Rob Nardone from the band City Vision recently reached out to me via email to check out his band. So, of course, I did, and I was blown away! The band also features drummer Dar Franks, who some of you might know from his old band Cascadence or from The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. The song that I got to hear, “Falling,” was a bit more electronica than the rock songs I am used to reviewing, but it all worked for me. The song was fantastic! Vocally and musically, it reminded me of Linkin Park, but better!
Rising from the proverbial “ashes” of several successful Jersey rock bands, the duo known as City Vision, featuring Rob Nardone and Dar Franks, have united their talents and vision to create something a bit more alternative, but a tad bit more of electronic rock music. According to their bio, Nardone and Franks, armed with a vintage Korg synthesizer, wrote their first single “Falling,” which has been receiving rave reviews across the board. Not even from myself. The boys from City Vision knew they captured something special when they recorded the song. Their influences for this project are pretty wide in range, which reached from rock contemporaries like U2 and Third Eye Blind to groundbreaking electronic artists like M83 and Kavinsky. The duo actually met many years ago, while they were performing in different music projects dating back to their high school days. As I said earlier, Franks most recently played drums for Cascadence with my pal Johnny Oak, who actually produced and engineered “Falling.” Nardone also had his fair share of performance experience with a career highlight including landing on stage with Bono and U2 for a performance in NJ for over 20,000 in attendance.
City Vision’s debut single “Falling” will certainly make an impact on this music scene, especially because it’s just two guys making all of this noise. I am, however, curious to see how they will be able to pull this off live. I am also curious to hear what the rest of the CD is going to sound like. I will say, “So far, so good!” For more on City Vision, visit cityvisionmusic.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
There’s a great show this Saturday night (10/10) at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ featuring my bros from Killcode with special guests Corevalay, New Day Dawn, Kill Van Kull and Stillphase, featuring the singer from my new band Rahway. Now that Killcode has cornered the NYC market, they’re turning their focus to Jersey. For more info on Killcode, visit Killcode.net.
My brothers from Black Water Rising have been keeping a low profile as of late. I chatted with singer and guitarist Rob Traynor the other day on the phone and he told me the band is in writing mode for their new CD, which they hope to head into the studio to start recording this fall. Rob and the boys from Black Water Rising will be taking these new songs for a spin on Halloween night at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ, where they will be playing with my bros from Lords of Mercy and High Octane. Keep those ears peeled for some new music from Black Water Rising this winter. For more on Black Water Rising, visit blackwaterrising.com.
And finally, I wanted to express how proud I am to know local guitar virtuoso, Angel Vivaldi. He might be one of the most badass guitar players that I know on this NJ/NY music scene and he recently revealed that he is openly gay. I applaud him for having the courage to do so in a world and music scene that can be so judgmental. Working in the entertainment business almost my entire life really opened my mind to the fact that there are gay people in this world, but that doesn’t really change who they are as people. Some of them are the most talented people that I know and I am always proud to call them “friends.” So, here’s to you, Angel, for being you! Angel kicks off his first U.S./Canada tour tonight (10/7) at the Black Bear in Brooklyn, NY and will span across 23 cities. For more on Angel Vivaldi, visit angelvivaldiofficial.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:
10/7—Scott Rocco/Moon Sugar/Newborn—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
10/7—Angel Vivaldi/The Algorithm—Black Bear, Brooklyn, NY
10/9—Scottish Windows/The Winery Dogs—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
10/10—Killcode/Corevalay/New Day Dawn/Kill Van Kull/Stillphase—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
10/10—Don Jamieson/Ocean Of Illusions/Dead Eyes Of Fall/Off The Turnpike/Head Therapy/The Dark Matters/As All Hope Dies/Lunatic Fringe/MDMG—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
10/10—40 Below Summer/DizneyFist/Gravity Well/Me With Creeps/Common Wealth—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
10/10—Dogs of Reason/Tarpit Boogie/OGRE—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
10/11—Psychoprism/Fates Warning—The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
10/11—GENITORTURERS / Voodoo Terror Tribe—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
10/11—Psycoprism/Fates Warning—The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
10/11—Bad Case Of Big Mouth/Save Society/No Lost Cause/A Boy Named John/The Nameless/Silent To Slaughter—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/16—Zire’s War/Barren/Chained to the Dead/Robots and Monsters—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/17—Madame Mayhem/Rabid Assassin/Resistance/ORBYNOT—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/18—The Icarus Account/Jamie Fox/Brian Lowe/Arejay Ella/Chrissie Limos— Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/24—Rebel Revolution/Mach 22/Pavelle/Clashing Plaid/Black Sun Rising—Bull Shooters Saloon, Philadelphia, PA
10/24—Whiplash/Attaker/Legion/The Heist—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/31—Black Water Rising/Lords of Mercy/High Octane—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
11/4—Scottish Windows/Skid Row—Irving Plaza, NYC
11/6—Corevalay—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/7—Sworn Enemy/Robots And Monsters/Hellshot/Juan Bond—The Grand Victory, Brooklyn, NY
11/13—Malvador/The Things They Carried/That of A Lion/Comb The Desert/Enochian—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/20—Saint Caine/Rahway—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
