THIRD KIND—Hoboken, NJ
I recently received an email from an old friend and bass brother in Eric Berkowitz from Full Out Freak. I was writing about Full Out Freak almost on a weekly basis when I started this column. It turns out that Eric has put together a new project with his Full Out Freak cohort, drummer Justin Neighbour, called Third Kind. The band is excellent! I was only able to hear two tracks from the band; one song called “Main Street” and the other called “Open For You,” which is the title track of the band’s upcoming EP. The songs reminded me of something that Daughtry might have put out. Trust me, that is not a bad thing, because Chris Daughtry is a millionaire right now. After hearing the song, I needed to see who the singer was and to my surprise, it was former Rahway singer Manny Cabo! Holy crap!
Shortly after forming, Third Kind was already receiving much praise as one of the newest breakout rock bands of 2010. Its members certainly seem comfortable with this title as most of them are no strangers to being high-profile in the music scene. Their combined talents have supported such acts like Bon Jovi, Staind and 3 Doors Down, while having graced stages such as The Izod Center, Randall’s Island and the legendary CBGB’s in NYC. According to the band’s bio, their ‘identifying sound and energy’ stems from the expressive vocals from their singer, who’s ability to captivate an audience with his charismatic persona has been drawing some major attention to the band. Behind Manny’s powerful vocals is multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter, MJ Zuppe, lead guitarist Neil Mack, aforementioned bro Eric Berkowitz and drummer Justin Neighbour.
Third Kind is currently gearing up for a mini-Northeast tour this fall, and they’re planning on recording and releasing their upcoming EP, Open For You, sometime this winter. You can actually catch Third Kind live tonight (11/3) at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ opening for the popular NJ cover band Lifespeed. If you can’t make that show, then log onto myspace.com/thirdkindofficial to hear what the band sounds like and to find out where they’re playing next!
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Those of you who have been going to New Jersey Devils home games this year might recognize the song “Rise” that is played right before the team hits the ice. The song belongs to none other than Black Water Rising! What a year these guys are having, huh? Not only are Sirius/XM playing the hell out of “Brother Go On” and their CD sales going through the roof, but now the New Jersey Devils are using their song to get their crowd pumped up. That is so cool! Give “Rise” listen and watch the Devils intro video at myspace.com/blackwaterrising.
An old friend has re-grouped and risen from the ashes of the local music cemetery gates. I’m talking about local thrash heroes, Midian, which features one of my old high school chums Chris Hawkins on drums. After a 20 year absence from the scene, Chris, who is the sole remaining member of Midian, has decided to reform with a whole new lineup to promote the brand new two-CD release, Thrashology, which was released earlier this year on a Chinese record label (I swear I had nothing to do with it!) and features all demos from Midian and Mercenari (pre-Midian), rare live and rehearsal recordings, and live videos. The new Midian lineup consists of singer Mike Vittoria, guitarists Khalid Illahi and Rojan Banmali, bassist Sam Agnew and drummer Chris Hawkins. Check them out at myspace.com/midianthrashnj, where you can also purchase Thrashology.
And finally, I know that this happened over a month ago, but I never really expressed my sentiment. Back on September 25, the North Jersey music scene lost a pioneer and a soldier in Kevin “The Reverend” Imor. The Rev, as we all knew him, was swimming up at the Moodus Reservoir in Connecticut when he drowned. Most of us knew “The Rev” as the lead singer for North Jersey staples Arch Demon Choir, The Witches of Moodus and Splatter Pattern. He was also the guitar tech for North Jersey thrashers Whiplash. I’ve only performed with The Rev a few times, but every single time that I did run into him, he was full of life and always lived for the party. It made me really sad to hear this news, especially about someone as well-liked on the scene as he was. Check out The Rev’s work at myspace.com/archdemonchoir. He was 45. Rest In Piece, Rev!
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, or you can email me at chigger273@aol.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next. No cover bands, please!
Just remember….We is all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is also the author of the book S**t Happens, available now on Amazon.com
NJN Concert Calendar:
11/3—Third Kind—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/5—Incognito Theory—Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
11/5—Doubledge—The Sanctuary Fellowship, Bronx, NY
11/5—John Rango and Friends—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/6—The Briar Patch—The Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, NJ
11/7—Kindred Souls—Livingston Street Fair, Livingston, NJ
11/10—Killcode/Powerman 5000—Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
11/12—Jeryl/Dira—Cool Beans Café, Oradell, NJ
11/12—With Daggers Drawn/Dead Men Dreaming/40 Below Summer—The Gramercy Theater, NYC
11/13—White Noise—Architekt Music, Butler, NJ
11/13—Killcode/APW—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
11/13—Bern and the Brights—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/14—The Zombie Mafia—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
11/19—Incognito Theory—Architekt Music, Butler, NJ
11/20—Apathy/Overkill—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
