I think I might’ve found my favorite band of 2012! I am totally obsessed with them, but I can’t take credit for finding them. They kind of landed in my lap! I recently went to see my brother from another mother, Jeff Hardee, perform with his Alice In Chains Tribute band, Facelift, at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, where I got the chance to talk to their longtime guitarist, Mike Suppa, who some might remember that I wrote about a while back regarding his project with my boy John Kosco from Saint Caine and the late Mike Starr, Alice In Chains original bass player. Well, Mike told me about his original project, 5Revolt, as he was really excited about the singer. So, I had to hear what he was talking about, and after hearing the song “Chaos,” I was in love! This kid’s voice was amazing! I had to hear more! So for the past week, I’ve been blasting “The Promise,” “Nothing Kills This Love,” “I’m Alive,” and “Got Your Back” off of the band’s EP, The Promise.
According to their ReverbNation profile, guitarist Mike Suppa originally started 5Revolt as a solo project back in 2008, while he was playing lead guitar for the late Mike Starr. This is where Suppa started working with an extremely talented singer from Seattle named Travis Bracht, formerly of the band Second Coming. The two recorded the song “Got Your Back” with famed producer, Alex Salzman. It was “Got Your Back” that generated much interest for the duo within the industry, ranging from radio to motion pictures, and helping them receive steady rotation on numerous radio stations. Suppa said it was amazing to see Bracht go into the vocal booth and just come up with lyrics, melody, and hook within 15 minutes of hearing the song and then lay down the vocal tracks in one take. He went on to tell me that in all his years of playing, he doesn’t think that he’s ever played with a singer this talented. Producer Salzman has also extended his role in the project to play bass, and in July 2010, the trio collaborated and recorded new material in the secluded hills of Topanga, California. On a break from recording, Suppa and Bracht bought a “map of the stars homes” and went on a journey only to find themselves in front of the house where Sharon Tate was murdered, a conversation about the Manson murders occurred, and the question of how many were convicted in the murder. After Googling their answer of five convicted, the name 5Revolt was born, and they debuted at the legendary Cat Club on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood with former BulletBoys drummer, Jimmy D’Anda on the throne.
In August of 2010, 5Revolt’s song “Chaos” was featured on HBO’s hit series, Entourage. With things looking up for the band, they decided to expand their efforts and show Seattle what they were about and then they brought their show to New York City last February. Suppa and the boys continue to write and record new material, while they prepare to take the show back on the road! You can purchase their EP, The Promise, now on iTunes, or you can give my new favorite band a listen now at reverbnation.com/5revolt.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boy Johnny Oak and his band Cascadence have been invited out as direct support for Faster Pussycat once again. This is Cascadence’s second round of touring with the ‘80s glam Gods! I hope Taime Downe has slimmed down a bit since his appearance last year on VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show! Anyway, props to Cascadence for latching onto a tour! They’ve already passed through these parts, but you can track them on reverbnation.com/cascadence.
Speaking of props for latching on a tour, how about those guys from Astoria’s Eve To Adam? Those guys recently became the main tour support for the upcoming Creed World Tour, where Creed will be performing My Own Prison and Human Clay in its entirety on two different nights. Talk about latching onto a great tour! They definitely deserve it! Those boys really know how to market themselves! Check them out at facebook.com/evetoadam.
And finally, on a sad note, the boys from With Daggers Drawn have parted ways with singer Max Illidge and guitarist Joey D’Amico, who many of you know from 40 Below Summer. It turns out, WDD originals, guitarist Tommy Costello, bassist Ed Schiro, and drummer Greg Telfeian, decided that they needed to go in a new direction with the band. They assured that there were no hard feelings involved and the split was mutual. Max and Joey will be continuing on with a brand new 40 Below Summer CD, while Tommy, Ed, and Greg are now on the hunt for a new vocalist. Their plans are to continue molding With Daggers Drawn around melody and catchy hooks. If you think you have the chops, man or woman, to sing the way they need you to, then you need to contact this talented pool of young lads known as With Daggers Drawn as soon as possible! They can be contacted at WDDband@yahoo.com. If you’d like to hear what you’re getting yourself into, log onto facebook.com/withdaggersdrawn.
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:
3/21—Steve Brown—Willie McBrides, Branchburgh, NJ
3/22—Scarlet Carson/Just A Memory—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
3/22—Geb Zurburg and the Rosewood Players—Northern Soul, Hoboken, NJ
3/22—Steve Brown—Pellegrino’s, North Haledon, NJ
3/23—Dispute to Flames/Empire Fallen/Hollywood Kills/One Brick Down —Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/23—Richie Scarlet/Filter Effect/Kore Rozzik/Bluesfield Drive/Famous Monsters/Demon Boy/Gas NYC—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/23—Lieder—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
3/23—Endall/Rock Rebel Rising/The Amatory Murder/Black Summer/Super Gravity/Twenty30/Last Stand for Lucy/The Mighty Pragmatics—The Delancey, NYC
3/23—Steve Brown and Dennis Zimmer—Sand Bar, Brielle, NJ
3/24—BlackOcean/MeatPlow—The Bridgewater Pub, Bridgeton, NJ
3/24—Steve Brown and the Fallout—Grasshopper on the Green, Morristown, NJ
3/24—Sic Flux/Jaded Past—Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/24—Sleepy Hollow/Explorer/Scars of Envy/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Power Trip—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/24—Mother/Ghosts of Eden—The Gramercy Theater, NYC
3/29—Scarlet Carson/Burn Halo—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
3/30—BlackOcean/Hammer Fight—The Lucky Seven, Keyport, NJ
3/30—Condition Critical—Warehouse 24, Woodlyn, PA
3/31—Going Dark—Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, NJ
3/31—Steve Brown and the Fallout—Blackthorn, Parsippany, NJ
4/2—Condition Critical—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
4/7—Borgo Pass—Even Flow Bar and Grill, Bay Shore, NY
