One of my favorite bass players on the scene, mainly known to the rest of us as just AJ, recently reached out about this new project he’s been a part of. The name of the band is Corevalay. And since AJ has been one of my bass brothers for so many years, I was curious as to why he was so excited, and after giving Corevalay a listen, I too am now excited about the project! These guys were not only awesome, but singer Phil Barbetta’s voice is a goldmine! I could listen to the song “Drowning” all day long. I’m not just saying this because AJ is brother; this is a band I would actually listen to more than a few times. They were that good! Some other songs that were noteworthy include “Worthless,” “Say Goodbye” and “This Beautiful Ride.”
Corevalay are quickly making a name for themselves on this music scene with their diverse mix of hard rock, metal, pop and hip-hop influences. According to their bio, the band was formed by guitarist and vocalist Gerald Vitale back in 2012, but Corevalay’s story is a pretty unique one. After a jam and record session with drummer Mike Dawson, Vitale challenged himself musically with different styles of music, which led him to singer Phil Barbetta, whom he discovered through an online ad. Rising to the challenge of fronting a budding new band was really no problem for the singer, whose own adversity is an inspiration to anyone who has witnessed his performance. You see, Barbetta has been confined to a wheelchair because of a medical condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC), but his strong vocal chops are probably the best that I’ve heard on this scene in a while. Barbetta’s vocal style complemented Vitale’s perfectly and enabled the two to find the sound they were searching for. Soon after uniting, Vitale, Barbetta and Dawson began writing together and soon added guitarist Jason Tremper into the fold to help them finish their first CD, This Beautiful Ride. When the decision to take the band live came up, Corevalay knew that they needed to finalize the lineup with a bass player and they couldn’t have found a better one in bassist AJ, who would round out this power-packed lineup.
Corevalay are only a couple of shows in, but the buzz on the scene is that this band is for real! I actually heard about them before AJ even reached out to me. I was happy to see that he was a part of this, but the music and those vocals really spoke volumes all by themselves. Corevalay releases their debut CD, This Beautiful Ride, this week with a CD release party at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ this Friday night (9/12). Also performing will be my bros from Civic, Gathering After Ashes, and Harvest Falls. This is a great new band with an amazing singer, so get your asses down there to support local music. This is a band that will take off fast, so don’t say I didn’t tell you so. Check Corevalay out at corevalay.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boys from Voodoo Terror Tribe recently shot a brand new music video for their song “Bloodsoaked” off of their latest EP, A Walk In Hell. They filmed the video in Ohio and seemed pretty stoked with the eeriness of the video. After seeing a few photos from video shoot, I’m a little bit curious now too to see what this new video is all about. For more info on Voodoo Terror Tribe, log onto vttrocks.com.
Speaking of new stuff, my new friends in Syka have a new song out. The song is called “Dirty Secrets,” and if you want to give it a listen it can be heard at soundcloud.com/syka/dirty-secrets. Jesyka and her band of misfits are starting to create a buzz on this NY/NJ music scene, so keep your ears and eyes peeled for them. Plus, “Dirty Secrets” rocks, so you’re going to want to check that track out. For more on Syka, log onto facebook.com/sykamusic.
And finally, for those of you who have been missing your dose of John Kosco and Saint Caine, you can catch them doing an acoustic set at this year’s Inked Out Tattoo Convention at the Meadowlands Expo Center in Secaucus, NJ. It’s Mario Barth’s Biggest Tattoo Show On Earth and he invited Saint Caine to perform it since John is a tattoo artist with his own tattoo shop (Sacred Souls Ink Tattoo Studio) and all. They’ll be performing Friday night (9/12) at 8 p.m., just in case you need your dose, plus you get to see some amazing tattoo artwork. For more info on Saint Caine, log onto facebook.com/saintcaine.
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:
9/12—Saint Caine (Acoustic)—Inked Out Tattoo Convention, Meadowlands Expo Center, Secaucus, NJ
9/12— Corevalay/Civic/Gathering After Ashes/Harvest Falls—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/13—Life of Agony—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/13—Goon Saloon/The Dirty Stayouts/Sinners/Ogre/The Unknown/Natural Born/Losers/Jaded Past—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/13—Dead Fish Handshake/Waking Heroes/Syrens Calling/Sins Of Heaven/Woods Of Arden/House Of Thieves—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
9/13—Rory Kelly’s Triple Threat/The Dirty Stayouts/The Battery Electric/Champagne Black—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
9/13—Dissolution From Within/MASS PUNISHMENT/Stagger/Apostrophes/Scars Of Envy/My Iron Heart/Xero Gravity/Negative Sky/False Dementia/The Scribe/Radio Destructor/Lobotomize The Leader/Absit/Vengents/Anticitizen/Mindswitch/Panic—The Washington Theater, Washington, NJ
9/19—Murder League All Stars—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/19—Don Jamieson/The Donner Party/Psychoprism/Dying Eyes Of Sloth/Scars Of Envy/Flowers To Flames/Xero Gravity/Words Never Spoken/Answer Infinity/Oceans Of Exile—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
9/23—Hail The Sun/The Venetia Fair/Stolas/Icarus The Owl/Ingdorf/Brock Landers—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/24—Ascending From Ashes/Chevonne And The Fuzz/Midnight Eternal/Xombie/Harvest Falls—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/24—Brand Of Julez/Unlocking The Truth—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC
9/27—Overkill—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/27—Brand Of Julez/ANAKA—Santos House Party, NYC
9/27—Elected Kings—Pianos, NYC
10/3—Tara Elliot—Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
10/4—HYNGD/Jaded Past—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/10—Methane/Pralaya—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/16—MILLIONAIRES/LANDON TEWERS/Robbie Maxx/Monday Night Bear Claw/Brendan Starr—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/25—Seas Of Wake—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
