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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
Music
Fanzine - Welcome To JerseyBeat.com 
Guest
Editorial:
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. 
NOSTALGIAPALOOZA
II:
DON'T
CALL IT A COMEBACK (OR A REUNION):
PICTURE
ME BROKEN:
FROM
THE EDITOR'S DESK
MOTION
CITY SOUNDTRACK - My Dinosaur Life (Sony)
ALESANA
- The Emptiness (Fearless)
BOUNCING
SOULS - Ghosts On The Board Walk (Chunksaah)
SING
SOS: SONGS OF THE SPECTRUM (SINGSOS.ORG)
TRIS McCALL - Let The Night Fall (Melody Lanes
Records) 
POP VULTURE by Phil Rainone
THE
QUINLAN CHRONICLES 
MATTERN
OF FACT: By Chris Mattern
METAL
AS ALL HELL by Dan Siano 
LOOSE THREADS by Chris A.
BROWSIN'
WITH DAVID BROWN 
THE
SILVER LINING by Paul Silver
EL
EXCENTRICO:
THE
QUIET CORNER 
JOHNNY
PUKE SAYS SO...
LET'S
PARTY WITH NOAH WK
THE
WORLD ACCORDING TO WAWZYRNIAK 
WOWIE
ZOWIE: 