I thought I featured these guys a while back, but after going back and forth with my old bud and the band’s drummer Danny Lavarco, I’ve never featured these guys, and it’s a shame because they’re North Jersey guys and they’re pretty awesome! I’m talking about the band Ender. Danny reached out to tell me about two projects he’s playing in. The other band, I will feature next week, as I gave Ender a listen first. He asked me to listen to the band’s single “Pieces Of Silver” off of the band’s latest EP, Descolada. The song was heavy, brutal and those drums were thunderous. I don’t know how singer Joey Benducci can speak after he sings like this.
Ender is a metalcore band out of Bergen County who, according to their bio, formed in May 2009. The band wasted no time as they started writing and recording their first demo before they hit the road. After some touring, the band played countless amount shows around Jersey to help create a name for themselves on the music scene. After a lineup change, which brought in singer Joe Benducci, Ender released their first EP, This Is Revenge, by way of Eulogy Recordings in July of 2010. The band would tour non-stop through 2011 on tours they would book themselves since they lacked a manager and booking agent. After a brief stint on “The Devastatour,” Ender decided to take a brief hiatus.
After a few years, Ender decided to reunite and pick up where they basically left off! In 2014, the band released their latest EP, Descolada, which they’ve been promoting since. According to Danny, the band is currently writing new music for their next EP. If you love you metal heavy, you will love Ender. For more info on Ender or to find out where they’re playing next, visit Facebook.com/EnderMetalNJ.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bud PJ Farley, from Trixter, Ra, Lita Ford and just about every cover band in North Jersey, will finally be releasing his debut solo CD, Boutique Sound Frames, next Friday (5/20), featuring the debut single and music video “You’d Stick Out.” The song is killer! PJ emailed me copy of the whole CD, and I have to admit, I loved it! The songs “Sucker Punch,” “Vow,” “Things We Hold Onto” and “Take It Straight” were highlights on the CD. Playing alongside PJ, who’s normally a bassist but playing guitar on this CD, are guitarist and NJ music scene vet, Steve “Maz” Mazza, another staple on the music scene, Cory Pensa on bass, and my bro Dennis Zimmer on drums. Who doesn’t know Dennis? For more on PJ Farley’s debut solo CD, visit PJFarley.net.
One show you won’t want to miss will be this Saturday night (5/14) at Roxy and Duke’s in Dunellen, NJ. It’s time for Vengeance Fest 2: Festimony of Vengeance headlined by Division 1.1 and featuring some bands I’m very familiar with like my band Rahway, my bros Ixion Lux, Ashes Of Your Enemy, Baelfire, Nuse and Midnight Hellion. This is a great lineup and can only be seen in Dunellen, NJ on May 14. For more info, visit RoxyandDukes.com.
And finally, in some upsetting news, my bro Dan Caputo of the band Negative Sky is in need of a medical procedure that he can’t afford. Dan has an illness that is potentially life threatening, and the band’s manager, my brother Smitty, has put together a GoFundMe to help Dan out. If you’d like to donate and get Dan better before Negative Sky opens for Hatebreed with Scars Of Envy at Starland Ballroom in Slayerville, NJ on June 4, visit gofundme.com/2d3pyhzg. Also, look out for the release of Negative Sky’s debut CD, Placid Black, and their single, “Beneath.” For more on Negative Sky, visit Facebook.com/NegativeSkyNJ.
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:
5/11—Zero Distance/Voidless/Benchmark/Midnight Fade—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/12—Kiefer Sutherland/Austin Plaine—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/13—Mikell’s Plot/Brain Freeze/The Accelerators—Kenilworth VFW, Kenilworth, NJ
5/13—Reese Van Riper/Comb The Desert/Jean Pool/PT Grim—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/14—Rahway/Baelfire/Division 1.1/Ixion Lux/Nuse/Midnite Hellion/Ashes of Your Enemy—Roxy and Dukes, Dunellen, NJ
5/18—Five Myles/Mike Daly and The Planets/Fifth Street/Marci Geller—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/20—Seas of Wake CD Release Party/The Blessing of this Curse/That of a Lion/Comb the Desert/EchoLab—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/20—Sebastian Bach/Ripped/Atomic Beauty/Scottish Widows/Santa Cruz—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
5/21—Robots and Monsters—The Fire, Philadelphia, PA
5/21—Starland Battle of the Bands: Concrete God/Another Distraction/The Ones You Forgot/Xenophile/Fun While You Wait/Daniel James and The Loveless/John The Gun/Birds In The Boneyard/Hazeli/My Lonely Heart/Stillwells/Painted Young/To The Skyline—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
5/22—Ill Nino/Bobaflex/Shattered Sun/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Me With Creeps/ANAKA/Aurin/Maggotmouth/Ronin/Throat—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
5/25—Killcode/Eve to Adam/Awaken the Shadow—Marlin Room at Webster Hall, NYC
5/25—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Triple Scoop/Lunatic Fringe/Stereo Jo/Words Never Spoken—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/27—That of a Lion/Buried Under Ruined Nations—Valley View Pub, West Milford, NJ
5/28—Dead Superstar/Scott Stapp—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
6/4—Hatebreed/Negative Sky/Devildriver/Devil you know/Ashes of Your Enemy/Scars of Envy—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
6/10—Without Reason—Butch Kowal’s Tavern, Rahway, NJ
6/10—The Grand Omega/White-Washed Walls/Midnight Fade/Bandita/Monitor—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/11—Bubba Grouch/The Gripes—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
6/11—Sworn Enemy/Robots And Monsters/Fuck It…I Quit/Paralysis—Backroom Studios, Rockaway, NJ
