I was recently contacted via Twitter to check out this band out of Hoboken, NJ, who call themselves Midnight Mosaic, and I have to tell you, I still have no verdict on this band—even after listening to a few songs on their site (reverbnation.com/midnightmosaic). I had the opportunity to listen to the songs “Eleventh Hour,” “Sex Soldier,” and “Fear No Audience,” and in always being brutally honest in my column, I felt that the production on their recordings were a little weak. I listened to these songs on a few computers to make sure there was no mistake, but the music on the tracks that I listed above was extremely low while the vocals of A.T. Hunte overpowered all. I couldn’t even tell how strong the riffs were in the songs. The tweet did say, however, that their live show was where they shined, so for now, I’ll give their CD production the benefit of the doubt, which means, I guess I’ll have to see them live.
Midnight Mosaic hit the music scene hard in early 2011 playing over 50 shows within that year in venues spreading across N J, NY, PA, MD, and VA. In their short time together, they found a way to merge elements of rock, soul, hip-hop and funk, to release their debut EP and live recordings. Their influences cover a pretty wide range, spanning from the good time rock of Van Halen to the funk rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the melodies of Incubus, dance appeal of Michael Jackson, and the soul of James Brown. Now, that’s quite an eclectic array of influences! This young band is made up of Hunte, guitarists Trent Carter and Be Reddy, bassist Gil T. Brown, drummer Animal “AJ” Jones, and keyboardist Harrisyn Hartt.
Midnight Mosaic’s live show is said to be somewhat intoxicating from beginning to end, and loaded with high energy and passion that keeps their audiences moving into the wee hours of the morning. Now that’s something that you don’t hear every day from a local band! Anyway, I’m going to have to see their live show before I come up with a verdict on Midnight Mosaic, and you should see it too! To find out where they’re playing next or to hear their music, check out reverbnation.com/midnightmosaic.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boys from BoundAlive recently emailed me their latest single “Relive,” which is available for download on their page (reverbnation.com/boundalive). The song rocks! It’s filled with bone crunching guitar riffs and thunderous drums that make you want to hit replay every time the song ends. Download your copy of “Relive” now or catch them live this Friday night (3/30) at Dingbatz in Clifton with my boys The Plot Thickens.
My bros from the late ‘80s feel-good party band out of Paramus, Trixter, will be releasing their first CD of original material in 20 years via Frontiers Records. That’s right, Trixter is officially back! For the past five years, Trixter’s been playing reunion shows here and there, but their upcoming release nails down their official comeback! The new CD is going to be called New Audio Machine and it’ll hit shelves on April 24 with tour dates to follow. I’ll also have an interview with guitarist and my bro, Steve Brown, in the coming weeks, so be on a lookout for that. For more info on the new Trixter CD, log onto trixterrocks.com.
And finally, another one of my bros, Tom Morrissey from Killcode, recently emailed me yet another new song from the band’s brand new self-titled CD, and I think this song might be the best Killcode song I’ve heard yet. The song is called “Trust” and it features Angelina DelCarmen from Charetta on guest vocals. I’m already a big fan of Angelina’s work with Charetta, but this song that she sings with Tom and Killcode? Wow! You need to check this song out! It’s going to be a hit! Check it out now at soundcloud.com/killcode or buy the Killcode CD now on iTunes! Oh, and by the way, catch my band BlackOcean live this Friday Night (3/30) with Hammer Fight at The Lucky Seven in Keyport, NJ. For more info on that show, log onto reverbnation.com/blackoceanmusic.
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:
3/28—The Vapor Apes/Nikki Sue and The Bad News/CL Sosa and The Bodega/Curbside Hustle —Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/29—Scarlet Carson/Burn Halo—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
3/29—Ashes Of Amber/Shadows Of Dawn/Xenosphere/The Optimist—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/30—BlackOcean/Hammer Fight—The Lucky Seven, Keyport, NJ
3/30—Condition Critical—Warehouse 24, Woodlyn, PA
3/30—BoundAlive/Mindswitch/The Plot Thickens/Motochrist/Sinners—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/31—Going Dark—Paramount Theater, Asbury Park, NJ
3/31—Steve Brown and the Fallout—Blackthorn, Parsippany, NJ
4/1—Amyst/In Other Words/Wolves Amongst Men—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/2—Condition Critical—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
4/4—Structures/The Divine Threshold/From Here To Dawn/Odessa In Ruins—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/4—The Meyer Rossabi Band—Lucille’s in B.B. King’s Blues Club, NYC
4/5—Ghost For Heroes/Through The Flood/Iratetion/Dark Matter—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/6—Dropdown/Reagan Youth/Enemy Of Everyone/Cousin Sleaze/Dichotomy/Carnovoure Breath—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/7—Borgo Pass—Even Flow Bar and Grill, Bay Shore, NY
4/7—Quimera Music/Thy Kingdom Gone/Eternal Essence/Flames Of Fury—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/13—Christine Martucci/The Aster Pheonyx Project—Don’t Tell Mama, NYC
4/13—Merauder/No Holds Barred/G.F.Y./Unite Resist/Bottom Out/Sawed Off/Internal Warfare—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/14—Midnight Mosaic—Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn, NY
4/16—Steve Brown and the Fallout—Sands Casino, Bethlehem, PA
