I recently received an email about a band out of Sparta, NJ, who used to go by the name Something About January. Today, they are calling themselves Deal Casino, and they’re not bad at all. Do they sound like every local band out there? Sure, they do, but they’re not reinventing the wheel here with their music. After listening to a few songs under their former name, I felt a heavy Three Doors Down, 30 Seconds To Mars alternative rock influence in songs like “Perfect Day,” “Hearts In Motion” and “Let It Breathe.” Like I said, it’s not bad. It’s just all too familiar.
The boys from Deal Casino claim that they heavily rely on their classic rock background. To them, it’s a sound that has provided their previous project, Something About January, with originality and innovation, as they were able to combine their influence with their modern rock influences. Once this quartet honed in on their skills and did some major songwriting, they planned on taking over the Tri-State Area by rocking some of the best venues on the scene like The Stone Pony, the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA, and Santos Party House in NYC. Deal Casino currently consists of Joe Parella on guitar and vocals, guitarist Joe Cowell, Jon Rodney on bass and vocals, and Mike Linardi on drums and vocals.
Deal Casino are about to release their first EP under their new name and have some high hopes for this highly anticipated EP. They’re hoping it takes them to the next level in their musical career. From what I heard on a teaser they emailed me, Deal Casino could be well on their way to that next level. For now, you can check them out at facebook.com/somethingaboutjanuary since they don’t have a site up with the new name just yet.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Former Scarlet Carson singer Santino Noir recently released another music video from his debut solo CD, They’ll Never See It Coming. The song is called “Break Me Down,” and it’s perfect for a Z100 summer song. The video was directed by Scott Hansen, who’s known for his work with bands like Whitechapel and Ill Niño. Looks to me like Santino might’ve left one of Central Jersey’s more popular bands, but he doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Check Santino’s new music video for “Break Me Down” at youtu.be/WYiEaouuD10.
The boys from Seas Of Wake have a pretty cool gig coming up next weekend. They’ll be opening for the highly anticipated two-night return of 40 Below Summer at Dingbatz in Clifton next Friday night (4/26). That’s going to be one aggressive weekend! 40 Below Summer are back by popular demand after selling out two nights in Clifton only a few months ago. And yes, that is my bro Derrick Klybash on bass for 40 Below Summer. Derrick was Marc Rizzo’s touring bassist and he was also the guitarist of one my favorite, now defunct, local bands, Hello Eden. Check out 40 Below Summer at 40belowsummer.net and Seas Of Wake at facebook.com/seasofwake.
And finally, my boys BoundAlive return to action this weekend for the first time since parting ways with longtime bassist Jorge Avila. The boys will be unleashing their new bassist, Keith Benicaso, at Dingbatz this Friday night (4/19) with a birthday bash for guitarist Danny Sainovski! Get your asses to this show and give new bassist Benicaso a warm welcome into the band. Check BoundAlive out at reverbnation.com/BoundAlive.
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:
4/18—Suffer Your Fate/Rebel Ink—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/18—Steve Brown—D’Jeets, Shrewsbury, NJ
4/19—Batten Down The Hatches—Ramapo College, Ramapo, NJ
4/19—BoundAlive/Bad Dog Bad—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/19—Steve Brown and the Fallout—Elm Street Grill, Oakland, NJ
4/19—Sweet Cyanide/Kore Rozzik—The Paper Box, Brooklyn, NY
4/19—Atom Strange—Port 41/Tobacco Road, NYC
4/20—Johnny Sidedshow and The Feejee Mermaids/The Unknown/Halfwitted Dogs/Looney Tunes—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/23—Pheroze—Bowery Electric, NYC
4/25—Bound By Substance/Purple Pam and the Flesh Eaters/Crush Of Empires/Race To Dawn/Super Gravity/Metric Halo—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
4/26—End Of An Era—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/26—40 Below Summer/Seas Of Wake/Aurin/Malvador—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/27—Iratetion—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
4/27—40 Below Summer/Julius Seizure/Thanatotic Desire/Pralaya/Ironbound—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/28—Charetta—The Brighton Bar, Long Beach, NJ
5/2—Borgo Pass/Seether—The Emporium, Patchogue, NY
5/2—Tuff—The Rebel Rock Bar, Philadelphia, PA
5/2—Ashes Of Your Enemy/Seas Of Wake/The Doomsday Prophecy/Shadows Of Dawn/Scars Of Envy—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/2—Sanitarius/Fear Factory/Hate Eternal—The Gramercy Theater, NYC
5/3—Warrior Soul/Road Machine/Goon Saloon—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/4—Charetta—Full Cup, Staten Island, NY
5/4—Tuff/Psychoprism/Summers—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/5—Red Lamb/Sinners/Pyramada/InDisguise/Aurin/Operatika/Natural Born Losers—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/10—Queen V/Trailer Park Mafia/Big Hair Daze—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/11—The Rods/Lords Of Mercy/Raven/Anvil/T.T. Quick/Twisted Sister—The Encore, Freehold, NJ
