Ok, bear with me! No, you’re not going crazy! If the name Our Black Friday does look familiar to you, I did feature them in North Jersey Notes a few months back. Well, since that feature, the band has reunited with their former singer Eddie Territo, and it seems positive things have been happening for them. I mean, when there is good chemistry amongst bandmates, it shouldn’t be messed with and Our Black Friday found that out. Guitarist Scott Williams emailed me a couple tracks like “Disaster” and “Another Place, Another Time,” which I felt were very commercial, but also what I like to call “panty-wetters!” Chicks will dig these tracks because they have that Bon Jovi feel to them.
Our Black Friday was formed in 2006 by guitarist Scott Williams and original singer Eddie Territo. Since their formation, Scott and Eddie have worked with some talented musicians and producers to create a “no-frills” hard rock act that has a constant melodic feel. Fans of Our Black Friday have really taken a liking to their music, as their fan base seems to keep growing. Now with a solid line-up consisting of singer Eddie Territo, guitarists Scott Williams and Jimi Alan, bassist Sean Ordner, and drummer Zac Treby, Our Black Friday is ready to do something that they enjoy more than making music and that is performing it live!
Our Black Friday is currently recording their debut CD at the world famous Showplace Studios in Dover, NJ, with Grammy winning producer Ben Elliot (Eric Clapton/Days Of The New) and engineer Earl Cohen (Will Smith/Lady Gaga). They will also be performing live on The Jimmy Kimmel Show sometime this fall, and they are in the midst of planning a tour to promote their upcoming CD. So, there are a lot of cool things happening for Our Black Friday. Also, the singer that I wrote about the last time I featured Our Black Friday, Vinny Solano, is actually singing on two of the songs with current singer Eddie Territo on the upcoming CD, so the split wasn’t on bad terms. To find out more about Our Black Friday, log onto myspace.com/ourblackfriday.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
The band Kindred Souls recently did something really cool. They had a CD release and peanut butter and jelly party down at the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. Yes, I said peanut butter and jelly party! Turns out, along with celebrating the release of their CD Social Ninja, Kindred Souls decided to help The Food Banks of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. A rep for the Food Banks told Kindred Souls keyboardist Lon Bachrach that this summer’s children’s program was short on peanut butter and jelly. So, the band decided to tie a food drive together with their CD release party giving away free CDs and beer to everyone who brought jars of peanut butter and jelly to The Saint. Congrats to Kindred Souls on a successful event! Find out more about Kindred Souls by logging onto kindred-souls.com.
On a surprising note, as I was surfing the Web, I saw that the band Split Vision was performing a final show at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, on Aug.29. The last time I checked, the band had broken up and guitarists Kevin Frick and Tim Allen had teamed up with former Dead Letter Box singer Dave Alexander to form A Lesson In Violence. When I texted Kevin to find out what the deal was, he responded with, “We’re bored! We just want to play out!” Kevin did always threaten a final farewell show for Split Vision and they will be doing it with my boys, Piston Driven in support. Get down to Dingbatz on Aug.29 to get your face kicked in. For more info, log onto dingbatznj.com.
And finally, if you were at the Ratt and Extreme show at Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA, last weekend and you saw the band, Mean Venus, and thought that the bass player looked like me, well, it was me! A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure if I was a permanent fixture in Mean Venus yet, but now I am. You can catch me and Mean Venus live at the Lake Hopatcong Outdoor Festival in Lake Hopatcong, NJ, on Aug. 8 or at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, on Aug. 23 as we open a matinee show for Pretty Boy Floyd. If you want more info on Mean Venus, log onto meanvenus.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:
8/5—Endall/Tasting Grace—Bar A, Lake Como, NJ (WRAT-Fest Battle)
8/6—Twice—The 76 House, Tappan, NY
8/8—With Daggers Drawn—Don Hill’s, NYC
8/8—Charetta—The Point, Bronx, NY
8/8—Diablo Royale—Crash Mansion, NYC
8/8—Mean Venus—Festival at the Lake, Lake Hopatcong, NJ
8/8—Atom Strange—Dewey’s Pub, Seymour, CT
8/8—Downshallow—Nyack Village Theater, Nyack, NY
8/10—Diablo Royale—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
8/11—Atom Strange/King’s X—The Webster Theater, Hartford, CT
8/12—Echofission—Hackettstown Summer Concert Series, Hackettstown, NJ
8/14—Black Water Rising—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
8/21—Life Without Warning—Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, NJ
8/22—Rahway—Rock The Ink Festival, Providence, RI
8/22—Echofission—Wharton Canal Day Music Festival, Wharton, NJ
8/22—Bled For Glory—Mountain Creek, Vernon, NJ
8/23—Mean Venus/Pretty Boy Floyd—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
8/24—Diablo Royale—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
