Since I’ve been spending a lot of time down here in South Jersey, but write about North Jersey bands, it’s only appropriate for me to slip in a South Jersey band every now and then. A couple of weekends ago, I stopped down at the Seaside Music Festival in Seaside Heights, NJ, to see my old Hostel Inc. singer Ray West and his band A.P.W. perform at The Aztec for the Land Shark Promotion Showcase. Before Ray went on, I checked out a band called Shutterstone, who rocked. Turns out, they were from Hammonton, NJ, the blueberry capital of the world and the workplace of my lady friend.
The idea of Shutterstone began in December 2005, though the band didn’t really start to take form until the summer of 2006 when singer and guitarist Derek Selke met another local guitar player and producer, Stephen McKnight. Together, Derek and Stephen decided to record a few of the songs written by Derek. Stephen would enlist the help of former Seether/Breaking Benjamin drummer Kevin Soffera to record the drum tracks on their new project. Desperate for a bassist, Shutterstone would quickly grab John Scaffidi to handle the four strings. Together they recorded an EP of six songs, which were all written by Derek Selke. Unfortunately, McKnight chose to move on as a producer leaving Shutterstone with no guitarist or drummer. Selke would finalize the lineup with the addition of lead guitarist Doug Legnola and drummer Ricky Reyes.
Back in January, Shutterstone released their first full-length CD, Between Chaos And Confusion, which features the songs “Merry Go Round,” Light My Way,” and “Makes Me Feel.” The tracks were well-written and catchy, but I felt that the lyrics were a little too cookie cutter for me. They were great songs nonetheless. You can download Between Chaos And Confusion now on iTunes, CD Baby, or Amazon Music. If you want to give Shutterstone a listen first, log onto myspace.com/shutterstone.
North Jersey Notes Updates
The boys from Bound Alive finally released their debut CD, Esprit De Corps, which is the “morale of a group.” I was able to hear a few tracks off of the CD like “Second Smile,” “Revived,” and “No Reason,” and I have to say that Bound Alive has fully grown and matured since the last time I heard them. The riffs in these songs were amazing and even singer Bryan Pearsall sounded strong. You can download tracks from the Esprit De Corps CD now at Amazon.com or iTunes.com, or log onto myspace.com/boundalive to give the songs a listen first.
Speaking of new CDs, I just got an email from Rosewood Ghosts singer and guitarist Jamie DiTringo regarding the band’s new self-titled disc, which features songs like “Hey Justine,” “Too Late,” and “I Warned You.” The songs rocked and just like Bound Alive, it seems Hoboken, NJ’s, Rosewood Ghosts have also matured with their sound as a band because the songs that I heard off of the CD really rocked. They recently had a CD release party down at Sullivan Hall in NYC to launch the CD. You can purchase or hear the CD streaming live now at rosewoodghosts.com.
And finally, good news for my boys from Apathy. They recently landed a slot opening for the legendary Overkill on November 20 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. The show is still a little ways away, but I was pretty excited for the boys when I heard the news. Buy your tickets now at apathy-nj.com or, if you can’t wait till November to see Apathy, catch them live at The Whiskey Bar in Hoboken, NJ, with Murder League All-Stars on June 23.
That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next. 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
6/3—HMS Revenge—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/4—Will Killmore—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
6/4—The Evan Toth Trio—NJPAC, Newark, NJ
6/5—Christine Martucci—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
6/11—Diablo Royale—Jugs and Strokers, Merrick, NY
6/11—The Briar Patch—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/12—Diablo Royale—Crash Mansion, NYC
6/12—Will Killmore—Bogota VFW, Bogota, NJ
6/12—Atom Strange—Local 629 Bar, NYC
6/16—Killcode—Santos Party House, NYC
6/16—HMS Revenge—The Whiskey Bar, Hoboken, NJ
6/18—With Daggers Drawn—The Gramercy Theater, NYC
6/19—Black Water Rising/Killcode/Diablo Royale—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
6/19—Atom Strange—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
6/21—Jimmy Gnecco—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
