My boys from NYC hard rock band Panzie* will be celebrating the release of their upcoming debut, Love And Blood, with a Halloween CD release party at Mercury Lounge in NYC on Oct. 28. Also performing will be special guests Ten Ton Mojo, The Mighty Pragmatics, The MP Project, Beta Plus Embryo and Ghosts of Eden. For more info, log onto reverbnation.com/panzie.
Speaking NYC bands, congrats go out to North Jersey Notes alumni Wildstreet for earning an opening slot at the kick-off of this year’s Rock Star Energy Drink Uproar Festival in Camden, NJ, a couple of weeks ago. I happened to be at the event and ran into bass player Ali Hassan who was (naturally) surrounded by hot chicks. I had to ask him what was up next for Wildstreet and he told me that they were going to head back into the studio to concentrate on their next CD. He also told me that the band has a possible tour looming to open for Hanoi Rocks singer Michael Monroe. So, it looks like Wildstreet has some big things coming up. You can keep track of them at reverbnation.com/wildstreet.
My Jersey boys from With Daggers Drawn, the band featuring Max Illidge from 40 Below Summer, have finally come up with a name for their upcoming 12-song opus! They’ll be calling the CD Heart Of The Universe, and according to the band, it will be available digitally this fall, but you can buy a physical copy at any upcoming With Daggers Drawn show, like this Friday night, Sept. 16, at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, though I’m not sure if the CD will be available at this show. With Daggers Drawn say that they’ve also already started jamming on three brand new songs that won’t be on Hearts Of The Universe, but their plan is to start tracking the new songs in the coming months so that they can release them as a bonus to the CD. To catch up with all of your With Daggers Drawn news, log onto facebook.com/withdaggersdrawn.
My bro Shottie and his boys Ashes Of Your Enemy just got handed a huge gig at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, tonight, Sept. 14, opening for the all-mighty Sevendust. The best part is that it’s a WRAT Anniversary show, so tickets are only $9.59. You can’t beat that with a stick! Also performing is a band called New Theory. After taking some time off, it seems that Ashes Of Your Enemy is back up and running as a four-piece now. This Sevendust show is actually the second of three shows this week. The third will be at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ, with With Daggers Drawn this Friday night. Shottie told me that Ashes will have a brand new EP out in early 2012, so keep your ears peeled for that one. For more info on Ashes of Your Enemy, log onto reverbnation.com/ashesofyourenemy.
And finally, a couple of weeks ago, Hurricane Irene affected many of us in different ways. I, for one, was lucky enough to escape with just a little water in the basement, but the guy that I interviewed a few weeks ago, former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach didn’t fare so well. It turned out, Baz’s home of 21 years near Red Bank, NJ, was washed away. Sebastian wrote on his Facebook page that the reservoir adjacent to his house overflowed, snapping a bridge in half and sending it right into his garage, knocking the house right off of its foundation. Sebastian went on to say that in his basement, which was flooded, he ended up losing a ton of original Kiss and Skid Row memorabilia that was irreplaceable, and that really saddened him. He was happy that his kids and ex-wife were safe, but he also went on to say that it could’ve been a sign that it was time to move on to greener pastures and leave his New Jersey life in the past. His greener pastures meant moving to Los Angeles like he always wanted to do. After reading this on Facebook, I felt pretty sad for Sebastian, especially with his new CD Kicking And Screaming coming out, this was the last thing he needed, but the thing that I felt worst about, was all the memorabilia that he lost! That just sucks!
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:
9/14—Ashes of Your Enemy/Sevendust—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/16—Sundown Conspiracy/In Disguise/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Seas of Wake—The Meatlocker, Montclair, NJ
9/16—With Daggers Drawn/Angel Vivaldi/Ashes of Your Enemy/Atom Strange—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/16—Dead Fish Handshake/Ed Kowalczyk/Collective Soul—Oak Ridge Park, Clark, NJ
9/16—Our Black Friday/ZO2—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
9/17—Fuel/Hoodless/No More Pain—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/17—IKILLYA/Demilitia/Ashes Within/Krystaleen—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/23—Boundalive—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/23—Borgo Pass—Juggs-N-Strokers, Merrick, NY
9/24—Scarlet Carson CD Release Party/Life Without Warning/The New Black/Jaded Faith/Dive/Set It Free—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/24—Midnight Mosaic—Kenny’s Castaways, NYC
9/29—Borgo Pass—Saint Vitus Bar, Brooklyn, NY
9/30—John Rango (acoustic show)—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
10/1—Thank You Scientest/East of the Wall/Jolly—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
10/2—Kill Devil Hill/Texas Hippie Coalition—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
