(Photo by Manny Cabo – cabonoirphotography.com)
So, my bros from The Dirty Stayouts are back at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ this Saturday night (4/4) for Mike Logue’s Birthday Bash. The thing is I’ve never heard of this other band on the bill, but they have a pretty cool name and they’re from lovely Succasunna, NJ. The name of the band is Bubba Grouch, and they have something cool going on musically. They’re definitely a rock band, but their Southern flair is so strong that I want to put them in the country rock category. You know what? Whatever! It is music and it’s good! I listened to “Whiskey Song,” “No Drama” and a song called “That Girl” off of their latest CD, Tin Whiskers, while I wrote this week’s column, and I didn’t have the itch to turn it off once. Trust me, there are some CDs where I listen to 30 seconds and I’m done. Not here!
According to their bio, Bubba Grouch formed back in 2009 when guitarist Jimi Alan and singer Eddie Territo were still members of the local hard rock band, Our Black Friday, featuring my bro Scott Williams. Jimi and Eddie’s chemistry was undeniable and the two quickly became friends and have been writing music together ever since. After their departure from Our Black Friday, the two wrote and recorded more than 20 demos worth of songs. They finally decided that the time was right to put together some quality musicians to bring their music to life. In February 2012, they found those quality musicians in bassist Tim McDermott, guitarist Greg Forgey and drummer Ross Kantor. Bubba Grouch would spend most of 2012 and 2013 rehearsing and refining the songs live before heading into the recording studio to begin work on their debut CD, Tin Whiskers, which was released by way of Soul Tree Records on July 4, 2013. You can’t get any more American than that! In early 2014, bassist Tim McDermott needed to exit the band due to life taking over, and a longtime friend and musical partner of Eddie’s, Jason Miller, agreed to dust off his Rickenbacker and come out of retirement to hold down the bottom end for Bubba Grouch.
Bubba Grouch has since been performing all over New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania promoting their CD Tin Whiskers, which is definitely worth the listen. I was always a fan of Eddie’s voice in Our Black Friday. I honestly didn’t even realize it was him until I read the band’s bio. So, I’m glad to see that Eddie and Jimi are still rocking! Check them out this Saturday (4/4) at Dingbatz with The Dirty Stayouts. For more info on Bubba Grouch, visit bubbagrouch.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
Corey Glover of Living Colour recently played a killer solo set at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, but now it seems the “Cult Of Personality” singer will be teaming up with another amazing musician from that time period for a small regional tour. Corey will be teaming up with King’s X frontman and bassist dUg Pinnick. Now, this should be an interesting matchup. They’ll be hitting the Cutting Room in NYC on May 7, Revolution Music Hall in Amityville, NY on May 9 and at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ on May 15. Corey and dUg will be performing a selection of songs from both of their iconic projects. This could be one of hottest tours this spring. For more info on this show, visit zenergyonline.com.
Speaking of Zenergy Entertainment and The Saint, they, along with Zipperhead Productions, will be presenting the extremely awesome Crobot at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ tomorrow night (4/2) with special guests Only Living Boy and Gran Marquis. Crobot was the only band that I know of that got on high-profiled tours with no label backing, which is amazing! They now have a full-length CD out called Something Supernatural, which is the best way to describe their career right now. For more on this show and Crobot, visit crobotband.com.
And finally, if you’re in Bergen County this Friday night (4/3), stop in at Mexicali Live in Teaneck for Audio Empire’s CD release party with special guests Reality Suite. I heard a few un-mastered tracks off of Audio Empire’s long-awaited full-length CD, and let’s just say AE fans will be more than pleased. The CD really captured the band’s live sound. My favorite song “No Escape,” “Hellbent” and “Bleed Like You” are sure standouts on the CD. AE will be performing the entire CD track for track. For more info on the CD release party, visit audioempireband.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:
4/2—Crobot/Only Living Boy/Gran Marquis—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, 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
4/4—Mike Logue II/The Dirty Stayouts/Bubba Grouch—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/6—RONIN—Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
4/10—The Maension/Half-Witted Dogs/Who Killed Marilyn/The Stuff/The Royal Dumonts—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/11—The Dirty Pearls/The Autumn Fire/New Day Dawn/Long Gone Day/Raftree Rock—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/11—Lower The Veil/Commonwealth/Xero Gravity/End of an Era—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
4/11—Bubba Grouch—The Salem Roadhouse Café, Union, 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
4/22—The Venetia Fair/Icarus The Owl/Que Sera/Misdirect/Damien The Cat/Frogg Party—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/23—Rhino Bucket/Natural Born Losers—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/24—Steve Bello Band—Shortway’s Barn, Hawthorne, NJ
4/25—Fractured Fairytales/Knuckles And Guns/The Succubus Sorority/Abbey Death/Sarcophagic—Dingbatz, Clifton, 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
4/26—Beyond Dishonor/Along Came A Spider/Julius Seizure/From The Depths/That Of A Lion/Searching For Solace/Ashes Of My Regrets—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
