A few weeks ago, I went over to Crossroads in Garwood, NJ to witness the debut of a brand new band in North Jersey called Civic. I only knew about these guys because my bass playing brother, Mike Ferreira, plays bass for them. Some of you might remember Mikey from his former groups Trudge and Blinded By Anger, where he earned the name Mikey Trudge. I always loved Mikey’s bass playing and energy on stage, so going to see his new project was a no-brainer for me. The funny thing about Mikey was that he kept on trying to warn me before I went to see Civic live, “It’s not what you’re expecting.” Mike’s past projects were always heavy and full-blown metal. I told him that I didn’t care! I was just happy that he was playing again. To my surprise after receiving the disclaimer, Civic was absolutely awesome! They were tight, melodic, and just a really good alt rock band.

Civic formed only this past fall, which is why I was so surprised at how tight this group was, but I guess when you have the right chemistry, it just flows right out. Well, Civic seem like they have the right chemistry. The lineup features singer Ryan Lauretano, who also played with Mikey in Blinded By Anger, but he also played in a great local band called Protect The Head, guitarist Dennis Kozar, who played in Loss Of Breath, former Ecotone guitarist Dan Teixeira, former Fallen Into Chaos drummer Chris Kozar, and of course, there’s Mikey on bass. Yes, that’s five metalheads playing alt rock! The band spent the majority of the winter writing as many songs that they humanly could and ended up solidifying an alternative rock sound that identifies with a rock audience as well an indie/alternative crowd.

After I witnessed their debut show back in July, Civic headed into Hoboken Recorders to work on their debut CD since they knew they were able to pull it off live. They recently released their first song from those studio sessions in a song called “Surefire,” which is available for free download on ReverbNation. Check it out for yourself and find out where Civic are playing next on reverbnation.com/civic.

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

I just need to get this off my chest really quick. I love how bands decide they’d like to bash me for my honesty about their groups. If you don’t want the truth, then don’t ask for it. There’s one band that I’m speaking about in particular. I publicly stated in this column that I would never mention this band in my column ever again. So, why did it come as a sudden shock to them that they haven’t been included in any of my concert calendar listings? I don’t understand people. I get a nasty email on Facebook from the singer of this band calling me, and I quote, a “dooshbag.” He then proceeded to say, “Who cares? No one reads The Aquarian anymore anyway!” First of all, learn to spell. Secondly, if no one reads us, then why do you care? This is why I choose to promote only the coolest bands in Jersey. Then they bragged about touring the U.S. I hate to break the news to this guy, but been there, done that. It’s not a difficult thing to do, but once the clubs hear how bad the singer is, this will be the last tour for this band guaranteed. Okay, I feel better now.

My boys The Compulsions, featuring Richard Fortus and Frank Ferrer from Guns N’ Roses, Sami Yaffa from Hanoi Rocks and New York Dolls and NYC’s own Rob Carlyle, have been holed up in the studio working on the follow-up to their 2011 release, Beat The Devil. Their latest opus, which is still untitled, will include songs like “Hellbound Babies,” “Silly Li’l Woman” and “House Of Rock,” which was inspired by the recently closed NYC rock club Don Hill’s. Keep your eyes on the new Compulsions CD at thecompulsionsnyc.com.

And finally, the guys from NYC’s Ghosts Of Eden recently released a music video for their hit song “In Motion.” The video is a whacky one focusing on a big wheel race, of all things. You can’t get any nuttier than that. You’ll also catch cameos from characters like Tim “No. 37” Martinez. Check out the video for Ghost Of Eden’s “In Motion” now at youtu.be/cLDnPxpj5LQ.

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:

8/29—Answer Infinity/Ascending From Ashes—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

8/29—Enemy Of Everyone—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

8/31—Kore Rozzik/Flames Of Fury/Forsakken—Blackthorn 51, Elmhurst, NY

9/3—Stardog Champion/What Comes To Life—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

9/5—End Of An Era/Sponge—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

9/6—Killer Dwarves/Modern Superstar/Jaded Past—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

9/6—Beyond Visible—West Side Bar and Grill, Woodland Park, NJ

9/7—Julius Seizure—Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY

9/13—Collapsing From Within/A Gathering Of None/Shadows Of Dawn/Darrow Chemical Company/Seas Of Wake/Darkness Descends—Dingbtaz, Clifton, NJ

9/14—Midnight Mob/Pyramada/Pocketful/ Beyond Visible—Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, NJ

9/14—Dark Matter/The Albatross/Negative Sky/Doomsday Diaries/Gyre/Wool Over Eyes/That Of A Lion/Eye Of Anubis/Half Witted Dogs/Killing The Messenger/Ashes Of Your Enemy/Darkness Descends—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

9/15—Hatebreed/GWAR/Iron Reagan/Dispute To Flames—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

9/19—The Devil In God/Raven/Mpire Of Evil/Midnite Hellion—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

9/20—Thank You Scientist / Ku’on / Mörglbl—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

9/21—Joe Lyn Turner—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

9/21—Neologic/Tarpit Boogie/Morningside Lane—Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ

9/21—Resurrected 1:16/Xero Gravity/44/Brand Of Julez—Sleepy Hollow Restaurant and Pub, West Creek, NJ

10/12—Statik Silence—Architekt Music, Butler, NJ

10/14—Ed Roland from Collective Soul—Trinity UMC, Ewing, NJ

10/18—Audio Empire/Killcode/Long Gone Day/Raftree—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ