This week, as I surfed the Net looking for some cool bands to write about, I stumbled across a North Jersey band called The Champagne Charade, whom I found full of excellent and energetic guitar riffs with a powerful vocal fronting the band. Singer Saetia La Reoux belts out melodies that are so reminiscent of Pat Benatar. The song “Chasing Down The Sunset” is an excellent example of that. I also really liked the song “Tainted Blood.” Wait, I also liked a song called “Death Walks At Midnight.” On second thought, I liked every track that I heard! Some of the songs might sound dated, but then again, what is “dated?” I mean when I say “dated” I mean an ‘80s rock sound, and the weird thing is that that sound is actually kind of becoming somewhat popular again. So, for me to say that the songs from The Champagne Charade sound dated, it’s in inaccurate statement. They might be right on with the changing of the times!
The Champagne Charade is a refreshing and dynamic rock band hailing from northern New Jersey that was formed in 2007. They maintain a powerful and unique female singer in Saetia La Reoux, and they surround her with a wall of ‘80s metal guitar riffs! The outcome is the music that you hear from The Champagne Charade. The band feels that they are constantly being challenged by the stereotypes of what their fans and the industry would expect. Their plan is to try to push the limits as to what a modern/pop/rock band should sound like, and that is aggressive, catchy, and real! Is their sound addictive? I think it is! Rounding out the line-up for The Champagne Charade is singer Saetia La Reoux, guitarists Bobbie Venom and Kaedon Grey, bassist Nicky Charade, and drummer Chris Crypts.
The Champagne Charade recently released their CD, Glitter City, which can be purchased on iTunes or amazon.com, where you can also hear the tracks that I mentioned earlier. I am sure this will be a band that you’re going to want to hear if you haven’t heard them yet, or you’re going to at least want to see if you haven’t seen them yet. If you want to find out more about The Champagne Charade, log onto myspace.com/thechampagnecharade.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
So, the other day I was sitting in front of the tube and a commercial came on promoting some show on VH1. Turns out, the show is a comedy about a local band out of Brooklyn, NY, so right away, my attention directed towards the TV. Low and behold, the faces that I recognized were the faces of the ZO2 boys! All I could think at that moment was “What the f*&k? How can these guys have a show?” Did anyone else know about this? Supposedly, the show debuted in August, but I knew nothing about it. Then again, who really is watching VH1 or MTV these days? After watching a couple of the trailers online, the show actually looked kind of funny though. It reminds me of a Curb Your Enthusiasm-type show, but with a rock band involved with tons of special celebrity guests. Am I jealous? Yes! Do the boys from ZO2 deserve it? Actually, yes, they do! They’re a hard-working band who seem to be making just the right contacts. Find out more about ZO2 at zo2.com or find out more about their show Z Rock by logging onto ifc.com/zrock.,
Speaking of some cool NYC bands, my boys from The Compulsions have been getting much radio airplay lately in support of their latest CD, Demon Love. Locally, stations like M3 Radio, VIC Radio, WRLC, WICB, WPSC (William Paterson’s station), and WRSU are all playing tracks from Demon Love. Call those stations today to request more from The Compulsions! To learn more from Robbie Carlyle and his boys, log onto myspace.com/thecompulsions.
And finally, a North Jersey original returns home to Dexter’s in Riverdale, NJ, on Friday, Nov. 28 (or Black Friday to as it’s known to most people)! I’m talking about Trixter! That’s right! Pete Loran, Steve Brown, PJ Farley, and Mark “Gus” Scott, all of the original members of the once Paramus-based, former MCA recording artists, Trixter reunited this past summer for the famed Rocklohoma Festival out in Oklahoma! Turns out, they had so much fun and were so well received that they decided to do more shows and try to recapture the magic of Trixter. Nov. 28 will mark the first time that the boys will grace a NJ stage together in almost 14 years. Get your tickets now! This will be a sure sell out! You can purchase tickets at ticketweb.com or by logging onto dextersentertainment.com. If you want to find out more about Trixter, log onto trixterrocks.com.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey and you want some exposure, send your demos and press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424. No cover bands, please!
Just remember… We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
