All I can say is Full Scale Riot are back! After taking some time off, Tim McMurtrie’s hardcore supergroup is back and so is Tim on guitar. For those of you keeping score, my bro Tim, who made his bones as a guitar player for the mighty M.O.D. back in the day, has been spending time lately running The Blue Room in Secaucus, NJ and with his hip-hop/metal act, Murder League All-Stars, which allows Tim to get his rap on. Unfortunately, you just can’t take the hardcore out of him. It’s in there for life!
Full Scale Riot was formed back in 2006 by guitarist Tim McMurtrie and singer BJ Allen right when Tim was fresh from disbanding another one of his popular local rock and rap bands, Rhythm Trip, which also featured one of my Smoke Star brethren guitarist Justin Bondy. Anyway, it was during this time that Tim had tried out and worked with various musicians like Carley Coma of Candiria and Eddie Sutton from Leeway, but when Tim and BJ met through a mutual friend, they formed an instant musical bond and the initial concept for Full Scale Riot was born. Although, Full Scale Riot was Tim and BJ’s baby, the band’s debut EP, Rise, doesn’t feature BJ on vocals. Instead, the vocals were performed by current Generation Kill bassist Rob Moschetti. At the time, the band decided as the songwriting progressed, BJ’s aggressive throaty style didn’t fit the material, and there was an amicable split. After the release of Rise, Full Scale Riot started to get airplay on college radio stations across the country, leading to small weekend tours and several local shows, which led to the entry of bass player and former M.O.D. bandmate and current SHAT and Murder League All-Stars member, Jeff Wood. Unfortunately, Full Scale Riot’s members decided to part ways and pursue other projects. Through the years, Tim and BJ stayed in touch and with “the current state of our nation’s politics and world issues decided that it would be a good time to bring Full Scale Riot back. This time it’s all about aggression and getting back to the roots.” The new lineup consists of BJ back on vocals, Big Tim on guitar, Jeff “F’N” Wood on bass and drummer Evan Rossiter.
Full Scale Riot are set to finally release their second CD, Depopulation, this coming February to kick the New Year off with a punch in the teeth. The CD will be available online and at any upcoming Full Scale Riot show. Catch them live on Jan. 3 at The Blue Room in Secaucus, NJ. Yes, that’s Tim’s place. You can also check them out on Facebook by visiting facebook.com/pages/FULL-SCALE-RIOT/763445683715416.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
A couple of my favorite local bands have combined to create a supergroup of sorts and are calling the project Ronin. The bands that I’m talking about are former members of Scarlet Carson (Stone, Mayhem and Matt) and former members of Statik Silence (Dave Marin and Andrew Roloff) along with drummer Thomas Finch. The boys have been doing some one-off shows performing each other’s songs, but have decided to write their own material together culminating in the band Ronin. The band recently made their live debut opening for Buckcherry at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ before the holidays. You can check them out at weareronin.net. Also, keep your ears peeled in 2015 for a project that singer Dave Marin is working on with yours truly. It’s a really tasty project.
My buds from Corevalay and Civic will be performing at the recently re-opened Maxwell’s Tavern in Hoboken, NJ on Jan. 16. For those of you scratching your heads swearing that you saw Maxwell’s close its doors back in July, you’re not seeing things. In October, Maxwell’s re-opened under Maxwell’s Tavern with new owners and everything. In fact, my bros from Dead Fish Handshake have already played there. So, it’s great to have Maxwell’s back and it’s great to see some familiar faces like Corevalay and Civic performing there. For more on Maxwell’s Tavern and to find out their list of upcoming events, visit maxwellsnj.com.
And finally, my new buds from Nasty Habit have been receiving some amazing feedback for their new music video for their song “Don’t Bring Me Down” off of their latest EP, Desperate Times, Desperate Measures. Word from the band is that the video will be getting an international release, which is some huge news for the band. To be honest, the video takes me back to day where I had no responsibilities. These kids really have that ’80s hair metal thing down to a tee and I’d love to see them succeed at bringing this genre back! Check out their video for “Don’t Bring Me Down” on youtu.be/ynhczrfaDRs and for more on Nasty Habit, visit nastyhabitkills.com.
That’s all for now! And that’s all for 2014! See you all in 2015! 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:
12/31—SYKA—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
1/2/15—Hookers-N-Blow/Don Jamieson/Voodoo Train/Spiral Scar/Flowers To Flames/The Uncommonly Good—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
1/3/15—The Disconnects/The Bullys/Executors/Bible Fiction—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
1/3/15—A Thousand Mothers/Flathead Sky—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/3/15—Full Scale Riot–The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
1/7/15—KoverUp Band/Doghöuse/Mary’s Basement/Hadar Baron—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/9/15—Bound By Substance/Super Gravity—Mercury Lounge, NYC
1/9/15—Ascending From Ashes/Killcode/Long Gone Day/Empire Fallen/New Day Dawn—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/11/15—All New Atmosphere—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/13/15—Tara Elliot and the Red Velvets—The Mercury Lounge, NYC
1/14/14—The Howler Weary/Steve Bello Band/Sam and Margot—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/16/15—Civic/Corevalay—Maxwell’sTavern, Hoboken, NJ
1/17/15—Silent Horror/Darrow Chemical Company/The Cryptkeeper Five—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/17/15—Lower The Veil/Atom Strange/Christian Morelli/Empire Fallen/Jaded Past/Lost Cause/That’s What She Said/McClinton—West Side Bar and Grill, Woodland Park, NJ
1/21/15—SYKA—Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
1/24/15—SYKA—The Bitter End, NYC
