Wednesday is once again upon us. Every week it is a pleasure to bring you local music that is on my radar. I love hearing your feedback, so please continue to send it my way. As of late, one of my biggest assets has been networking with other bands, and what I mean by this is, I check out other local band social media pages to see what acts they are into. There are so many bands out there that I would not know about if it wasn’t for the local music scene. And that is why I stress the importance of bands making relationships with their local towns, venues, and other groups in the area for self-promotion. I have been doing a lot of this over the past few weeks, and now I have another local band on my radar because of another act named Only Living Boy. I have featured Only Living Boy many times in this column, and have given them the credit that they deserve. This week, I’m going to write about a band that recently played a show with Only Living Boy. You may already know about them, but I am a new fan. You know what they say, better late than never. I’m referring to a band that goes by the name of Ordinary Decent Folk. Now, before I get into what they are about, how amazing their sound is and how you should go see them live, I want to focus for a second on their band name. It seems nowadays there aren’t many ordinary decent folk, so it’s nice to see a ray of sunshine coming in.
Ordinary Decent Folk are an alternative rock band from Sussex County, New Jersey. I find more and more that there are a lot of bands coming out of this area, but there must be something in the water out there. Sussex County tends to breed a lot of talent and I can say that hands-on, Brad featured dozens of bands from that area. However, this band tends to make it to the top of my list. Members of this band include Ben Glaubman, Vin Picone, Rich Samartin, and Jon Petry. Their music makes you want to get up and jam, and the first song I checked out is called “CryMe.” I love the lyrics on this track. Even though the music is so good you may tend not to even notice the lyrics at first, try to. They are very deep and meaningful. In my opinion, good songs are based on all-around talent. This band showcases here that they are not only extremely talented on their instruments, but they can write some good tunes as well. I also love “Cut The Grain,” which is completely different from “CryMe.” Again, it hit home on this one, and I love every second of it from beginning to end. It’s a slower tempo, almost a song that you want to dance to at a wedding. I really love the guitars on this track as well, and the lyrical tone is smooth as silk. It has the “whiskey soaked” feeling that makes you want to go to a blues club.
While you are checking out their sound, also take a listen to “Mr. Mean.” I think this could be an anthem for many people, without being a mainstream radio smash. Trust me, I mean this in the best way possible. The songwriting is amazing, and I would love to hear more from their discography at any given moment. If they are this talented on recording, I can only imagine how talented their live show must be. I can guarantee it next time they play around these parts, I will be in the front row singing every word. They play shows all around the area, so be sure to keep an eye out when you can catch their set, and tell them I sent you. Want to learn more about them? Check out their tunes, schedule, and more over on their Facebook page. Although these guys may be very decent folk, I can assure you that there is nothing ordinary here about them or their sound. If anything, they are a breath of fresh air in the alternative rock market. They may just make music for fun, but hobby or not, these guys have serious talent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it took them further than they expected.
Once again, I found out about another awesome local band from another just as awesome local band! It’s so important to support one another, since word of mouth can really take you far! So many people out there don’t have our backs in the local market, so any time we can join a show lineup, hop on a record, or even co-promote on a flyer, it will benefit you more than you know. I will be back next week with another local to tickle your fancy. In the meantime, keep sending on over your tunes so I can help put you in the spotlight where you belong. Go follow Ordinary Decent Folk and add them to your discography, for you will fall in love in no time. Until next week, my friends, cheers!
