Back in 2011, I became really good friends with my childhood neighbor’s husband, Roy Brunston, because of our mutual infatuation with Nikki Sixx and Motley Crüe. We had lots in common besides our love for a rock band. Roy also played bass, but the problem, at the time, was that he had no band. Today, Roy has created one of my favorite bands on the North Jersey music scene, Audio Machine.
Around Feb. 2012, Roy had been jamming with some guys that he wasn’t quite sure about when it came to chemistry. He asked me to help him find the right players for his band because he felt that he had written the right music. It just so happened that my old Smoke Star drummer, Chris Manfre, was looking for a band, so I introduced him to Roy and the two fell in love. Roy and Chris had instant chemistry. A few weeks later, I got a call from Roy saying that he needed a guitarist. As luck would have it, my old guitar player from Mean Venus and Sik Twisted Smile, Marcelo Cardosa, who by the way is a wiz on guitar, was seeking a group, and eventually joined in. After months of auditions trying to find a singer following vocalist Dan Gomez’s departure, Audio Machine would finalize their lineup with the addition of singer David Marcus, and what an addition he would be!
Back in August, Audio Machine released their debut EP, Taste Of Sin, which features the songs “Eulogy,” “Hellbent,” and my favorite track, “Bleed Like You,” where Marcus’ raspy vocals remind you of Brent Smith from Shinedown. Only a couple of shows in and already this band has become quite a promising addition to the music scene. It’s great to see pieces of my past all in one group (I tried to get them to call the band Chigger, but that just didn’t seem to fly). If you haven’t heard these guys after I’ve been trumping them up for weeks, then you better get on over to reverbnation.com/audiomachine now to give them a listen.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
I just received an email that Jimmy Gnecco and his band, Ours, will be returning to Maxwell’s in Hoboken on Oct. 28. It’s always great to see Jimmy back in the area. The last time that I actually saw him perform live was an impromptu live audition for Velvet Revolver, but apparently Jimmy and Ours have been on tour this whole summer opening for England rocker Peter Murphy. If you haven’t seen Ridgefield Park’s Jimmy Gnecco perform live yet, then you need to get your ass to this show! Check them out now at ours.net.
My boy J.V. Bastard and his band Darrow Chemical Company have released a new EP, Lone Star State, which features the title-track, “Hey Girl,” and “Knowledge,” a cover song from the band Operation Ivy. Here’s the best part; the EP is only $5 on bigcartel.com. These songs are nasty, but that shouldn’t be a surprise! Check out Darrow Chemical Company now at facebook.com/darrowchemicalcompany.
And finally, has anyone seen the music video from Julius Seizure for their song “OxyGen(eration)?” The song kicks you in the ass and leaves you for dead, but I’m not really sure about the concept of their video. It just seems like one big party! Was the song about a generation of Oxycontin addiction? Either way, the song kicked ass and guitarist Steve Toth is absolutely amazing! Check out Julius Seizure at facebook.com/juliusseizureband.
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:
9/26—Steve Brown—Grasshopper Off The Green, Morristown, NJ
9/27—Battlecross/The Doomsday Prophecy/Ashes Of Your Enemy/Watchworks—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/28—Life Without Warning/Dead Fish Handshake/Saving Abel—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/28—Steve Brown and Dennis Zimmer—The Sand Bar, Brielle, NJ
9/29—Syka/Darkness Descends—Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ
9/29—Knucklebone/Trixter—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/29—Monstrocity/Abacinate/Fit For An Autopsy/Dysentery/Hivesmasher/Cognitive/Augment/Carnavarice Breath—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/29—The Steve Bello Band—Brighton Bar, Long Banch, NJ
9/29—Steve Brown—Grasshopper Also, Carlstadt, NJ
9/30—Watchworks/Mystic Haze/Powerman 5000—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/30—The John Rango Band—Elks Lodge, Pompton Lakes, NJ
10/4—Shadows Of Dawn/Dichotomy/Sanatarius/Tenth Hour/I Am Trireme/Afterthreat/Shake That Bear—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/4—Apathy—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
10/5—The Tattoo Rebellion—The Delancey, NYC
10/5—Pool Of Thorns/InDisguise—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
10/5—Murphy’s Law—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/6—Lords Of Mercy/Accept—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
10/6—Ripface Invasion—No Quarter, Brooklyn, NY
10/6—Watchworks—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
10/7—Madball—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/12—Steve Brown—The Orange Lantern, Paramus, NJ
10/12—Dead Fish Handshake—Architekt, Butler, NJ
10/12—Lower The Veil—The Strand Theater, Lakewood, NJ
10/13—Saint Caine—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/13—Julius Seizure—Marz Bar and Grille, Phillipsburg, NJ
10/18—Thanatotic Desire/Stabbing Eden/Abraxas—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/26—BoundAlive/Judge The Fallen/Scars Of Envy/Welcome Burden—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/28—Ours—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
