SKY PICNIC—New York City
I always find it funny how musicians or bands would drop into my life at the weirdest times. For instance, a couple of weeks ago, our floor guy introduced me to his nephew’s band, Metal Gate Mafia. Whenever I mention that I write this column, the musicians seem to come out of the woodwork. Trust me, I love meeting fellow musicians, I just find it funny that sometimes they come out of nowhere, which brings me to this week’s featured band.
The love of my life is going for her Masters, so we went to dinner with one of her classmates one night and his girlfriend was telling me about her sister’s band, Sky Picnic, out of New York City. I told her that I would check her sister’s band out, and after listening to songs like “Hide and Seek,” “The Moons of Jupiter” and “Tea Break,” I have to say that I felt a little stoned. The music of Sky Picnic was so psychedelic that it made me want to smoke up or drop a hit of acid or something. I’m not even kidding! While I was listening to it, I thought that I smelled a joint burning. You got to love psychedelic rock!
Sky Picnic was formed by lead guitarist/singer Chris Sherman and bassist/singer Leah Cinnamon back in 2007. The duo began writing and recording for their 2008 self-released EP, Synesthesia. Drummer Pete Meriwether joined Sky Picnic in October of 2008 to complete the power trio that is still up and running today. Synesthesia helped Sky Picnic receive some national airplay, which lead to a feature on the High Times website. Go figure!
Back in February, Sky Picnic decided to release a four-song EP called The Unkown Regions, with four brand new songs on it. And best of all, they released it for free download only. Then a month later, they released their first full-length CD, Farther In This Fairy Tale, which features the aforementioned “Hide and Seek.” Catch Sky Picnic live this summer! Give them a listen at skypicnicmusic.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
The boys from BoundAlive will finally be celebrating the long-awaited release of their latest CD, Espirit De Corps, with a celebratory performance at the Summer Slam show down at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ on June 10, which is being put on by Tim McMurtrie’s Tripdquad Productionz. Yes, that also means that Tim’s supergroup, Murder League All-Stars, will also be performing. BoundAlive will be playing songs off of Espirit De Corps that night, but they’ll also debut a few brand new songs! For more info on BoundAlive, log onto reverbnation.com/boundalive.
The Compulsions have new music up for free download on bangbangboogaloo.com. Their song, “Groove On,” is one of 11 tracks from 11 bands on Bang Bang Boogaloo’s New York Rock ‘N’ Roll compilation CD, which features some of New York’s coolest unsigned bands. The CD was produced by Bang Bang Boogaloo creator David Pattillo, best known for his work with Alanis Morrissette, Robert Plant, The Black Crowes and the Beastie Boys. To download the album for free, log onto bangbangboogaloo.com. For more news about The Compulsions, log onto reverbnation.com/thecompulsions.
And finally, my bros from Atom Strange were thought to be hanging it up, and calling it quits last November but I recently received an email stating differently. Turns out, the boys from Atom Strange have actually been in the studio recording the follow-up to their CD, Cosmic Disturbance. According to the email, Atom Strange has five songs recorded for their upcoming disc, The Lost Cosmonaut, with more on the way. During their hiatus, Atom Strange has also added bassist Matt Volpe and drummer Vinnie Larocca to their lineup. Look for Atom Strange to hit a stage near you this summer. For all of your Atom Strange news, log onto atomstrange.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 tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!
Just remember: We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
Tim Louie is the author of S**t Happens.
NJN Concert Calendar:
5/25—Steve Brown—The Copper Bottom, Florida, NY
5/25—Spy The Thinker—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/27—Steve Brown and the Falllout—The Blackthorn, Parsippany, NJ
5/28—Steve Brown and the Fallout—The Beachcomber Bar, Seaside Heights, NJ
6/3—Blue Food—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/5—The Dirty Stayouts/The Zombie Mafia—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/9—Incognito and DePalma—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/9—Panzie*/Killcode/Sex Slaves—Blender Theater, NYC
6/9—BoundAlive/Murder League All-Stars/Seas of Wake/Locked/Regalia—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/10—John Rango and Friends—Rebar, Lodi, NJ
6/11—Thank You Scientist—The Canvas Clash, Boonton, NJ
6/11—Dead Fish Handshake—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
6/12—With Daggers Drawn/Otep/Sister Sin/Black Guard—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/18—Sky Picnic—Legion Bar, Brooklyn, NY
