One of the bands I’ve been meaning to write about since performing with my band Rahway up at the Rock ‘N’ Derby in Schagticoke, NY, back in May was actually an amazing solo artist named Frank Palangi. For those of you who didn’t know, I work for a concert promoter for my day job, and Frank has been on a lot of our shows in Upstate New York. So, I finally got to see Frank in action at the Derby since his band went on right before mine, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed with his band. You never know what to expect when it comes to solo acts, but these guys rocked! Frank had charisma and his band had some “songs.” They reminded me of Bobby Mahoney And The Seventh Son from here in Jersey.
According to his bio, back in 2010, fate crossed paths when Frank Palangi handed a demo CD to the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band, Day Of Fire, up at the Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, NY. Singer Josh Brown saw potential and forwarded it over to their producer Rogers Masson, who is best known for his work with Marilyn Manson and Vintage Trouble. Before he knew it, Frank was traveling to Tennessee to record his self-titled debut EP, which Frank says, “grew my sound into the place where it needed to be get to another level.” The EP opened opportunities for Frank when it came to national shows, local gigs, and local radio. Frank’s 2013 EP, I Am Ready, really started to give his band some national exposure.
Frank Palangi’s current independent single, “Break These Chains,” has become a fan favorite, and I’m not going to lie, my favorite as well. The song charted in the top 10 on various Internet radio stations and the live performance version of “Break These Chains” on YouTube gained over 100,000 views within three weeks of its upload. That’s pretty good for an independent unsigned band. Now, the trick is to get the Frank Palangi Band down here to Jersey for some shows. Trust me, he will instantly become a local favorite! For more on Frank Palangi or to beg him to come to Jersey to perform, visit FrankPalangi.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers from Robots And Monsters recently released their latest single, “Signing Off,” off of the band’s upcoming EP, Nothing To Fear Nothing To Fight, which drops on September 2. The song is heavy and aggressive. It’s everything you’d expect to hear from Robots And Monsters. “Signing Off” can be heard on the band’s SoundCloud page, SoundCloud.com/RobotsandMonsters. The boys are also currently accepting pre-orders for Nothing To Fear Nothing To Fight at RobotsandMonsters.net. Catch Robots And Monsters live at Lucky 13 in Brooklyn, NY this Saturday night (8/13) with All Out War.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that my boys from the red-hot Brand Of Julez are hitting the road with the band Wayland, which begins next week, and the boys have taken to Indiegogo to seek help paying for gas, as well as other expenses like eating. Brand Of Julez will be out on the road for about four weeks, so gas will be a necessity. In return for donations, the band is offering things like a personalized “Thank You” video from the road, a signed set list, and a signed Brand Of Julez t-shirt depending on how much you donate. If you’d like to help NYC’s next up-and-coming rock band out, visit indiegogo.com/projects/help-brand-of-julez-on-the-road-rock-metal#/. For more info on Brand Of Julez, visit Facebook.com/BrandofJulez.
And finally, the show you will not want to miss this week is the legendary Runaway, Lita Ford, at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ tomorrow night (8/11) with special guests and my buds, New Day Dawn, Baelfire and Steve Bello. I’m more curious to see how Steve Bello will cope with all the women he’ll be sharing the stage with. For more on this show, visit StarlandBallroom.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:
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
8/11—Dinosaur Eyelids—Highline Ballroom, NYC
8/11—Prophets of Addiction/The Erotics—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
8/12—Islander/XXI/Among Us—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
8/12—Kings of Damnation/Born of Scars/Unrelenting Force/Bloodwork—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/12—The Primadonnaz/Cryptkeeper 5/The Riots/Cardiac—The Boneyard, Atlantic City, NJ
8/12—Mind Riot CD Release Party/The Soul Compound/To The Skies/Roulette—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
8/12—Dinosaur Eyelids—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
8/13—Nalani and Sarina—Musikfest, Bethlehem, PA
8/13—Robots And Monsters/All Out War—Lucky 13, Brooklyn, NY
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 Flowers/Cardiac—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/13—The Dirty Pearls/Thornes/Raftree/Anthems For Autumn/Empire Fallen—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
8/14—Abandoned by Bears/Save the Lost Boys/Southview/Owl Kill/Map of Rome/Kings Without Crowns/The Law Abiding Citizens—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
8/17—Windfaerer/Eikthyrnir/Xenophile/Fiakra/Galare—Meatlocker, Montclair, NJ
8/17—Nalani and Sarina—The Bitter End, NYC
8/18—Darren Deicide/Jauncey/Silo/The Poison Apples/Entierralos—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/20—Negative Sky/Scars of Envy—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
8/20—Eternal Black/Tarpit Boogie/Doperider/Heavy Coughin’/Deth Kaktus—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/21—Eels Of Love/Triple Scoop/Canopy Veil/Planetary Alignment/Replicant/Sycarian/Sleepless Empire—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/23—Negative Sky—Webster Hall, NYC
8/26—Serious Matters/The High School Superstars/Albino Woodchucks—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
