So, I ran into Ronin guitarist, Stone, a couple of weeks at the Sixx:A.M. show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ and he asked me if I ever got a copy of their CD Rise Of An Empire. I told him that I didn’t yet and that they need to step up their PR on this CD. Yes, I’m talking to you, Chino Marin (singer)! Anyway, I’ve been listening to Rise Of An Empire for the past two days and it is really, really good! The songs “Southern Hospitality,” “Breaking Down,” “Rise” and “Writings On The Wall” are excellently written! I’ve always been a huge fan of Chino as a singer and he really pulls no punches on these songs! They are lights-out awesome! The music is right there and puts them in a league that most local bands can’t reach. I’m seriously not trying to blow smoke up their asses too. This CD deserves some sort of really big distribution, or at the very least more marketing because it’s really good! I’m talking to you, Chino Marin! For more on Ronin, visit WeAreRonin.net.
My brothers from Robots And Monsters recently emailed me a link to give their new CD, Nothing To Fear, Nothing To Fight, a listen. Now, that’s the way you do it, Chino Marin! The CD won’t be released until July, but the boys wanted to know my thoughts. Well, holy crap! From the opening riff of “King Of The World,” I was hooked! The music is aggressive, enraging, and very powerful! My bud, singer Dylan Gadino, sounds like he has a lot to say! I’m not sure why, but they remind me so much of Lamb Of God. I love these guys! Another highlight on the CD for me is the bass-driven “Never Again.” I have to give my bass bro, Bill Bergmann, a little love. For more on Robots And Monsters’ new CD, Nothing To Fear, Nothing To Fight, visit RobotsandMonsters.net, and catch them live this Saturday night (6/11) at Backroom Studios in Rockaway, NJ with Sworn Enemy.
A few weekends ago, I got to share the stage with the boys from Division 1.1 down at Roxy ‘N’ Dukes in Dunellen, NJ for VengeanceFest 2! What an amazing event and singer Rob Middleton and his boys really brought their “A” game into this packed venue. Rob gave me a copy of their latest CD, United We Brawl, and I have to say that these new batch of songs have come a long way from the first Division 1.1 CD I ever listened to. Rob has such a great voice. I can’t wait to hear more from these guys. I was also reminded that night that Rob tried out for my old band Smoke Star many years ago, and he said that I was the one who shot him down. Oops! Sorry, Rob! For more on Division 1.1, visit Division1point1.com.
I just caught up with former Scarlet Carson singer, Santino Noir, since I mentioned his former bandmates in Ronin, and yes, he’s living in L.A. now, but he’s still a Jersey boy. Anyway, Santino told me he’s actually singing in a new band out there, which I was very happy to hear. He said it was a mix between Maroon 5 meets Linkin Park. I’ll keep you posted once I get some music from him. In the meantime, he says he’s directing a movie and working on more of his hip-hop stuff. It’s great to see a Jersey boy doing his thing in L.A. For more on Santino Noir, visit SantinoNoir.com.
And finally, I ran into my bro, John Fattaruso, formerly of Stereomud and Black Water Rising and currently with Zire’s War, a couple of weeks ago up at Rock ‘N’ Derby in Schaghticoke, NY, and I wanted to send a public congrats to him and his new fiancée, Fox 5 News reporter, Juliet Huddy! Juliet was up at the show covering it for Fox 5 News and Johnny was with her and introduced me to her while sharing his good news. She’s a rocker and absolutely awesome! So, congrats to John and Juliet! Keep an eye out for John’s band Zire’s War featuring Joey Z from Life Of Agony by visiting Facebook.com/ZiresWar.
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:
6/10—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
6/11—Barren—The Cup Complex, Linden, NJ
6/11—Drewsif Stalin/The Fine Constant/Save Us From The Archon—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/12—DanFest featuring Stagger/Scars of Envy/New Theory/VSSLS/Circuitry/Ripped—The Headliner Night Club, Neptune, NJ
6/12—Monument of a Memory/The Fallen Prodigy/Ashes of My Regrets/Xenophile/Ocean of Illusions/Refinement/Continuum/Kayotic/Freak of the Day/Reaper’s Solace—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/14—Punky Meadows Record Release Party—B.B. Kings, NYC
6/15—Moon Tooth/A Balance Between/Binary Code/Torrential Downpour/Unkempt Herald—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/15—Jersey Campfire Presents Apollo Under Fire/Dead Fish Handshake/The Clocktown Giants—Roxy N Duke’s, Dunellen, NJ
6/17—Jersey Campfires Presents Arc’d Angel CD Release Party/Rahway/Empire Fallen/Drifting Figures/Collective Man/Prodigal Sons—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/17—The Blessings of this Curse/Seas of Wake/Proletariat/That of a Lion/Reborn Divided/Monument of a Memory/Beyond Dishonor—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/18—The Dirty Pearls/Ten Ton Mojo/Black Satellite/Bobby Mahoney—The Bowery Ballroom, NYC
6/18—Mikell’s Plot/Cory Singer/Section 8/Paulus Hook, Charlie Mac—Brook Arts Center, Bound Brook, NJ
6/18—Fractured Fairytales/Abbey Death/Knuckles And Guns/Sarcophagic/Sys2matik/Ovrl0ad/The Long Losts—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/21—Goodbye Friday/This Is All Now/Vista/Chasing Down Sunset/Flammable Animals/When In Doubt—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/22—Steve Bello/Lynch Mob—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/23—Lynch Mob/Ray Freeman Jr./BurningCold/Station—The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
6/23—Round2Crew/Bad Feelings/Will Jay/Dylan Holland/Zach Matari/Ben Hazlewood/The House On Cliff/Rivers Monroe—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/24—Among Us “Reunion show”/New Day Dawn/The Madeleine Haze!
6/24—Dentist—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
6/25—Ryan Chiarella and The New Breed—Claddagh in Highlands, Highlands, NJ
6/25—Dentist –Berlin, NYC
6/27—Trophy Wives/Sleep On It/Marina City—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
