My dude Smitty from Zenergy Entertainment recently started working with a very cool band out of Philly called Palaceburn. He asked me to give it a listen and to let him know what I thought. Well, as expected, they’re awesome! I gave a listen to the songs “Believe,” “Your Secret,” “So Gone” and “Breathless” and I have to say singer Meredith Bell is a powerhouse! Wow! After listening to the opening riff of “Breathless,” which has a nice, thick, chunky riff, I wondered how a female vocal would fit into the song. I couldn’t believe what I heard. I stood corrected! Her vocal made that song a song, if that makes any sense whatsoever. In fact, Bell’s voice complements every song that I listened to and they were all heavily riffed. I really enjoyed what I heard from Palaceburn, so far!
According to their bio, Palaceburn was originally known as the Meredith Bell Band, but it was Meredith who quickly realized that music was not something she wanted to pursue by herself. So, she went out and recruited a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, and began working on their 2013 debut EP, The Awakening, which introduced the band to the Philly music scene. With anthemic songs like “So Gone” and the ballad “Trouble,” Palaceburn quickly gained notoriety for their sound, energy on stage and Meredith’s powerful voice. The four-piece act realized they wanted a fuller sound for their music and in 2015, became a five-piece band. Palaceburn went back into the studio, the amazing Architekt Studios in Butler, NJ to be exact, to work on what would become their second EP, Curses. The CD earned Palaceburn the “Local Shots Artist of The Month” on WMMR. Rounding out the band alongside Mererdith are guitarists Darren Makins and JP Miglionico, bassist Michael Marks and drummer Jonah Kazman.
Palaceburn recently added a new, unreleased song to their already strong rotation via their ReverbNation page, Reverbnation.com/Palaceburn, and they plan to release their first full-length CD in early 2017. The plan for them is to tour the Midwest this fall. For more info on Palaceburn, check them out at Facebook.com/Palaceburn.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bros from Negative Sky have been added to some pretty amazing shows to their upcoming schedule. They’ve just been added to the Deftones show at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on August 10 with Refused, and they’ve been added to the E-Town Concrete show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on October 1 with Candiria and All Out War. Those are two huge shows to be added to. Plus, they have their CD, Placid Black, about to drop. Big things happening for Negative Sky! Keep your eyes peeled for these guys. For more on Negative Sky, visit Facebook.com/NegativeSkyNJ.
Speaking of awesome shows, my brothers from Scars Of Envy have one coming up next Friday, August 5, at the Starland Ballroom opening for the legendary Fear Factory. Also performing will be Jenevieve Cruz and the Submissives, my bros from Seas Of Wake, and Me With Creeps. If you haven’t already bought your tickets, you can still get them at a discounted price from Scars Of Envy at ScarsofEnvy.com or from Seas Of Wake at SeasofWake.com. Also, don’t forget to check out the new Seas Of Wake music video “Loners” off of their latest CD, Depth Of The Marrow, only on Facebook.com/SeasofWake.
And finally, while we’re on the topic of cool shows, how about the Common Wealth boys? Christian Carson and his boys will be rocking the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ this Friday night (7/29) with TRAPT and Another Distraction. Then next Friday (8/5), Common Wealth hits The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ opening for Bush and Chevelle with Ropetree. I thought they might be too heavy for this show, but according to Christian, they’re a diverse band and appeal to all crowds. I’ll keep quiet and let him have that one. And if that’s not enough “Wealth,” the boys will be performing The Crusade contest for a chance to perform at this year’s Rock Carnival, the following weekend on August 12 at Game Changer World in Howell, NJ. If you need more info on Common Wealth, visit Facebook.com/CommonWealthNJ.
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:
7/27—Kore Rozzik/Burn Halo—89 North, Patchogue, NY
7/29—6 Prong Paw/Framework/Unkempt Herald/Mikell’s Plot/Paulus Hook/Bullet Train—Al Cibelli’s Restaurant and Bar, Perth Amboy, NJ
7/29—Common Wealth/Another Distraction/TRAPT—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
7/29—6 Prong Paw/Framework/Unkempt Herald/Mikell’s Plot/Paulus Hook/Bullet Train—Al Cibelli’s Restaurant and Bar, Perth Amboy, NJ
7/29—Experiment 34—Asbury Park Yacht Club, Asbury Park, NJ
7/30—Crash NY/Thornes/Ripped—Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
7/31—Seas of Wake/In Dying Arms/My Heart to Fear—Reverb, Reading, PA
7/31—Lucid Terror/Inhumatus/Hellreign/Psilocybe/Yogash Ghoul God—The Belfry, Staten Island, NY
8/2—Brand of Julez/Gemini Syndrome/Stitched Up Heart/9Electric—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
8/5—Common Wealth/Ropetree/Bush/Chevelle—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
8/5—Brand of Julez—NIHIL Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
8/5—Seas of Wake/Fear Factory—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
8/4—Rahway/Sekond Skyn/Robbery Inc.—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
8/6—“Jersey Campfires Productions Presents” Stillphase/Spiral Scar/Phntms/Off The Turnpike/Sinerti—The Boneyard, Atlantic City, NJ
8/6—Brand of Julez—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
8/10—Negative Sky/Refused/Deftones—Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
8/11—Mother/Diablo Royale reunion—Drom, NYC
8/11—Abandoned By Bears/Save The Lost Boys/Southview—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/11—New Day Dawn/Baelfire/Steve Bello/Lita Ford—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
8/13—Nalani and Sarina—Musikfest, Bethlehem, PA
8/13—Seas of Wake/Binary Code/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Patterns of Decay—The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
8/13—Arc’d Angel/Damn Glad/The Primadonnaz/The Dead—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/17—Nalani and Sarina—The Bitter End, NYC
