GENTLEMAN THIEVES—South Amboy, NJ
A few years back, I wrote about a band out of Central Jersey called Ecotone, because they were recording right next door to my former band at Tim Gilles’s Big Blue Meanie Recording studio in Jersey City. Well, the boys have grown up and changed their name and sound, according to singer Bobby Bates. He asked me to give the new band, Gentleman Thieves a listen, so I did, but the only thing that I got to hear was a medley of rough mixes off of their upcoming CD, The Price of Silence. The medley included clips of the songs “Vacant Trees,” “Destroying Angel” and “The Gods Must Be Restless.” You can definitely hear the maturity and their music from their Ecotone days.
When asked about their name change, the boys of Gentleman Thieves will tell you that they feel that it’s not really a name change. To say that they changed their name would mean that everything else in the band is the same, which is not the case. The members (Bobby, Rohan, Dan and Jay) say that they’re a different band now, even though they still have the same members. They spent the last two years writing and recording their new CD. While doing so, it occurred to them that things had changed dramatically, and their music began to take on a whole different sound.
As a band, they also said they feel that they’ve matured as people, in that they started to see things differently than they used to. On top of all that, they felt that the whole music scene had changed. Making the boys feel that Ecotone had come to an end after seven years. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop making music as friends and as a band, and it doesn’t mean they can’t start again with new ideas.
Bobby stated: “We’re different. Different as people, as a band and as songwriters and musicians. It’s still the same line-up, but we’ve grown and changed. It only makes sense that we kiss Ecotone good-bye in favor starting anew. We’re pumped for a new leaf, a clean page, or however people say it.”
Gentleman Thieves recently celebrated their CD release and new name with a party at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ last weekend. If you missed that show, you can catch them again the day after Christmas down at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, as they play a benefit show for the Epilepsy Foundation. For more info on Gentleman Thieves, log onto gentlemanthieves.blogspot.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boys from Beatrix Kiddo have some new music posted on their MySpace page, myspace.com/beatrixkiddonj. The song is called “Love/Hate,” and it’s just vintage Beatrix Kiddo; it’s filled with great hooks and excellent melodies, plus this is the first song that I heard with new guitarist Marc Muniz, and I think I like it! I know that the boys have been working with Joe Cattano from Aarius Studios in Sayreville, NJ, but I’m not sure if this is one of those recordings. I guess I should just ask Joe. Check out Beatrix Kiddo and their new song “Love/Hate” on myspace.com/beatrixkiddonj.
My bro, Ron “Q*Ball” Scalzo, is working on a new project with his former Secret Army bandmate, Mike Bandolik and ex-Picture This guitarist, Keif Matera. The project is called Hooper and is an electro-funk, hip-hop act that combines the trio’s mutual love of cult movies, DJing and electronic music. Hooper is currently working on some awesome visuals that they’ll be bringing to a NYC venue in the coming year. For more info on this project, log onto baldfreak.com.
And finally, speaking of Q*Ball—the constantly working Q*Ball— he also recently released a video for his upcoming single, “Filling In the Cracks,” while simultaneously releasing “Submarine”, a collaboration with Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist and renowned Jersey boy, Bumblefoot. That track is now available on iTunes. The band that Q*Ball is fronting, Metalblade recording artist Return to Earth, is already writing music for a new CD and once drummer Chris Pennie returns from touring with his band, Coheed and Cambria, Return to Earth will take the stage in 2011! For much more on Return to Earth, log onto returntoearthmusic.com.
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.
Just remember… We are all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the Author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
12/17—Evan Toth and Band/Della Valle/Third Kind—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
12/17—Steve Brown—Arirang Japanese Steakhouse, Mountainside, NJ
12/18—Atom Strange—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
12/18—Belladonna/Black Water Rising/The Zombie Mafia/Hostile Rage/Bone Yard—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
12/18—Christine Martucci Band/C.C. Coletti—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
12.18—Steve Brown and the Fallout—The Grasshopper, Wayne, NJ
12/19—Angel Vivaldi—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
12/19—With Daggers Drawn/Shadows Fall—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
12/22—Steve Brown—The Copper Bottom, Florida, NY
12/26—Gentleman Thieves—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
12/31—Steve Brown—Silk Rock Bar, Clifton, NJ
