 TALL
DAYS - Battling The Elements (talldays.com)
Phil Rainone overcomes some hestitation over the
first track to rave about the latest from NJ's Tall
Days, which he characterizes as "a snarly, ringing
guitar sound with drumming that sounds like a super-charged
stomp machine at times, with spot-on vocals"
and then proclaims, "You can’t fake this
kind of stuff. You either have it or you don’t.
Tall Days has it in spades! " Read his review
here...
 THE
COURTESY TIER EP (thecourtesytier.com)
Warm and uplifting one moment, dark and emotionally
crushing the next, the new EP from The Courtesy Tier
toys with your emotions while engaging your imagination.
James Damion gives it a big thumbs up here...
 STEVE
WYNN & THE MIRACLE 3 - Northern Aggression (stevewynn.net)
Rich Quinlan's vote for the most underrated, undervalued,
and underappreciated songwriter in music goes Steve
Wynn and his Miracle 3, who emerge again for another
healthy helping of intelligent, articulate rock for
adults. Read Rich's review here....
"This is a collection of thick, battering force
that can shift from kissing you on the cheek to stabbing
you in the throat with devastating dexterity,"
Rich says of Melt Cry Sleep from the band
Buildings. He's less enthusiastic
about the mashup of electronica and screamo delivered
by Famous Last Words, but has high praise for the
three-song EP from the Dischord post-rock duo Soccer
Team. DownlowNYHC keeps flying the flag for
80's NY/HC and Rich is right there in the mosphit
rooting them on. He also checks out new releases from
Neverven, Frontline Soldiers, and
Out Like Lambs, raves about the split EP
from Germanotta and Joy As
A Toy, and delves deeply into a new Fresh
Fruit album sampler from Oak Apple
Records. Rich hails the latest album from
the Koffin Kats as "a masterful
collection of smart, stylish, aggressive filth"
and then raves about Chicago's Moses Gun as
"a cohesive yet bombastic assault, displaying
greater subtly and dexterity than their previous work."
If that's not enough hyperbole for you, he also checks
out new releases from Minneapolis' Slow Death
(which he loves) and the Fledglings (which
he doesn't.) Fountains of Wayne's Jody Porter joins
forces with Ari Vais on the latest album from The
Campbell Apartment, which Rich finds a riff
filled delight.
Read
Rich's column here...
 
by Tony B.
Tony has good things to report about the pop-punk
bass/drums duo Street Eaters, then reviews new releases
from By The Throat, Follow You Home, and Purple Melon.
Read his reviews here...
Paul has mixed reactions to the mix of boogie rock
and imaginative prog from Artimus Alexander,
then checks out new releases from Dominant
Legs, Emperor X, Taggart, Gringo Star, Dan
Vapid's Noise By Numbers, and Minneapolitan
folk duo Patches & Gretchen.
Read
Paul's column here...
Noah likes but doesn't love the latest release from
Gateway District, and checks out new
stuff from Army Coach, Bob Burns, Candy Hearts,
The Carmines, Closet Drama, Dee Cracks, Deep Sleep,
Deertick, and the Dirt Slits.
Read Noah's column here...
 
by Joe Wawzyrniak
Joe enjoys the thoughtful songwriting and feel good
vibe of the 3-song EP from NJ's Strangers
Pass, and delights in the soothing and harmonic
countryish indie pop of the Scene Aesthetic.
He also reviews new releases from The Loose
Hinges, Raftree, The Raving Knaves, Bel Air,
and Hoboken rocker Mike Korman.
Read Joe's column here...
Who needs another Christmas album? Phil says you
do, if it's the garagey psych-rock Xmas tunes of NJ
Gripweeds! He also reviews new releases
from We Are The Ocean, Vintage
Blue. the Brains, two rockin' garage-rock
bands from Spinout Records - the Boss Mustangs
and the Fuzzrites - the best of compilation
from REM, and a new DVD that captures the glory days
of the New York Dolls called "Lookin'
Fine On Television." Phil puts on his dancing
shoes for the upbeat sounds of Zydeco A Go
Go, rocks with the new live CD/DVD from NJ
Sixties veterans the Doughboys, and
checks out new releases from Chuck Ragan,
Dangerous!, The Grinds, Cinema Cinema, the Doug Rockwell
Band, Static Jacks, Echo Movement,
Jersey singer/songwriter Paul Czekaj,
and My Glorious.
Read Phil's column here...
By Michelle Rich
Michelle Rich joins the Jersey Beat.com staff with
her insights and opinions about music and whatever
might strike her fancy. In this initial column, she
reviews new releases by The Amboys, Art Institute,
Cecilia Celeste, Fed Up, The Parlor Mob, Transit,
and The Embracers. Read her column here...
 DAMIEN
ELLINGHAUS:REVIEWS
Damien provides a track by track assessment of the
return of violin-tinged pop punk megaband Yellowcard,
then does the same thing for the new joint
from Set Your Goals. He follows up
with a review of the latest release from Heartsounds.
Megadeath. Slayer. Metallica. Anthax. You don't need
a rock critic to cover a concert like that, you need
a Roman Catholic priest in full abortion regalia.
And failing that, an acolyte of the Dark Lord, ready
to interpret ever riff and undulating hip and tell
all of us who wait here at foot of the mountain what
it all means. Damien Ellinghaus looked the four Gods
of Metal in the eyes... and you're just going to have
to read his story to find out what happened.
Read
his column here...
 JOHNNY
PUKE SAYS SO...
Johnny reviews the latest from "America's greatest
cover band," the punk rock supergrouop Me
First & The Gimme Gimmes, who take us
to Japan for their new release. The masked naked guitarist
of the Dwarves known only as Hewhocannotbenamed
has released his first solo album, and you
can just bet it's right up Johnny Puke's alley. He
has less kind things to say for the regurgitated NYHC
of Ultraviolence. 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...
 THE
FRANCOS FILES
By Robert Barry Francos
The column formerly known as The Quiet Corners returns
for its Fall 2011 installment. When we realized Robert
was reviewing the likes of Spyro Gyra, D.O.A., Up
For Nothing, and the Dwarves as well as the usual
plethora of folksingers, singer/songwriters, and ethnic
music, we realized it was time to rename the column.
So click
the link and and check Robert's latest musings
on his quiet and not-so-quiet corner of Jersey Beat.
 I
SING THE MUSIC ELECTRIC by John Saavedra Jr.
John tackles the mixes messages of Heroes
Of The Open End and flips over the energy
and innovation of The Poison Control Center.
No Use For Humans, the brainchild of Steven
Honoshowsky, takes a lot of influence from 1980’s
videogame culture, the 90’s Eurodance scene,
and Vangelis’ amazing score for Blade Runner.
In his first column for Jersey Beat.com, John Saavedra
Jr. ponders these influences and how they affect modern
music. He also reviews new releases by two other indie-pop
auteurs, Shawn Fogel aka Golden Bloom
and the Weehawken, NJ artist who goes by the name
Graham Repulski. Read John's column
here...
 MATTERN
OF FACT: By Chris Mattern
Our most vituperative critic has a new policy. For
records he just can't deal with, he's asking readers
to email him at whythisbanddoesntsuck@gmail.com.
If you send in the best answer, you'll win a prize!
Now check out his reviews of Youth Avoiders/Zombies
Are Pissed split 7 inch, Most Deaf, Annabel, Diarrhea
Planet, Sore Subjects, Miniboone, Ripface Invasion,
The Heat Tape, Afterhefall, Better Luck Next Time,
The Ignorant, Arluck Time, the United Sons of Toil,
Mad Anthony, Karysun, and The Getback.
Read Chris' column here...
 KATZ
CRADLE - Reviews by Andrew Katz
YESTERDAY & TODAY: Andrew provides
a look back at the barely-remembered 2006 release
by Jersey powe-pop kids The Class Of '98
and then jumps forward to listen to the new album,
a quantum leap forward in terms of wrangling the adolescent
angst and confusion of adolescencen in a focused example
of quality power-pop. Then, New Jersey's pop-punk
scene has a new champion in Man Overboard,
and the release of The Human Highlight Reel -
a sort of greatest hits that collects the band's EP's
with two new tracks - will hopefully introduce the
genre to a new generation of fans. But the reissue
of The Youth Ahead's For The
Ones That Got Away just makes Andrew think of
chicken fingers - bland fast good with little redeeming
value. Then Andrew provides a preview of the upcoming
EP from hixs favorite new hardcore band - HEROES.
"Praiseworthy pop" is how Andrew describes
the latest release from Ian Axel entitled
This Is The New Year." Nothing wrong with wearing
your emotions on your sleeve when those feelings are
expressed so gracefully and with such meaningful connections.
Andrew also tackles the new EP by the NJ duo known
as Botanical Bullets and finds it
is a welcomed relief, a breath of fresh air, a shot
of vodka after a hard day’s work... an overall
much needed originality that defies today’s
drab, cliché music scene.
Read
his reviews here...
 DEBORAH
J. DRAISIN -
REPORTS FROM THE FRONT
Reports from the field by our intrepid girl reporter,
Deb Draisin...
-
American PinUp interview
-
Snowpocalypse - Home For The Holidays - The Blizzard,
and finally, The Shows
- X Japan - Interview
- Leathermouth
- Interview
- Fairmont
- Transcendence CD
-
Fairmont - Interview
- Bern &
The Brights - Interview
-
Brine & Bastards - Interview
- Alkaline
Trio - Interview
- Jake
Szufnarowski, RocksOff.com
-
Theodore Grimm - Interview
-
Picture Me Broken - Interview
-
Theory Of Light - Interview
-
Any Day Parade - Interview
PAST INTERVIEWS & FEATURES:
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