I recently found this cool female-fronted hard rock band out of New York City on Facebook and I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to write about them. I mean, after all, they are from NYC, and everything in NYC is cool! Anyway, I’m talking about the band Thornes. I accidentally stumbled across them on a friend’s page, and after giving them a listen, I wondered how I’ve never heard of them before. So, I logged onto reverbnation.com/antoinettemichaelthornes to give Thornes a listen, and I was blown away with singer Antoinette Michael Thornes’ vocal work on songs like her new track, “Mary,” “Falling Down” and “For Keeps.” All I can say is, “Wow!” But then, as I did my research on Thornes, I discovered a story about Antoinette that was absolutely astonishing! The girl got into a bad accident that almost cost Antoinette her singing abilities. For years, she wrote music for others (but she’d keep some for herself), developing a style that became more and more her own. After defying the odds, Antoinette is now fronting her own band, Thornes. What an amazing story!
Thornes was formed back in October 2010 by Antoinette Michael Thornes, who would kick the project off with the release of her first CD, Issues, which is currently available on iTunes and Amazon. In a short time, Issues started to garner the band much attention, which allowed them to play some of the best venues New York City has to offer. Having a powerful voice, great guitar riffs, solid songwriting and a great stage show really helped build a strong and loyal following for Thornes. Antoinette only wanted to surround herself by some of the best musicians in New York City, so joining her in Thornes is lead guitarist Abel Garcia, bassist Steve Steele and drummer Kevin Roth.
Thornes are currently putting the finishing touches on their new as-yet-untitled CD. The band hopes new fans will keep their ears and eyes peeled for some new music and music videos from them, and they hope to see their current fans at a live venue shortly as they put this new CD in the can. For more on Thornes, log onto facebook.com/ThornesRocks.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Okay, so a few weeks ago, I mentioned that former Scarlet Carson guitarist Tommy Herres is playing with a new band called Gears out of Miami, Florida. Well, on June 5, Tommy brings his new project to our Jersey shores at The Saint in Asbury Park with Audio Empire in tow. You need to check Gears out live. If you can’t make this show, learn more about them at facebook.com/gearsofficial.
My bud Brian Mackey recently released his new single, “America,” which is awesome! It’s not a hard rock or heavy metal song. It’s just a nicely well-crafted song. Brian is an amazing songwriter and “America” is only the first single of what could be many singles off of his new full-length CD, Broken Heartstrings. You can download “America” now via iTunes, Amazon, or you can even hear it on Spotify. For more info on Brian Mackey, log onto brianmackeymusic.com.
And finally, my boys from Killed The Fixtion sent me a message on Facebook a few weeks ago saying that they’re looking to hire a drummer for live shows. If you’re an all-out metal drummer with the chops to keep up with these young lads, contact them right away for an audition because apparently, for the right guy, this is going to be a paying gig! That is very rare when it comes to local bands. If you think you have what it takes, hit them up today at facebook.com/ktfnj.
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:
5/8—Kill Devil Hill/Kyng/Crobot/Sekond Skyn—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
5/9—Saving Abel/Raftree/Sundown Conspiracy/New Day Dawn/Statik Silence/Like A Storm—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/10—Julius Seizure—Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
5/10—Rivera Bomma/Madysin Hatter/Fever Vein—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/10—Charetta/Saving Abel—Mulcahy’s, Wantagh, NY
5/10—The Latanza Heist/Craving Strange/Local Hero/Pocketful/We’re Ghosts Now—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
5/10—Blue Food—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
5/11—Fozzy/Lords Of Mercy/Natural Born Losers/The Zombie Mafia —Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/12—Stages & Stereos/Darling Parade/The Orphan, The Poet/In Our Glory/McCalister/Tried And True—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/14—Traitors/A Wake In Providence/Born A New/Dividing Decades—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/15—SYKA/Anvil—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
5/16—Sekond Skyn/Mesmeria/Division 1.1/Skurge/The 39—Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
5/16—Chevonne And The Fuzz—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/16—Hammer Fight—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
5/17—Long Gone Day/Decypher—EJ’s, Seaside Heights, NJ
5/18—Audio Empire/John Corabi—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
5/23—IKILLYA/Ashes Within—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
5/24—Spider Rockets—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
5/24—Dying Eyes Of Sloth/Psychoprism/Gathering After Ashes/Threatpoint/Earthbound—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/24—Lieder—Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
5/25—The Murder Junkies/Half-Witted Dogs/Buzzard Wagon/Darrow Chemical Co./The Unknown—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/30—Paulie Z—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
5/31—Insubordination/Faction Zero/Social Decay/Enrage/The 8008ies/Jackknife/Automatic 253/Skunkdaze/Last Day/Johnny 2 Strokes/Eli/The Damn Long Hairs—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
5/31—Pralaya/Syka/Stelladeora/Revel 9/Archie Alone/Coversa—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
