My boy Jonnie Rockitt from Panzie* was telling me about a band he was going to see at The Trash Bar in Brooklyn a few weeks ago while I was also heading into the city. Of course, he was urging me to go to Brooklyn to check these cats out, but unfortunately, I was already heading into the city with plans. So, I took it upon myself to give the group he was speaking so highly of a listen. “Wow!” was the only word that can come out of my mouth. Their name is Ten Ton Mojo, and these guys have it! I was only able to hear a few tracks on their ReverbNation page, but you can tell right off the bat that these guys have what rock ‘n’ roll has been missing for the past few years: soul. Songs like “Got The Lights On,” “Pinball Girl” and the slow but bluesy “Come Tomorrow” are so infectious that it is easy to fall in love with this band!
Ten Ton Mojo have been around since 2010, but it seems didn’t really get their “mojo” started until recently. Today, their fans are calling them “easily the best rock band in New York City,” which is a pretty bold statement considering the talent that NYC has been spewing out lately. Though, I may have to agree and say they’re one of the best rock bands in New York City. Singer Ernie Papp’s “whiskey-soaked” vocals, as it says in the band’s bio, might be one of the most soulful rock voices I’ve heard in quite some time. I might make a bold statement right now by saying that he might have the coolest voice in NYC at the moment. I’m not sure why, but he reminds me of Chris Robinson from The Black Crowes. The bluesy guitar riffs of Gabe Mera and Scott Lano are also a strong characteristic to the street-wise sound of Ten Ton Mojo. Rounding out the group is its rhythm section of bassist Fernando Rosario and drummer Paul Kane.
After finalizing their lineup, Ten Ton Mojo would go in and record their debut self-titled CD, where they actually released a 7” single for their song “Pinball Girl.” The track was soon featured in the indie film Pinball Donut Girl. You can catch Ten Ton Mojo live at Dingbatz in Clifton this Friday night (5/31). If not, you can give them a listen at reverbnation.com/tentonmojo. Trust me, it’s worth the listen! You will be hooked!
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Has anyone seen the brand new music video from Seas Of Wake? These guys are absolutely disturbed! First of all, the song punches you in the teeth. The problem is that after you get punched in the teeth, you want to get punched again and again! The song is called “Dying Of Humanity,” and the video depicts a woman literally being hunted by her boyfriend who beats the living crap out of her, only to see a bizarre twist at the end of the video. It’s a great visualization of the song. So, kudos to the boys from Seas Of Wake! Also, I want to wish guitarists Mike Mocerino and Bill Hermann, as well as drummer Rick Montgomery, a speedy recovery. I just found out these three nuts got into a bad motorcycle accident, so we won’t be seeing Seas Of Wake on stage again for another couple of weeks! For now, check out their new music video for “Dying Of Humanity” at youtu.be/uub08HbQawo.
How’s this for great news? My bud Michael “Smitty” Smith and his Zenergy Entertainment just landed a deal to manage Dug Pinnick of King’s X! That is awesome! Smitty, as he’s known on the scene, also manages Sekond Skyn, Ashes Of Your Enemy and Corey Glover from Living Colour. This is a big pick-up for my boy Smitty because Dug is definitely one of the most influential bass players in hard rock and heavy metal. Now, just to be clear, Smitty is not managing King’s X, he’s managing Dug Pinnick and all of his individual endeavors including his new solo CD, Naked. For more on Zenergy Entertainment, log onto zenergyonline.com.
And finally, for some more great news, how about that Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven and Old Bridge Metal Militia reunion show a couple of weekends ago at the Encore Center in Freehold to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy? The sold-out event raised over $40,000 for the victims and was spearheaded by the legendary Jon and Marsha Zazula with a lot of help from my bud Chris Homeny. For those who didn’t make the star-studded event that was emceed by the cast of VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show, you missed performances from Lords Of Mercy, The Rods, Raven, Twisted Sister, Anvil and the reunion of Jersey legends T.T. Quick, with special guest appearances by J.D. from Black Label Society and Dave “The Snake” Sabo from Skid Row. The night was filled with these amazing performers and a slew of raffles, which included an autographed Slayer bass with the very last autograph from the late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman. The night was magical and if you missed it like I did, then you’re kicking yourself in the ass for missing it like I am.
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:
5/29—KILLCODE (acoustic performance)/The Von Frankensteins/Beyond Visible/Circus Life/No Change For Machines/Jackson James/Breakage Rising/Brand Of Julez/When Winter Fell—Tammany Hall, NYC
5/31—Sully Erna/John Kosco—The State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ (rescheduled date)
5/31—Solfire/Casualty/The Erotics/Ten Ton Mojo/The Republik—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/31—Lords Of Mercy/Tom Kiefer—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
5/31—Batten Down the Hatches/Lethal Affection/My Finest Regards/Fight or Flight/Aurin—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
6/1—Lower The Veil/BlackOcean/Audio Machine/Panzie*–Voices Rock Club, Lowell, MA
6/1—Atom Strange—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
6/1—Accelerstors/6 TO 8 Mathmatics/The Royal Dumonts—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/1—Nasty Habit/Forbidden Territory/Syka—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
6/2—Bobaflex/Kore Rozzik/Broken By Chance/Metal Disorder—10th Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
6/2—The Dirty Stayouts/Trailer Park Mafia/Natural Born Losers/Bluesfield Drive/Sinners—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/7—Julius Seizure/The Browning—Championship Bar And Grill, Trenton, NJ
6/8—Charetta (Gotham Rocks 5 Year Anniversary show)—Irving Plaza, NYC
6/8—Vision/Arrogant Response/Ogre—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/8—Meatplow/BlackOcean/Blackmass Mafia/Lifesblood/BlyndSyde—Mojo 13, Wilmington, DE
6/9—Seas Of Wake/Thanatotic Desire/Beyond Dishonor/My Iron Heart/Oceans Of Illusions—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/14—Lower The Veil/BlackOcean/Audio Machine/Panzie*/Scarlet Carson—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/18—The Dirty Pearls—The Mercury Lounge, NYC
6/21—HYNGD/Fuel—The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
6/22—Charetta—Even Flow Bar And Grill, Bayshore, NY
6/22—Long Gone Day/Social Distortion—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
6/28—Kosmic Daydream—Hat City Kitchen, Orange, NJ
6/29—Killcode/Borgo Pass/Mother/Breakage Rising/American Sugar Bitch—Revolution Bar And Music Hall, Amityville, NY
