SUNDAY BRAVE—Bloomfield, NJ
I’ve been listening to this band out of Bloomfield, NJ, who remind me a little of the Goo Goo Dolls. They don’t remind me of them as a band, obviously, but musically and songwriting, they are very similar. The name of the band is Sunday Brave and singer KC Gonzalez’s voice is very similar to Johnny Rzeznik’s, where the music has a similar energy about it. Trust me, it’s a good thing! I hold Johnny Rzeznik’s songwriting skills in very high regard. I got to listen to Sunday Brave songs like their latest single “Unbreakable,” “Break Out,” and “Hopeful Voice” off of the band’s 2012 release, Leads To Another, and I really liked these songs. I thought the songwriting was spot on.
According to their bio, the founding members of Sunday Brave—singer and guitarist KC Gonzalez and drummer John Warnet—have known each other for well over 15 years. It was during their long friendship that they had the desire to put KC’s brilliant songwriting ability to good use since they always clicked musically. When the middle of 2011 rolled around, they finally agreed to collaborate and form a band. Amazingly, after only a few auditions, they were able to quickly gather the talent needed to create their vision of the ideal band, and after only four months, the band was in the studio laying down the tracks for their debut CD, Leads To Another. Fast forward to present day, after playing band member musical chairs, KC and John have finalized their lineup with three new powerful and energetic members in bassist Clauzenei Santos, guitarist Marcelo Buby and a girl named Zel on backing vocals.
Sunday Brave’s re-energized sound is a dynamic blend of groove and melody-driven original rock. As I said earlier, the standout in this band is the songwriting. You’ll be humming the hooks long after you leave a show or after listening to their music on Spotify. You can catch Sunday Brave this Saturday at Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant in NYC and at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ on Oct. 19 as part of a Jersey Campfire Presents show. For more info on Sunday Brave, visit SundayBraveNJ.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
It looks like The Dirty Pearls will be taking an “open-ended hiatus” from playing music as a band. According to a post on singer Tommy London’s Facebook page, the band will be taking a break and he will begin work on his first solo CD, which he targets to have out by early 2017. Does this mean we might see guest vocals from Tommy’s buddy, Lady Gaga? I guess we’ll have to wait until early 2017 to see. For more on Tommy London’s debut solo CD, visit Facebook.com/Tommy.London.
My buds from The Clocktown Giants released their debut EP, On A Rope, last week, and I have to tell you, the CD is pretty damn good. The songs “Break Me,” the title track, “Surveillance” and my favorite track, a ballad called “Thank You,” are very well-written songs. I’m not sure why, but in some instances, singer Chris Ferrante reminded me of Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Sal Marrano from Thank You Scientist. There’s some great bass work by bassist Will Davis on these songs as well. If you haven’t already done so, you need to pick up On A Rope from The Clocktown Giants. For more on the band, visit them on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheClocktownGiants.
And finally, my brothers from Piston Driven, especially drummer Scotty O’Ferrall and guitarist Joey “Smokes” Wilkinson, have finally decided to re-release the band’s amazing EP, The Building Of Rock, digitally, after six years since its original release date. This is the EP that featured heavy duty, punch-you-in-the-face rockers like “Hang Loose,” “No Win No Out,” “Harder Than You” and “The Revolt.” These songs have stood the test of time and fit right into whatever is out there today. I actually had the pleasure of learning these songs when the band was looking for a bass player many years ago. These are some great songs! Download your copy from iTunes, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Spotify and wherever you get your music digitally. For more on Piston Driven, visit facebook.com/PistonDriven.
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:
9/14—The Alex Skolnick Trio—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
9/14—Mirror Eyes—The Marlin Room at Webster Hall, NYC
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—Tommy London Presents: Joker Five Speed (reunion)/Ten Ton Mojo/Honor Among Thieves/Royal Skulls—Arlenes Grocery, NYC
9/17—Psychoprism CD Release Party/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Paralysis/Steve Bello Band—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/17—Lane Six Entertainment Presents Eric Martin of Mr. Big/Neil Thomas/Moroccan Sheepheaders/Brian Lowe/Scotty Dunbar/The Autumn Fire/Madison Pisani/Tim Darwin—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
9/17—Sunday Brave—Connolly’s Pub and Restaurant, NYC
9/17—Experiment 34—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
9/18—Fiakra/Midnite Hellion/Lotus Thief/A Sound of Thunder/Sentient Horror—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/21—The Bathwater/The Breakout/Ryan Zimmerman And Catcha Fish/The Fine Line—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, 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—Bound By Substance/Tempest City—The Bowery Ballroom, NYC
9/24—MURDER 1/Corevalay/BigButt —Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/27—Crowbar/Mantismass/SkunkDaze/Voidless/White Void—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
9/30—Rock Carnival Day 1—First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ
9/30—Jane Lee Hooker/The Mimi Nowak Project/The Hey Honeys/The Liza Colby Sound—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
10/1—Rock Carnival Day 2—First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ
10/1—E-Town Concrete/Candiria/All Out War/Negative Sky—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
10/2—Rock Carnival Day 3—First Energy Park, Lakewood, NJ
10/13—Malevolent Creation/Incantation/Dying Eyes Of Sloth—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/14—SavFest 2016 (feat. Rahway, BoneDevil, MamaKidd, King’s Chamber)—Whiskey Tango, Philadelphia, PA
10/15—The Fiendz/I.D.K./Satterthwaite/The Accelerators—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
10/15—SavFest 2016 (feat. Mark Evans of Heaven’s Edge, Morningside Lane, Swampbox, Wretch, Power Theory)—Whiskey Tango, Philadelphia, PA
10/19—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Strive/Sunday Brave/Our Fears—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
10/21—Steve Bello Band—Half-Time Sports Bar, Newark, DE
10/22—The Black Clouds/Will Wood and the Tapeworms/Experiment 34/The Production/Vivi Noir/Gisella Rose/Amanda Zeiher—Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
10/22—Matt O’Ree/Whale Blue Eye/Cosmic American Derelicts—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
