I recently stumbled across a very cool band from Lyndhurst, NJ. They were filled with great vocals, heavy guitar riffs, intelligent songwriting, and memorable tracks like the rock radio friendly “Burn To Shine,” “Some Time Out,” and my favorite, “Break.” Oh, and the band name is A Balance Between. You know that there’s a good groove in there somewhere when a band can get your head boppin’ after a listen or two. That’s the way that I felt after giving A Balance Between a listen.
Rising from the ashes of a stale North Jersey music scene back in the summer of 2007, A Balance Between originally formed as an acoustic solo act. With the success of a few acoustic performances, A Balance Between would evolve into this great four-piece rock band that it is today. Since their inception, the band used their chemistry to combine rocking riffs with anthemic, melodic, and aggressive vocals, coloring the music in with a nasty rhythm section giving A Balance Between the unique sound that they are shopping today. The group is is singer/guitarist Jeremy Hernandez, lead guitarist Brian Grego, bassist Rob Piccininni, and drummer Rob Cangialosi.
A Balance Between’s live show is loud, tight, and more focused than most local Jersey bands. They seem to always leave their ever growing audiences thirsting for more music. They’ve even sold out the prestigious Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ, on two separate occasions as a headliner. Give A Balance Between a listen and find out where they’re playing next at myspace.com/abalancebetween.
North Jersey Notes Updates
My brothers from Killcode have posted yet another new song from their upcoming CD, Taking It All, on their MySpace page, myspace.com/killcode. The song is a little bit mellower than we’re used to hearing from Killcode. It’s a called “Breaking Away,” and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Check it out!
The boys from Anaka recently had to make a jaunt out to the NAMM convention in Anaheim, CA, a few weeks ago because guitarist Peter Pallis had to promote his new signature Halo Hellfire line of guitars and his endorsement with EMG pickups. The guitar model is simply called The Peter Pallis of Anaka Signature Guitar Hellfire P1 Model From Halo guitars. That is absolutely an awesome deal for a local musician, so congrats, Pete! Anaka will be showcasing their new music this Saturday night, Feb. 13, at Don Hill’s in NYC with my bros from Piston Driven, where you can see Pete showing off his new signature custom guitar! Also, if you haven’t already done so, check out Anaka’s video for their song “Erase” on myspace.com/anaka, but make sure you wear a faceguard because after you hear it you might feel like someone just punched you in the face!
And finally, speaking of Piston Driven, yes, they’ll be making their NYC debut this Saturday night at Don Hill’s with the aforementioned Anaka, but the cool thing about this night for Piston Driven singer Jason Marcos is that he will also be making his NYC debut as well! So, the pressure is on, Jay! Jason’s played many venues with his former band With Daggers Drawn, but there’s nothing like NYC! I had the chance to sit in on a Piston Driven rehearsal about a month ago, and if they play any of their new songs this weekend, you guys are in for a real treat! Those songs rocked! Check out Piston Driven on myspace.com/pistondriven, and get your asses down to Don Hill’s in NYC this Saturday night!
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! Also, if you haven’t checked out my podcast yet, do it now at northjerseynotes.mypodcast.com.
Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
NJN Concert Calendar
2/11—Dinosaur Eyelids—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
2/12—Lieder—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
2/13—Piston Driven/Anaka—Don Hill’s, NYC
2/19—Rahway—Millennium Music Conference, Harrisburg, PA
2/19—Apefight—Parkside Lounge, NYC
2/19—Atom Strange—The Field House, Etter, PA
2/20—Warhorse/Full Scale Riot—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/20—(Damn) This Desert Air—Eerie Trackside Manor, Port Jervis, NY
2/25—Silent Civilian—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/26—Trixter—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/26—Black Water Rising—Juggs-N-Strokers, Merrick, NY
2/27—(Damn) This Desert Air)—Sounds Asylum, Goshen, NY
