I am loving these kids from Bergenfield, NJ! The name of the band is The Bunks and the one song that I heard on their Facebook page, facebook.com/thebunks, “Rolling Dolls,” is so lip-smacking good! These kids bleed the blues and are full of soul! Where the hell did they come from? I wanted to hear more, but that was all they posted. Great marketing tactic! The song “Rolling Dolls” had so much energy to it and was catchy as hell! I seriously listened to it five times in a row as I wrote this feature about them. The song is that good! It had a White Stripes feel to it, but by no means sounded like the White Stripes. These kids definitely have something here and based on this one song that I heard, they won’t be free agents for long!
According to their bio, The Bunks formed in the winter of 2014, but before the band was even a twinkle in anyone’s eye, the members of The Bunks were working their tails off cultivating their musicianship. Growing up in North Jersey, singer and guitarist Jozcel, singer and bassist Jon and drummer Jonezci all began studying music at a very young age. After years of playing with each together in various projects, the trio finally realized it was best to rejoin forces and settle down together. Jesus! It sounds like a marriage! They soon realized that no other musician blended as well together as they did and that they had something special. I couldn’t agree more!
The Bunks would craft their own sound “by drawing inspiration from the raw, blues roots of Led Zeppelin while maintaining modern sensibility from the music of today. Broken, distorted guitar tones reminiscent of Jack White mixed with heavy drums inspired by John Bonham combine to create the sound of The Bunks.” I have to admit, these guys have done their homework. They’re young and they’re extremely talented. The way I’m blowing them up, you would think I would know them, but I don’t. These kids are that good! Give them a listen now at facebook.com/TheBunks or catch them live tonight (6/24) at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ with McCalister, Dairy Farmers, Honor Among Thieves and Flammable Animals, or on Sunday, June 28, at Tenth Street Live in Kenilworth, NJ with The Vaughns, Flammable Animals, The Company Kept, The Kava Daphne, and Fiscal Cliff.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My old buddy Ken Raftree of the band Raftree just released the band’s brand new self-titled EP featuring the songs “All The Time,” “Over And Over,” “The Eyes You Hide” and “What I Say.” These songs seriously rock! There are some great vocals here and some really crispy guitar riffs, which is a great recipe for rock ‘n’ roll. The EP’s first single, “What I Say,” was mixed by my bro Stacy O’Dell, known for his work with Killcode and Nasty Habit. Raftree’s self-titled EP is now available on raftreeband.com.
Speaking of new music, I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, my bros from Rahway released their brand new EP Grand Design this week, and this EP is probably the best work I’ve heard from Rahway yet! Grand Design features the songs “High,” “Yesterday,” “Now,” and “Drive Me Crazy.” Trust me when I tell you, these songs really rock! And I’m not trying to blow smoke up their asses because they’re my buds. New singer Nick Hades really adds a new dynamic to the band and the songwriting on this EP has really matured. Unfortunately, with this EP release the band says good-bye to their old friend and bass player, Bobby Paffrath, who played with the Cardenas brothers for almost 30 years. Bobby is moving out of the dirty Jersey and the band will be saying good-bye with a farewell show at The Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ on July 17 with That Metal Show co-host and my bro, Don Jamieson, hosting. For more on Rahway, visit rahwayband.com.
And finally, The Dirty Pearls are back in a big way! Tommy London and crew have been focused on writing some new material and recording them. This past Saturday night, The Dirty ones revealed some of these new songs with their first headlining show at The Gramercy Theatre in NYC in over a year and what a reception they received! It’s almost like they never even took a break! For more info and show dates from The Dirty Pearls, visit thedirtypearls.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:
6/24—McCalister/Dairy Farmers/Honor Among Thieves/Flammable Animals/The Bunks—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/25—Dread/Know Your Enemy—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/26—The Living Deads/Crash Gordon & Debra Dynamite—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/26—Common Wealth/Rise Against/Killswitch Engage/LetLive/Johnny B. Morbid—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
6/27—ANAKA/Brand of Julez/Proxima Control/Tempest City/Unveiled—The Gramercy Theatre, NYC
6/27—Dying Eyes Of Sloth/Whiplash/Blood Feast/Psychoprism/Scars Of Envy/Threatpoint/Apathy/Beyond Fallen/Paralysis/Xero Gravity/Dead City Crown—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/27—End of an Era—The Beach Stage, Seaside Heights, NJ
6/27—The Babys—Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA
6/28—The Vaughns/Flammable Animals/The Company Kept/The Kava Daphne/Fiscal Cliff/The Bunks—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
7/1—Vanessa Milanesi and Val Vallese/Brothers and Sisters/Kevin Hill Organ Trio/Shakey Tables—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
7/1—Diesel America/Texas Hippie Coalition—The Gramercy Theatre, NYC
7/2—Lieder—Northern Soul, Hoboken, NJ
7/3—Atom Strange—The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA
7/8—Folding The Pages/Answer Infinity/Strive/The Clocktown Giants/Low Roads Ghost—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
7/9—Kurt Travis/In Angles/Adventurer/Varsity/Ingdorf—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
7/10—Scars of Envy/36 Crazyfists/The Defiled/First Decree/In This Moment—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
7/11—Bubba Grouch/The Gripes/FLAMMABLE ANIMALS/THE BUNKS/MOTHER PSYCHOSIS—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
7/12—Magus Beast/Korotory/Xenophile/BOOTLEGGER/Sanitarius/Psychoprism/ Invaders/Flotsam and Jetsam/Dead By Wednesday—Blackthorn 51, Elmhurst, NY
7/17—Don Jamieson/Circle Of Insanity/Rahway/Nights Of Malice/Strange Substance/Tilted—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
7/31—Stealing Fame/Brand of Julez/Revel 9—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/1—IKILLYA/Driven Mad/Spectral Voices/Fate Breaks Dawn/Robots and Monsters—Saint Vitus Bar, Brooklyn, NY
8/14—Killcode/Eve to Adam/Cracked Alice—The Bowery Ballroom, NYC
