YEAR OF THE LOCUST—Bohemia, NY
My bud Matt Ferrara recently sent me a message about a band he’s been working with because he thought the band was right up my alley. Well, he was right! The name of the band is Year Of The Locust from Bohemia, NY, and they’re awesome! I got to hear a few tracks off of the band’s Devolver CD, like “22,” “In Your Corner,” the title track and my favorite track “Rise Up,” and they reminded me a lot of Sevendust. The music is driven by great guitar riffs, thunderous bass and drums and strong vocals. Year Of The Locust is a band to keep an eye out for.
According to their bio, Year Of The Locust only formed a couple of years ago, but they’ve chosen to do things the old fashioned way. Rather than relying on “false accolades and manufactured hype,” the band has taken their energetic and furious live show and stellar songwriting directly to the masses. Year Of The Locust has used extensive touring throughout the country to nurture their ever-growing fan base. They’ve used their new single, “Rise Up,” as a call to arms for the “countless citizens of the world who are no longer willing to sit idly by and have their lives dictated for them.” That sounds like the same thing Sixx:A.M. did for their song “Rise.” In 2015, Year Of The Locust dropped their EP, Home, which earned the band a support slot for legendary guitarist Jake E. Lee and his band The Red Dragon Cartel. Jake E. Lee continues to be a huge supporter of the band, which is comprised of singer and guitarist Scot McGiveron, guitarist Peter Hellers, bassist Fred Serrell and drummer Raeshwan Greene.
Year Of The Locust channeled the support and inspiration they’ve received within the past couple of years and spun it into a brand new full-length album called Devolver, which is now available on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play. This is one solid band with a lot of spunk behind them, and they’re doing it right. They chose not to stick around and play the local scene. They chose to tour with other bands and play around the country. That’s something most local bands don’t understand. For more info on Year Of The Locust, visit YearoftheLocust.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
I recently got a message from my brother, Dave Incognito, about his band Incognito Theory. He told me that the band’s long-awaited CD, Ashes Divide, will finally get released on November 19. As I said in previous columns, this CD features Symphony X bassist Mike LePond, who is Incognito Theory’s new full-time bass player. The band will be celebrating the Ashes Divide release with a CD release show at QXT’s in Newark, NJ on November 19 with Ryder and Endall. For more info, visit Facebook.com/IncognitoTheory.
Next Saturday night, October 22, we’ll see the return of “KoreFest 6” at The Gramercy Theatre in NYC. This is the sixth annual event put on by the band Kore Rozzik and will be hosted by the awesome Tim No. 37 Martinez. The unique thing about this year’s KoreFest is that we’ll see the return of popular NYC band Wildstreet, whom we haven’t seen since 2013. Also performing KoreFest 2016 are Bandita, Symfinity, Sinaro and my bros from Anaka. For more info on KoreFest 2016, visit KoreRozzik.bigcartel.com.
And finally, I know that I mentioned by band Rahway last week, but there are so many cool things happening for the band it needs to be shared. First, two weeks ago, Rahway released their brand new music video for their single “Yesterday” off of the Grand Design EP, which can be viewed at youtu.be/cYndA6CRg7k. Second, Rahway was just entered into a Battle of the Bands to open for Skid Row and Kix at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, NJ. The Battle begins this Thursday night (10/13) at Bally’s Wild West Casino. Come and check the band out in Atlantic City! And third, Rahway heads to Philly the next night (10/14) for SavFest IV. This event will benefit those suffering from Depression and Mental Health Issues and raise Suicide Awareness along with showing support for those who have lost a loved one to depression and suicide. Rahway will be one of the many bands partaking in the two-day event in Philly. For the list of SavFest performers, see the concert calendar below. For more info, visit RahwayBand.com. How’s that for a shameless plug two weeks in a row?
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:
10/13—Malevolent Creation/Incantation/Dying Eyes Of Sloth—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/13—Combichrist/All Hail The Yeti/Panzie*–The Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
10/14—SavFest 2016 (feat. Rahway, BoneDevil, MamaKidd, King’s Chamber)—Whiskey Tango, Philadelphia, PA
10/14—Michael Graves/The Flux Machine/Endall/Rochambeau/Criminal Syndicate/Empire in Descent—Blackthorn 51, Elmhurst, NY
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
10/22—Bandita/Symfinity/Sinaro/Anaka/Kore Rozzik/The Return of Wildstreet—The Gramercy Theatre, NYC
10/27—Puddle of Mudd/Year Of The Locust/New Day Dawn/Knucklebone/Strange Eclipse/ELI – The Band—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
10/28—Puddle of Mudd/Year Of The Locust—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
10/29—Robots and Monsters—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
11/2—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Robots and Monsters/No Kings Among Wolves—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/5—Borgo Pass/John Wilkes Booth/Half Ton Session/Share the Burden—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
11/6—Vajra—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
11/18—Barren—R Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
11/19—Incognito Theory/Ryder/Endall—QXT’s, Newark, NJ
11/20—Old James/Anaka/Metalfier/Diamond Head—The Marlin Room at Webster Hall, NYC
11/23—Buckcherry/Rahway/Brand of Julez—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
11/25—Joe Lynn Turner/Rahway/Fragile Sky—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
