My boy Adrian Freyre recently contacted me to tell me that he was playing in a new band. I’ve known Adrian since he played in the band Trimm and I’ve watched him play a few times with the band Jersey Gypsy. Adrian, who’s a very talented guitarist, is now playing guitar for a band called Mean Venus and they’re pretty awesome! J, the singer, has been on the scene for a while, and has an excellent voice and unbelievable writing skills. Mean Venus’ songs might sound dated to some but I think that they sounded modern enough to stand the test of time, meaning there is a market out there right now for songs like the anthemic title track to their upcoming CD, Crazy Ass American. A couple of other songs that I really enjoyed included “Thank Me” and “Let The Feelings Go” which were on Mean Venus’ 2008 CD release, PCP.
Mean Venus is a modern hard rock band that was formed in Northern New Jersey in early 2006. They‘re 2008 debut CD, PCP, was the culmination of raw energy fueled by years of studio, stage, and songwriting experience. The reception to PCP was flattering by critics and fans to say the least. Lead singer J has a background in music dating back to when he was eight years old. His father was a rock and roll singer, so J’s future was inevitable. After stints with many bands like Trench, Hangman Jury, and Negative Nine, J decided it was time to be the boss and put his own band together and that’s how Mean Venus came to fruition. In April 2008, Mean Venus was asked to headline The Hawaiian Chopper Magazine’s Motorhead Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, which is an honor in any right. Joining J in his band is my boy Adrian Freyre on guitar, Kevin “The Kidd” Nenichka also on guitar, Randy Maldonado on bass, and Chris N. Dowd on drums.
In the past three years, Mean Venus secured opening slots for bands like Seven Mary Three, Kings X, Dokken, Skid Row, and L.A. Guns. With their upcoming CD, Crazy Ass American, dropping on June 1, Mean Venus is planning to continue touring the U.S. all throughout 2009 in support. Catch these boys live! Find out where they’re playing next by logging onto meanvenus.com or by logging onto myspace.com/www.meanvenuscom.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
I’ve been getting messages from Pete and Bill from Apathy all week! Looks like the boys are finally done recording their upcoming CD, A Decade Of Violence, and they’re super excited about it! So, excited that singer and guitarist, Pete Wells, actually sent me a video of the boys during their recording sessions via text message, and drummer Bill Jameson emailed me three rough tracks to listen to. The songs that he sent me—“Machine Gun Rain,” “Era of Terror,” and “War Torn” sounded pretty good for rough tracks. The guitar work on these songs was typical classic metal riffs ala Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Flotsam and Jetsam, etc. These songs brought me back to an old Jersey metal sound that seems to have been lost with all of this nu-metal crap! I have to be honest; I’m digging the new Apathy stuff, that’s if they can even keep the name! No one else around here has this sound anymore and if they do, they’re not doing it as well as Pete and the boys from Apathy. Find out when the CD drops at myspace.com/apathymetalgods.
Congrats to my bros from Black Water Rising, who recently won a “2009 High Times Doobie Award” for Best Rock down at SXSW for their song “Brother Go On.” They were up against bands like Mars Volta, Danko Jones, Staind, Eagles Of Death Metal, and Warrior Soul. So, they were up against some heavyweights making this award a big deal! Also, while supplies last, Black Water Rising will be giving their four-song EP away free with the purchase of any Black Water Rising t-shirt. The band has come to an end of their stock, and is looking to do some Spring-cleaning! You can buy your t-shirt and get your free CD by logging onto myspace.com/blackwaterrising.
And finally, back to the Bled For Glory saga, it looks like the boys have landed another new guitar player after Ike, or whatever his name was (he wasn’t in the band long enough to care!), left the band. Their new guitar player, who is actually their old guitar player, Tim Condron, actually joined Bled For Glory on stage down at The Starland Ballroom recently as they battled 14 other bands for the opening slot at the Music As A Weapon show featuring Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, and Lacuna Coil down at the Izod Center next Wednesday, April 22. Unfortunately, Bled For Glory came in second to Ashes Of Your Enemy, but in horse racing terms, the boys from Bled “placed,” so congrats to them! Find out more about Bled For Glory at myspace.com/bledforglory.
That’s all for now! And remember, 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!
NJN Concert Calendar:
4/16—Rosewood Ghosts—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
4/17—Suicide City/Full Scale Riot/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Without End—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/18—Steve Brown and The Fallout—Elm St. Grill, Oakland, NJ
4/18—Echofission—The Thirsty Toad, Lodi, NJ
4/18—Wicked Society—Westside Bar and Grill, West Paterson, NJ
4/23—Queen V—Don Hill’s, NYC
4/22—Mercury Morning—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
4/24—Rahway—The Cup, Linden, NJ
4/25—Steve Brown and The Fallout—Shannon Rose, Clifton, NJ
4/25—Eve to Adam—Milly’s Tavern, Manchester, NH
4/25—Rosewood Ghosts—Bitter End, NYC
4/25—Atom Strange—Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY
4/25—Spoiler NYC—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/28—Hybrid Dawn/Shadows Lie—Crash Mansion, NYC
4/28—Atom Strange—Corio, NYC
5/2—Black Water Rising—Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
