jersey Beat's newest writer - impressive tools to his new assignkment as our West Coast Bureau Chief, including a cell phone programmed with the number to Jello Biafra's hottub phone and a crumpled membership card to Gilman Street tucked into his wallet. This is a man who knows both Coasts, and we're very happy that he'll be bringing his unique perspective to Jersey Beat.
Read his first column here...

BROWSIN' WITH DAVID BROWN

David digs the pop-punk anthemtic goodness of The Roman Line, but finds the Dodos to be "faux-emotive, Keane-lite indie pop for those cooler than thou kids who wear scarves and shit." He sort of likes the alt-rock of Ultra Violent Lights and reviews releases by The Drums, Nakatomi Plaza and Finn Riggins.

Read David's column here...

THE SILVER LINING by Paul Silver

"Lo-fi for listenable indie-pop" is how Paul Silver sums up Blunt Mechanic, as he ponders the long-awaited return of 19-year punk veterans C.D. Truth - "equal measures of Dead Kennedys, Mission of Burma, and Alice Donut [with] a definite early punk influence, loads of crunchy guitar, very tight musicianship, and a definite sense of fun and humor."Paul also reviews new releases from The Farmers, The Gilded Palace of Sin,
Girl Loves Distortion, Hey Young Believer, Kill Paradise, MV & EE, Patrick & Eugene, The Show, Systems Officer, Terminal Lovers
, and You Scream I Scream.

Read Paul's column here...

EL EXCENTRICO:
By Jonathan Peter Sutcliffe

Always up for some verbal fisticuffs, Jonathan Sutcliffe
considers himself the good European and also claims to hail from the depths of anti-fascist clean living.

Jonathan is awed - quite a feat - by Wavves, and casts his critical eye on Philip Glass' 1995 masterpiece, the Mishima soundtrack album.

Read Jonathan's column here...

THE QUIET CORNER
by Robert Barry Francos

Robert Francos's Winter 2009 round up includes releases by Antenn's Up, Black Water Rising, Jim Basnight, Blue Race, Annie Crane, The Dry Spells, Kung Fu Grip, Tamara Hey, Cary Judd, Ben Mallott, Ian MacLagan, David Moore, Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream On Monday, Keith Reid Project, Margo Reymundo, Ruby Throat, Pamela Ruby Russell, Jon Snodgrass, Randy Stern, Rosetta Swain, Brett Terry, Tower of Power, John Watts, and White Rabbit.
Read Robert's column here...



JOHNNY PUKE SAYS SO...

Johnny gives his honest opinion of NOFX's "Cokie The Clown" EP - hardly crucial but certainly collectible? There's no doubt that Operation Ivy changed punk rock forever, but what's frontman Jesse Michaels done lately? His new band is called Classics Of Love and Johnny says that classic, it's not. Johnny also reviews the re-issue of a real classic, Hot Water Music's No Division.

Read Johnny's reviews here...


LET'S PARTY WITH NOAH WK

We've got an absolutely encyclopedic update from Noah with a slew of new reviews. Check out with our party animal thinks of new releases from Deep Sleep, Into It Over It, Le Face, Mac Blackout, Stigmata, Fed Up!, Transit, CarCrashLander, Franktenstein 3000, The Cold Beat, Sea Sick Music, The Ghost Is Dancing, Burning Image, Dredg, The Blackout, The Sorely Trying Days, Only Thieves, Goonies, Rich White Males, Gateway District, and Dan Webb & The Spiders.

Read Noah's column here...

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO WAWZYRNIAK
by Joe Wawzyrniak

Joe loves the moody and melodic Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, the tuneful electro-pop of Static of The Gods, the shit-kickin' hillybilly blues of Old Growth, and new releases by Dios, PJ Bond, and Rainbow Fresh.
Read Joe's column here...

WOWIE ZOWIE:
Psychedelia & Beyond by Rick Kutner

Rick Kutner and Wowie Zowie brings you the best in psychedelia, power-pop, and glam. In this column, Rick reviews new releases by Deastro, Empire of the Sun, Historics, Roger O'Donnell, Phoenix, Sleepy Sun, Stardeath & The White Dwards, We Are Hex, and Welcome Wagon. Read Rick's column here...



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JerseyBeat.com is an independently published music fanzine covering punk, alternative, ska, techno and garage music, focusing on New Jersey and the Tri-State area. For the past 25 years, the Jersey Beat music fanzine has been the authority on the latest upcoming bands and a resource for all those interested in rock and roll.


 
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