I recently went to a birthday party for my old guitarist and current Black Water Rising member Dennis Kimak when I ran into former Swear On Your Life bassist Shane Train. I always love spending time talking basses with my bass brothers, but then Shane handed me a CD and said this was his new band, Slam One Down. I have to admit that I was curious because I know Shane is an excellent bass player. So I gave it a listen and it was a far cry from Swear On Your Life. In fact, it was metal, and it was the type of metal that I like to listen to. These guys were awesome! The funny thing is that they’re from Woodcliff Lake, my neck of the woods, and I’ve never heard of them before. I would’ve totally remembered these guys!
According to their bio, Slam One Down originally began in 2005 when guitarist J.R. started writing riffs that would follow him through three different bands. He met singer Bobby Brazen in 2007 when they played together in NYC’s 4 In The Chamber. The duo included all of the elements that influenced them as musicians from thrash metal to metalcore to rock and roll. J.R. and Bobby would recruit the talents of drummer Roach McPoach, who also played in bands like Shot and Dudes Of Doom, and rounding out the group is my bass bro Shane Train, whom they knew from Sicks Deep and the aforementioned SOYL.
In September, Slam One Down released their debut full-length studio CD, Who Really Wants To Live Forever, which features the hard and heavy songs “What I’ve Done,” “Pour One Out,” and my favorite track, “Music, Money, And Girls.” You have to check these guys out if you love metal that punches you in the teeth and walks out of the room! It’s music you can get drunk to and then punch your drinking partner in the face! Check them out now at slamonedown.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My new buds Ripface Invasion recently released a brand new music video for their latest single, “To Not Give In.” According to the band, the song is about how technology has become the best weapon in modern society, and the song is heavy and nasty. The video shows the band performing in what seems to be a bomb shelter, which is pretty cool, but I’m sure has been done before. It was a pretty professionally shot video though. Check it out now on ripfaceinvasion.com.
My girl Sandi Murphy from GoLightly Photography will be exhibiting her rock photos at The Inner Eye Too in Red Bank in the coming weeks. Many of you know Sandi and her work because she’s photographed all of us at one time or another at the Starland Ballroom. Her photos are outstanding and need to be exhibited. She recently came off tour with ‘80s legends Accept as the band’s personal photographer, so big things are happening for her. If you’d like to find out when Sandi’s gallery will be showcased, you can call The Inner Eye Too (yes, the same as the head shop in Montclair) at (732) 224-0100 or check out GoLightly Photography’s Facebook page for the dates.
And finally, to answer all of the questions, emails, and text messages, yes, I have reunited with my South Jersey brothers, BlackOcean, and our first performance back will be on Nov. 10 at Dingbatz, as we celebrate the life of our friend Harry Dullys from NYC’s Fate Strikes Twice. We lost Harry back in late August, and there was no way that I was going to be left off a bill that was set to celebrate memorialize his life. My girl Lindsay Klein from WDHA will be hosting a day full of music from Harry’s friends like his own band, Fate Strikes Twice, with special guests coming up to sing including Vext, Nottingham, Charetta, Woods Of Arden, She Said Fire, Sundown Conspiracy, Seas Of Wake, Black Summer, Lies Beneath, Long Gone Day, Beyond Visible, Mother, and, of course, yours truly. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Harry’s beautiful wife, Donna. For more info on this event, log on at facebook.com/events/114285162053420. And the answer to your questions is “Yes, I’m back!”
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:
10/25—Fever Vein/Bloodwork/Firehaze/blkVampires—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/26—BoundAlive/Judge The Fallen/Scars Of Envy/Welcome Burden—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/27—Lower The Veil/Nuclear Winter/Sick Mind/Metathorax/Ashes Of Amber—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
10/28—Ours—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
10/28—End Of An Era—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
10/31—Steve Brown—Willie McBride’s, Branchburgh, NJ
10/31—The Sex Zombies/Jenevive Cruz/CoCo/The Dentist/Boy Meets Machine—Chico’s House of Jazz, Asbury Park, NJ
11/1—Of Earth—Spike Hill, Brooklyn, NY
11/1—Seas Of Wake/Beyond Visable/Beyond Dishonor/Gyre—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/2—Dead Fish Handshake/Ed Kowalczyk—Bergen PAC, Englewood, NJ
11/2—InDisguise—The Cup Complex, Linden, NJ
11/3—Scarlet Carson/Mother—Village Pub, Lindenhurst, NY
11/3—Steve Brown and the Fallout—The Grasshopper Too, Wayne, NJ
11/4—Borgo Pass/Candlebox—The Emporium, Patchogue, NY
11/10—Harry Dullys Memorial Show (Fate Strikes Twice w/special guests/VEXT/Nottingham/Mother/Woods Of Arden/She Said Fire/Sundown Conspiracy/Seas Of Wake/Black Summer/Lies Beneath/Black Ocean/Long Gone Day/Beyond Visible—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/10—Lieder—The Local 269, NYC
11/11—Straight Line Stitch/Defiler/Dead By Wednesday/PT Grimm—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/13—Dead Fish Handshake—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
11/17—Lieder—Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ
