(Photo by Jeff Crespi)
What do you get when you throw members of Scarlet Carson and Statik Silence into a box and shake them up? You get RONIN! I’m currently working on a side project with singer David Marin and he asked me last week, “When are you going to give my other project, RONIN, some love?” I jokingly answered, “Well, technically, I’m fighting them for your love. Why would I write about the other woman when I want this woman for myself?” Part of me was being serious, but the problem is that it’s hard to ignore the progress that RONIN has made since they made their debut in December opening for Buckcherry at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. With both former bands having pretty decent Jersey followings, it wasn’t hard to pack Starland for their debut show. According to Dave, though, every show has gotten progressively bigger leading to the band recently headlining a night at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. All joking aside, I love the guys in this band and we all have a mutual respect for each other, so I would love to see them succeed.
According to their bio, RONIN was born from the remaining members of Scarlet Carson, Statik Silence formerly Life Without Warning and Red 13. The band’s six musicians were all once part of something that had a name on the scene and collectively have shared the stage with notable acts like Papa Roach, Shinedown, Halestorm, Godsmack, Buckcherry, Sevendust, Saving Abel, and Breaking Benjamin just to name a few. Each member has even heard their own music played on iHeart Radio stations and local Greater Media stations, which is a hard thing to do in this market. With this experience, charisma, and musicianship, RONIN’s members bring their now revitalized efforts above and beyond their past endeavors and pave a road straight down the throat of the record business…or what’s left of it anyway. David’s powerful and melodic vocals are complemented by the melodic, metal and blues guitars of Stone and Matt Stallions and the funky grooves of my bass brother, Mike Mayhem. The member who wasn’t part of either Scarlet or Statik, drummer Thomas Finch, adds dynamic to RONIN with his aggressive, yet perfectly placed accents, bringing a new dimension to the band’s rhythm section. And then there’s another bass brother of mine, Andrew “Rockin’” Rohloff, who has taken on the keys and synthesizer role in this band. He even plays a keytar live!
RONIN currently only has a couple of clips up on all their sites, so I haven’t heard any music fully except for some of the videos from shows they’ve posted, but the clips for “Home” and “Virus” are great pieces of what to expect from this band. Being that I know each member and I know what each is capable of, it’s no surprise that I like these tracks, so far. I can’t wait to hear more. I’ve always been a fan of Dave’s singing and Stone’s guitar playing, so this is a great combination. Catch RONIN live on April 6 at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ for photographer Jeff Crespi’s Birthday Bash. For more info on RONIN, log onto weareronin.net.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My new bud Ryan Chiarella and his band, Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed, recently released a new song called “The Heart Of A Lion” by way of SoundCloud. The song is pretty good! Again, it’s instrumental as Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed seem to be following in the footsteps of a Steve Bello Band or Angel Vivaldi. So, if you’re into this kind of stuff, give Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed a listen at soundcloud.com/ryan-chiarella or for more on the band, visit facebook.com/ryan.chiarella.
My bro Santino Noir, former lead frontman of local faves Scarlet Carson, recently released a new music video for his song “Dangerfield.” Just a warning: the song is not what you would think it would be. Santino has been a hip-hop singer for quite some time now and the song is a long stretch from Scarlet Carson. Though I loved his rock stuff, his hip-hop stuff isn’t too bad. As long as Santino is happy writing and performing the music he’s writing and performing, that’s what’s most important, right? Check out Santino’s new single “Dangerfield” now at facebook.com/OfficialSantinoNoir.
And finally, my bros from NYC’s The Compulsions are finally releasing their long-awaited CD, Dirty Fun, on April 14 and celebrating the release with a CD release party at the Mercury Lounge in NYC with Ten Ton Mojo and The Nuclears. I’ve only heard the song “Evil Bastards” so far and this thing sounds massive. It has such a retro sound, but it really sounds so big! I can’t wait to hear the rest of it. For more on The Compulsions or to find out how you can get in on this CD release party, visit 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:
3/27—BioHazard/Zire’s War/Sword Enemy—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
3/28—Thanantotic Desire—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/3—Reborn Divided/Circuit Of Suns/Beyond Treachery/Midnite Hellion/Bow To The Fallen/Sicada/Centralia—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
4/3—Audio Empire CD Release Party/Reality Suite—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
4/3—End of an Era—The Headliner Night Club, Neptune, NJ
4/4—SYKA/Answer Infinity/Ascending From Ashes/Roulette—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
4/6—RONIN—Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
4/11—The Dirty Pearls/The Autumn Fire/New Day Dawn/Long Gone Day/Raftree Rock—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/14—Ten Ton Mojo/The Compulsions (CD Release Party)/The Nuclears—Mercury Lounge, NYC
4/15—Metalfier/Atom Strange/Michael Schenker—Gramercy Theatre, NYC
4/18—Steve Bello Band—Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
4/18—Ryan Chiarella and The New Breed/Pat Travers Band—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/18—Fear Report/From Below/Cause of Affliction/Purple Pam/Sweet Magma—Gussy’s Bar, Astoria, NY
4/18—Asphalt Green/Gravity Calls/Robots and Monsters/Views Into Vastness—Maxwell’s Tavern, Hoboken, NJ
4/18—Killcode/Adrenaline Mob— Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
4/19—Killcode/Adrenaline Mob—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
4/24—Steve Bello Band—Shortway’s Barn, Hawthorne, NJ
4/25—Ashes of Your Enemy/Shadows of Dawn/Caustic Audio/Me With Creeps—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
4/25—Nights Of Malice/Horseman 5/Negative Traction/Spiral Scar/Division 1.1/Suburban Murder/COMMON WEALTH/They Call Us Death/Kept in the Dark/JNMF/1 Echo 1/Ketosis/Midnight Mob/Flowers To Flames/Kosmic Daydream/Roulette/SKIVER/Pool Of Thorns/angelface/headcase/Breakfast Kids—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
