A couple of weeks ago, my bro, known on the scene as Zipperhead, reached out to me about a band he was raving about called Buzzard Wagon from New Brunswick, NJ. Zip runs his own promotion company, Zipperhead Productions, and has put on some pretty successful shows out of the Brighton Bar in Long Branch. This Thursday night (3/6), Zipperhead Productions will bring their show to the legendary Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, and Buzzard Wagon are one of the bands featured on this bill. After Zip’s raving, I had to check this group out, and knowing his taste in music, I’m sure I would love them! I gave a listen to a couple of tracks on their website, buzzardwagon.com, and I have to admit that the songs “Shit Outta Luck” and “Hillbilly Hooker” are absolutely awesome! I also couldn’t stop thinking about how these guys need to hook up with my pals The Dirty Stayouts for some shows! They’re so much alike!
Originally starting out back in 2011 as a power trio, Buzzard Wagon formed when singer Chris Gough connected with drummer Chris Pierce, formerly of the band Doc Hopper. Gough, who claims classic country and old-school punk as major musical influences, had a brain scheme to take elements from both genres and fuse them together into “one shit-kicking, monster of a rock ‘n’ roll band with a twist of western flare.” The two Chrises knew they needed band members to make this brain scheme work, so they adopted guitarist Pete Powers from the legendary punk metal band Genocide, and guitarist Lauren “Two Boots” McCoy from the band Blue Fox. Soon after their additions to the band, they decided that they had enough original material to start booking dates and began playing shows at venues like The Stone Pony and The Court Tavern. Rounding out the group these days are new members bassist Katie “Mama” Varga and guitarist Lorraine McGurty. Yes, you read correctly! This band has three guitar players in it! That’s how you know there is no bullshit here.
Buzzard Wagon are currently putting the finishing touches on their debut CD and look to spend their summer vacation on tour. The band is starting to create quite a nice buzz for themselves with their raw, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll, and they don’t seem to be ready to slow down anytime soon. How could they? They only formed in 2011. Keep an eye out for Buzzard Wagon this year! And to The Dirty Stayouts, you need to do some shows with these guys! Check them out at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park this Thursday night (3/6) as part of a Zipperhead Productions showcase. For more info on the band, log onto buzzardwagon.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Congrats to the gang of New Day Dawn, who recently won a battle of the bands in the most unlikely of places (Lancaster, PA) for a North Jersey band, to earn them a slot opening for Sick Puppies, Lacuna Coil, Eyes Set To Kill and Cilver, otherwise known as the Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour. Dawn and her gang rocked the Chameleon Club in Lancaster last Thursday night and showed what North Jersey rock was all about! Check out New Day Dawn now at newdaydawn.info.
I just checked out New Theory’s video for their song “Fathom” off of their new CD, Dark Days. The video is pretty powerful and so is the song. It has that dark almost Tool-feeling to it, but still has that New Theory sound. Singer Steven Miller is absolutely balls-to-the-wall amazing! Check out the video for “Fathom” now at youtu.be/etM58fc0uwc. For more info on how you can get your copy of Dark Days, contact New Theory at facebook.com/newtheorynj.
And finally, just a reminder, this weekend, Cycle Of Pain, featuring JD from Black Label Society, Black Water Rising, Sekond Skyn, Bad Wolf and Flowers To Flames rock The Stone Pony on Saturday night. My band, BlackOcean, was supposed to be on this bill, but won’t be performing due to a personal matter, but this show is still going to rock and should not be missed. For more info on this show, log onto stoneponyonline.com or myspace.com/cycleofpain.
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:
3/6—Against The Grain/Buzzard Wagon/Negative Traction—Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park, NJ
3/8—Cycle Of Pain/Black Water Rising/Sekond Skyn/Bad Wolf/Flowers To Flames—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
3/8—The Dirty Stayouts/Sinners/Sardonica/SMACK formerly DMZ/Skunkdaze/Voodoo Terror Tribe—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/8—Lieder—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
3/8—House Of Thieves/Gathering After Ashes/Words Never Spoken/The Donner Party—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/8—XMORTUS/LICH KING/Condition Critical/Thrashole/Paralysis/Panic/Xenophile—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
3/8—End Of An Era/GENITORTURERS—Brighton Bar, Long Beach, NJ
3/12—SYKA/The Genitorturers—Webster Hall, NYC
3/14—D.R.I./Apathy—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
3/14—Doghouse Swine—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/14—Mother/Tempest City/Midnight Mob/Race to Dawn/Kid Felix—Mercury Lounge, NYC
3/14—Borgo Pass/To The Pain/Terror Garden—Even Flow Bar and Grill, Bayshore, NY
3/15—Stagger/Darkness Descends/Negative Sky/Cyperna/Gyre/Apostasy/ Eye Of Anubis/Julius Seizure/Mass Punishment/Scars Of Envy—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/15—Beyond Fallen—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/21—Sinsanity/Ghosts Of Eden/Crash The Bear/Jolly/One Hundred Thousand/Gathering After Ashes—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/21—Corners Of Sanctuary—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
3/22—JENNCiTY/Santino Noir/Bound By Substance/Eyes Like Cyanide/Srotakin IV/Eyes Of The Sun—Slake, NYC
3/26—Such Gold/Slingshot Dakota/When Thieves Are About/Archie Alone/Puddle Splash—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/29—Xero Gravity/Midnight Hellion—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/29—Steve Bello Band/Ripped—Buddies Tavern, Sayreville, NJ
4/2—Audio Empire/Red Dragon Cartel—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
