I was looking at some of the shows coming up within the next few weeks and I noticed that my bros from Killcode were playing at Santos Party House in NYC on Oct. 2, but with the exception of my bros from Long Gone Day, I wasn’t familiar with the other bands on the bill. So, I decided to check one of them out, and they were pretty good. I’m talking about the band Craving Strange from Amityville, NY. I mean, you can’t get any stranger than that; living in Amityville, that is. Anyway, their songs “Dirty Rock,” “A Life Exceptional” and “Breathe” really drew me in. They were raw rock songs that were commercial enough to be played on rock radio. What I’m trying to say is that these guys were good!
Craving Strange started their music journey together back in 2010 in the lovely Long Island town of Amityville. According to their bio, the band started writing music mixing the aggressiveness of bands like Guns N’ Roses with the pop and melodic sense of Foo Fighters. In 2013, Craving Stranger released two singles, “Angeline” and “Breathe,” which was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Rob Jacobs, who’s known for his work with The Eagles, U2, and Weezer. The two songs garnered the band some successful touring in 2013 and much radio airplay across the country. They’ve even appeared on national TV and have even licensed their music to everything from the Discovery Channel, Fox Sports and NASCAR, to MTV, VH1 and Fuse. Craving Strange is made up of singer and guitarist Jimmy G, guitarist Matt Abbate, bassist Tommy Wendt and drummer Jimi Tassone.
This year, Craving Strange have released their second full-length CD, A Life Exceptional. The CD exhibits the evolution of Craving Strange as a band and their sound. They say it’s the culmination of “experience and lessons learned from four years of touring, writing, living, struggle, loss, success, and opportunity to create a CD that represents their energy, drive, and contagious attitude that life is yours for the taking; never settle, never give in.” Words to live by if you ask me. For more on Craving Strange, log onto cravingstrange.net.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bros from Borgo Pass are in the studio recording some new material, which they hope to have out before the year ends. They also promise many more big shows in the coming months. With any luck, some of these new shows will be in Jersey. If you’re in Long Island this weekend, you can catch Borgo Pass live at Mr. Beery’s in Bethpage, NY on Saturday (9/27). For more info on Borgo Pass, log onto borgopass.com.
My girl Dawn Botti and her band New Day Dawn, which also features my bros, bassist Elo Hernandez and guitarist PJ Angeloni, recently released their brand new music video for their song “You Are My Everything.” The song has a pretty catchy hook. It’s no wonder New Day Dawn are starting to become as popular as they are on the scene. Not only are they gigging constantly, but they’re also putting out good music. Check the new music video out on YouTube at youtu.be/5TPM2AH4yFo. For more info on New Day Dawn, log onto NewDayDawn.info.
And finally, my bro Rob Carlyle from The Compulsions sent me an advanced copy of the band’s upcoming CD, Dirty Fun, and it is awesome! If you remember the days of just dirty New York City rock ‘n’ roll, then you will love this new Compulsions record. Songs like “Hellbound Babies,” “Evil Bastards,” “The Feel” and “Stay Easy” really exhibit the raw, street sound that made bands like Guns N’ Roses so popular. I love it and I think the band will win over some new fans with Dirty Fun. For more on The Compulsions, log onto thecompulsionsnyc.com.
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:
9/24—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
9/25—Mercury Morning—Pianos, NYC
9/26—New Day Dawn/Silvertung/Ten Ton Mojo/Gasmask Maniacs—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/26—Graces Downfall—The Leonard, Scranton, PA
9/27—Overkill—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
9/27—Brand Of Julez/Cracked Alice/ANAKA—Santos House Party, NYC
9/27—Elected Kings—Pianos, NYC
9/27—Borgo Pass—Mr. Beery’s, Bethpage, NY
9/27—Jersey Inc.—Buddies Tavern, Sayreville, NJ
9/27—The Detonators—The Grasshopper Too, Wayne, NJ
10/2—Killcode/Craving Strange/Breakage Rising/Long Gone Day—Santos Party House, NYC
10/3—Tara Elliot—Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
10/4—HYNGD/Jaded Past—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/4—Into The Coven/Revel 9/Archimage/Scars Of Envy/Fear The Masses/Risk All In Life/No Honor Among Thieves/Stagger—Cherry Street Station, Wallingford, CT
10/4—Paralysis/Valence/Wolfcloak/Panic/Endless Lament/Locus Mortis—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
10/10—Methane/Pralaya—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/11—Syka/Lacuna Coil/Devil You Know/Starset—Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park, NY
10/14—Agent Orange—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
10/14—Hookers ‘N’ Blow/Daisy Berkowitz—The Bowery Electric, NYC
10/16—MILLIONAIRES/LANDON TEWERS/Robbie Maxx/Monday Night Bear Claw/Brendan Starr—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/17—Aurin/Voodoo Terror Tribe—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/18—Scars Of Envy/Stagger/Lower The Veil—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
10/24—Lower The Veil/Sekond Skyn—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/24—New Day Dawn/Knucklebone/Blues Field Drive/Half Normal—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
10/25—Seas Of Wake—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
