Yes, yes, yes! I know that my column is for the local North Jersey musician looking to get some exposure for playing original music. Well, for some reason, I feel that this DJ Cloak And Dagger is a little bit of a unique character with a strange attachment to the local North Jersey music scene. Okay, DJ Cloak And Dagger is none other than Luke Rizzo, brother of Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo. Luke’s connection to the North Jersey music scene is Phlamencore Records, which he started with Marc back in 2004. What started as a platform for a few talented musician friends, soon became a full-fledged record label, which boasted bands like The Marc Rizzo Band and Committee Of Thirteen. Now, Luke has been making a name for himself as a deejay spinning in some of the finest establishments in North Jersey under the name DJ Cloak And Dagger.
Back in 2005, after Luke graduated from college, he decided to take his turn at music since big brother had already established himself as one of the most vicious guitar players on the metal scene. Luke would go out and buy himself a Yamaha Motif and create his own beats while mixing them up with different samples. Today, Luke—or DJ Cloak And Dagger’s— tracks feature everything from bassy hip-hop samples to streaks of Brazilian Batucada, whatever that is. The point is that Luke is being creative as a deejay and he’s not just spinning records and scratching them. It’s almost like he’s an original artist.
Most recently, Luke has partnered up with Metro Art Expo to showcase his creative beats and deejay expertise while combining them with some of the finest art that New Jersey has to offer. Luke says that they have showcases like these in New York City all the time, and he would like to bring the cool cultural attitude to the rest of the world. DJ Cloak And Dagger recently found out that he’s been added to the roster of this year’s Rock The Mountain Music and Art Festival up in Tuxedo, NY, on June 6. If you want to see DJ Cloak And Dagger in action, check him out next Sunday night, May 31, at The Verve Lounge in Somerville, NJ. For more info about Luke and his secret deejay identity, log onto myspace.com/cloakdagger.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a great new band from Rahway, NJ, called Claire’s Well. Well, Claire’s Well recently released their debut CD, Expose The Fear, with a CD release party down at The Cup Complex in Linden, NJ. The band also has a special extra demo CD of even newer material, that they will be releasing at a future date, in the works. Tracks from Expose The Fear can be bought and downloaded at digstation.com/ClairesWell. To find out more about Claire’s Well, log onto claireswell.com.
The boys from Atom Strange will be hitting the stage at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC this Friday night, May 22, to play some new material from their upcoming CD, Cosmic Disturbance. They’ll also be giving away a two-song CD sampler from Cosmic Disturbance that night. Looks like Atom Strange will be busy most of the summer promoting the new CD as they plan to tour most of the East Coast and beyond. They hope to have Cosmic Disturbance out for downloading, purchasing, and stealing before the summer starts. Get your Atom Strange info at atomstrange.com.
The band Echofission will be taking the stage once again as headliners this time at the famed Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ, on Saturday, May 23. They will be filming portions of their upcoming music video for their song “When Autumn Leaves” at Mexicali Blues that night. So, if you want to be in the video, I suggest that you get your ass down to Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ, on May 23. For more info on this Echofission event, log onto echofission.com.
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:
5/21—A True Story—Jimmy’s, Moonachie, NJ
5/22—Steve and The Fallout—The Beachcomber, Seaside Heights, NJ
5/22—Atom Strange—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
5/22—A True Story—The Sea Shell, Long Beach Island, NJ
5/22—State of Revolution—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
5/23—Echofission—Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, NJ
5/23—Steve and The Fallout—The Beachcomber, Seaside Heights, NJ
5/28—A True Story—Jimmy’s, Moonachie, NJ
5/29—Eve To Adam—Sullivan Hall, NYC
5/29—Jet Lag Gemini—School of Rock, South Hackensack, NJ
5/29—Atom Strange—The TriTone, Philadelphia, PA
5/29—A True Story—The Fireside, Denville, NJ
5/29—Evan Toth and the Excuses—Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, NJ
5/29—With Daggers Drawn/Black Market Hero—Don Hill’s, NYC
5/30—Shadows Lie—Crash Mansion, NYC
5/30—Kosmic Daydream—The Cornerstone, Carlstadt, NJ
5/30—A True Story—O’Harra’s, Jersey City, NJ
5/30—Saint Caine—Saints and Sinners (O’Donoghue’s), Hoboken, NJ
5/31—Black Water Rising—Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ
5/31—DJ Cloak And Dagger—The Verve Lounge, Somerville, NJ
6/6—Mercury Morning—Rock the Mountain Music Festival, Tuxedo, NY
6/6—Ippy and the Project—Dublin Pub, Morristown, NJ
6/6—Diablo Royale/Charetta—Crash Mansion, NYC
6/6—Only Living Boy—Bar 46, Hackettstown, NJ
6/6—DJ Cloak And Dagger—Rock the Mountain Music and Arts Festival, Tuxedo, NY
6/7—HelenaMaria—Somerset Patriots Ballpark, Bridgewater, NJ
