I was chatting with promoter Diane Lane from Lane Six Entertainment a few weeks ago, and she turned me onto an amazing band from New York City called Tempt. These kids really capture the music and energy I grew up on. They remind me of the kids from Major Crush from Syracuse. In fact, I’d love to see both bands tour together. The only tracks that I was able to listen to off of the band’s debut CD, Runaway, were “Under My Skin,” “The Fight,” and “Use It Or Lose It,” and I loved what I heard. The songs had these big hooks and big harmonies reminiscent of a time when I loved rock music. Diane mentioned that they reminded her of a young Def Leppard, which I can totally hear.
According to their bio, Tempt formed in New York City back in 2013 with an astonishingly young, yet accomplished and energetic lineup. Musically, the band uses contemporary rock as their foundation, but “keep one foot confidently in the past, drawing on the feel good classic rock of the ’80s, lending their music an undeniably retro feel.” This combination of new and old gives Tempt the modern rock feel of Rival Sons and Foo Fighters, while flipping on the switch for their passion of vintage arena rock like Van Halen and Def Leppard. What’s crazy is that I don’t think these kids were around when arena rock was at its height. Then again, they might have been conceived at one of those arena shows. Just sayin’! Tempt is made up of singer Zach Allen, guitarist Harrison Marcello, bassist Max McDonald and drummer Nicholas Burrows.
Tempt does gig locally, but their main focus is writing and recording. Their debut CD, Runaway, was released in June by way of Rock Candy Records featuring the songs I mentioned earlier, and really exhibits Allen’s amazing and energetic vocals beefed up by the large hooks and ripping guitar solos from Marcello, giving you that arena rock feel. These kids are larger than life and they’re right in our backyard of NYC. In an effort to recruit as many believers as possible, Tempt will be hitting the British and European soil later this year, in an attempt to solidify their presence in the music world. The warning shots have been fired here in the Tri-State Area. Keep your eye out for these kids. Visit them at TemptBand.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers from Lower The Veil are still hunting down their axe slinger. The boys have been on the statewide search since the departure of guitarist Chris Siano, who left for the West Coast. To no avail, the band has been on a hiatus as they search, but they did post a new ad on Facebook looking for a guitar player who must be “Straight-Up Rock ‘N’ Roll with gear, image and motivation.” If that is you, then you need to contact the band via their Facebook page, Facebook.com/LowerTheVeil. If you want to give them a listen first, search for them on YouTube.
I know I just mentioned these guys last week regarding the release of their latest EP, Rise of an Empire, but my boys from Ronin just released the new music video for their song “Rise” to go along with the EP’s release. The video was filmed at a recent performance at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ opening for Ill Nino a couple months back. Singer Chino Marin produced the piece and it looks like he might have a career in music videos if the singing thing doesn’t work out for him. The video came out bad ass! Check out the new Ronin video for “Rise” at youtu.be/yBBcTxdFN9I.
And finally, the Brand Of Julez highly anticipated tour with Wayland came to a screeching halt a couple of weeks ago when the band’s van was totaled in an accident, causing the van to flip over several times. According to the post, no other vehicles were involved, but the Brand guys did get tossed around a bit in the van. Singer Julez Zamora was the only band member to be taken to a hospital with a fractured thigh bone. Other than that, the band escaped with some bumps and bruises. Unfortunately, the band has been sidelined due to the loss of their chariot and their lead singer’s damaged leg. Well, unless Dave Grohl wants to lend Julez his throne like he did for Axl Rose. The boys from Brand Of Julez are disappointed about the setback, but they are fighters and will be back soon. Now, they can focus on their upcoming debut CD appropriately titled Forward. Just happy the boys are safe! For more on Brand Of Julez, visit Facebook.com/BrandofJulez.
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:
8/31—Blastaways/The Jersey Panic/Joseph James McCabe—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
8/31—The Ataris/Gary Bender/Matt Fed—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
9/1—Fell Into Yesterday/Morgan’s Mask/Far Out Live—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/2—Ted Poley—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
9/3—Steve Bello Band/Rob Balducci/John Kiernan—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
9/4—Bad Case Of Big Mouth/Common Wealth/Breathing Ashes/Owl Kill/This Years Comeback/At The Interview/Rye Li—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
9/4—United by Hate/Necropia/I am the Trireme—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/8—PANZIE/Cheetah Chrome/Crank County Daredevils—The Bowery Electric, NYC
9/8—As All Hope Dies/Better at Night/Worldsucks—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/9—Norastone/Ender/That of a Lion/Buried Under Ruined Nations/Little Vicious—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/10—Baelfire—U.M.S.F.L. Tattoo for Autism V, Port Monmouth, NJ
9/10—Causticaudio—Frogfest 2016, Parsippany, NJ
9/10—A Gathering of None/Devil in the Belfry/Skunk Daze/Jess O’ Lantern—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/14—The Alex Skolnick Trio—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
9/15—Michael Graves/After the Burn—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/15—Lane Six Entertainment Presents John Waite—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/16—Lyken21/Warhammer/Soul Sworn/ORBYNOT/Eddie Milko Project—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/17—Psychoprism CD Release Party/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Paralysis—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/17—Lane Six Entertainment Presents Eric Martin of Mr. Big—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/18—Fiakra/Midnite Hellion/Lotus Thief/A Sound of Thunder/Sentient Horror—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/22—El Astronauto/Joe Billy/Toranavox/Anatomy of an Outcast/The Definition of Anxiety—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/23—The Queers/Svetlanas/OC45/Triple Deuce/ The Fantastic Plastics/Kyle Trocolla—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/23—Without Reason—Rocky’s Bar and Grill, Rahway, NJ
9/24—MURDER 1—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/27—Crowbar/Mantismass/SkunkDaze/Voidless/White Void—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
