LIPSTICK AND CIGARETTES—Princeton, NJ
My new bud Jerry Sullivan, who introduced me to the bands Audio Insight and Downcast Theory, has done it again. This week, he asked me to check out this pop power-trio Lipstick And Cigarettes, which could easily be the name of some ‘80s hair band, but nevertheless, these folks were very cool. Their sound was extremely nostalgic of the ‘80s pop-rock era. I loved the bass lines in “White Tie Affair,” “Dangerous Eyes” and “Sleight of Hand,” but the vocals were what made me feel like I was listening to Z100 in 1985 again, which makes Lipstick and Cigarettes very unique on this music scene.
Lipstick And Cigarettes formed in the later part of 2009, but had a rough go in 2010 when their lead guitarist left the band. They considered 2010 a working year, so they spent most of the year reworking the band as a power trio to get themselves back on the right track and work on building an image as well. Lipstick And Cigarettes is made up of Chris Orsi on vocals and guitar, Sarah MacMillan on bass and Erik Cabral on drums.
The band recently released a self-titled, four-song EP that features all three songs that I named above along with a track called “Automatic.” The band plans to spend the rest of 2011 promoting the EP, while adding new material to their live setlist. Give Lipstick and Cigarettes a listen at lipstickandcigarettes.net. You can also log onto theaquarian.com to check out Lipstick And Cigarettes in The Aquarian’s latest Project Greenroom video feature.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Long Island’s Tenpoint will be performing at this year’s Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, NY. The Great South Bay Music Festival is said to be the largest three-day, American-themed music and art festival in Long Island that will feature over 40 musical artists, national and local, on three different stages. The festival will run from Friday, July 15 till Sunday, July 17 with .38 Special headlining the final day. Tenpoint will also be performing on Sunday, and so will my buds Antigone Rising. For tickets to see Tenpoint at the Great South Bay Music Festival, log onto greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com or check them out on myspace.com/tenpointmusic.
Speaking of big local music festivals, my bud, Lisa Riggiola, former promoter of Dexter’s Entertainment Complex in Riverdale, NJ and A’s Rock And Sports Bar in Bergenfield, NJ, has been lining up the second annual Rockin’ The Lake Outdoor Music Festival at the Pompton Lakes, NJ Elks Lodge on Saturday, Aug. 6 from 12 p.m. till 8 p.m. The day will be filled with mainly cover bands like Southern Fury, Slippery When Wet, Fistacuffs, Rock Kandy, Mala and Crackerman, but will be rounded out with original acts like my bros from Our Black Friday, Burning Red Sun and solo artist Billy Magee. There will also be an All-Star Jam, of sorts, featuring Jack Frost from Savatage, Seven Witches, and Lizzy Borden, Mike Lepond from Symphony X and Taz Marazz from Seven Witches. This sounds like a fun day! For more info on the event, send an email to rockinthelake@aol.com.
And finally, I recently heard from the Sixty Miles Down camp with an update. Singer John Mosco said that the band is still recording their long-awaited upcoming CD over at Mike Keonig’s Crystal Studios in Park Ridge, NJ, but the recording process has slowed down due to finances and now the CD release date has been pushed back to the fall or even later. John did say, however, that Sixty Miles Down is currently accepting pre-orders for the new CD through a site called rockethub.com. For $5 you can pre-order a digital download of the 4 brand new songs. There’s also a $10 package, which contains the 14-track CD, which includes the four new songs along with the six songs from their last CD, A New Skin, and a four-song demo from 2000 featuring the original line-up of the band. The four-song demo will not be available anywhere except for this CD package. Pre-order your Sixty Miles Down CD now at rockethub.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:
7/6—Kosmic Daydream—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
7/7—Wildstreet—The Highline Ballroom, NYC
7/7—Audio Insight—Bar East, NYC
7/7—Dead Fish Handshake—The Grape Room, Philadelphia, PA
7/8—Words Away (reunion)/The Wait—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
7/9—Lizzy Borden/Sardonica—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
7/10—Darrow Chemical Company—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
7/15—Dead Fish Handshake—The Cup Complex, Linden, NJ
7/16—Livin—Alphabet Lounge, NYC
7/17—Tenpoint—The Great South Bay Music Festival, Patchogue, NY
7/21—Killcode/Charetta—Irving Plaza, NYC
7/22—The Dirty Pearls/Wildstreet—Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
7/22—Borgo Pass—The Pool House, Bellmore, NY
7/22—BoundAlive—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
7/27—Audio Insight—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
7/28—Sky Picnic—Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
7/29—Will Killmore—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
