SHADOWPLAY—Mount Laurel, NJ
Kenny Colgate from Romulus X Records seems to be really beefing up his roster, as of late. He already has InDisguise, Voodoo Terror Tribe and Sundown Conspiracy, but now he can add Mount Laurel’s Shadowplay to his growing list of Jersey bands. I was recently contacted by singer Andrew Corkery to check out the band, but little did he know, I was already keeping an eye on them.
Tracks worth mentioning off of the band’s ReverbNation page include my favorite song, “Ghost Train,” “Autumn Sky” and “Ides Of March.” Singer Andrew Corkery had a straightforward rock ‘n’ roll voice with no frills added. This kid is no joke. He can sing!
Shadowplay formed back in 2006 when singer Andrew Corkery and lead guitarist Dan Holden were just talentless middle school students with a crazy notion of putting a band together. From what I’m told, they didn’t really want to do it to play music; they just wanted to be rock stars to get all the pussy! All kidding aside, Andrew and Dan knew that they wanted to make this their full-time job, and through the years, they took their lumps, but they also knew that they needed to surround themselves with musicians who had the same drive as them. Guitarist George Legatos joined the band in 2007, bassist John Sellers in 2008, and in 2009, drummer Tim Bear completed the lineup, and Shadowplay has not looked back!
Shadowplay entered the studio to record their first five songs that would later become their self-titled EP. The songs are not bad for a bunch of kids fresh out of high school. Shadowplay has a pretty promising career in this business, as long as they keep writing and playing gigs to keep their name fresh in the minds of anyone who will listen. Check them out for yourself at shadowplayrocknroll.com or catch them live at The Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ, this Friday night, Jan. 13.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bro, and local guitar hero, Steve Bello just announced that he will be performing at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, on Feb. 4, opening for Uli Roth and Leslie West. These guys are his guitar heroes and he could not pass up the slot. For ticket info to this event, hit Steve up on his Facebook page, facebook.com/stevebello,
Speaking of special gigs, my bros from Panzie* just landed a great gig at The Bowery Electric on Jan. 29, opening for the legendary L.A. Guns. Unfortunately, not the Tracii Guns version of the band, but the Phil Lewis and Steve Riley version, which will be making their first NYC appearance in several years. The night will also be a celebration of Panzie* singer Johnny Hawaiian’s birthday! For more info on this rock ‘n’ roll party, log onto facebook.com/PanZRocknRoll, and don’t forget to pick up Panzie*’s debut CD, Love and Blood.
And finally, my boys The Compulsions will be taking part of an amazing show at The Mercury Lounge in NYC on Jan. 27 with fellow NYC heavy hitters Killcode, Star Killer, Stoned Fire and Vajra. What a lineup! For more info on this amazing show, log onto facebook.com/thecompulsions, where you can also download the band’s latest single, “Ea$y Money,” for free.
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:
1/11—Sanitarius/Sanctuary—Gramercy Theatre, NYC
1/12—Shadowplay—Sweeney’s Saloon, Philadelphia, PA
1/13—Darkness Descends—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/13—Evil Eye Pandas/This Dark Day/Jaded Past/Imbolg—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
1/13—Shadowplay—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
1/14—Monster Magnet/Black Ocean/Life Without Warning/Lords of Mercy/Ladykiller—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
1/14—Darkness Descends—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/14—Filter Effect—Sherman Theater, Stroudsburg, PA
1/14—Blue Food/Urban Sun/20 Ton Bridge—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/14—Don Ryan/No Grave Like the Sea/Yonkersville Marching Society—Matchless, Brooklyn, NY
1/14—Rahway—Dock Street, Staten Island, NY
1/15—Shadowplay—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
1/19—Shadowplay—Sweeney’s Saloon, Philadelphia, PA
1/19—Lieder—The Whiskey Bar, Hoboken, NJ
1/19—Lionel Pryor—The Studio @ Webster Hall, NYC
1/20—Whiplash—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/21—Filter Effect—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
1/21—Christine Ohlman and Rebel Montez/The Great Fraud—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
1/21—Lionel Pryor—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/27—Mother—The Bitter End, NYC
1/27—Killcode/The Compulsions/Star Killer/Stoned Fire/Vajra—Mercury Lounge, NYC
1/28—Aurin—The Pavillion Lounge, Budd Lake, NJ
1/28—Friends of Bill Wilson—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
1/29—Panzie*/L.A. Guns/The Mighty Pragmatics/Suicide Boulevard—The Bowery Electric, NYC
1/29—Mother—World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
