ATOMIC BEAUTY—Allendale, NJ
I’ve heard much about these guys, but never got to meet them until they played at the Rock Carnival in Lakewood, NJ a couple of weekends ago. I’m talking about a Bergen County band (can’t get any more North Jersey than Bergen County) who call themselves Atomic Beauty. At artist check-in, guitarist Nick Vallese and singer Vanessa Milanesi walked up to me. Nick certainly had the nostalgic ’80s hairband look down, and on a weekend that boasted ’80s hairbands, he was in the right place. It was great to see that look again. It brought me back to my Studio One days.
According to their bio, Atomic Beauty was formed a couple of years ago by guitarist Nick Vallese and singer Vanessa Milanesi. They’re a no-holds-barred arena-ready rock band, which is something we’re just not used to seeing anymore when it comes to rock bands. Vallese and Milanesi, naturally a creative duo with an energetic stage presence, blend intensity with a powerful knack for songwriting to create what we hear in Atomic Beauty. Vallese displays blinding speed and control of the fretboard, while simultaneously displaying ferocity with his on-stage energy. Then there’s Milanesi, an equally theatrical frontwoman whose voice and charm are the spark behind Atomic Beauty’s live shows. Rounding out Atomic Beauty is drummer Nick Van Leer and bassist Jake Miller. Together on stage, this quartet is said to be a force to be reckoned with, mesmerizing audiences with their “skills, powerful magnetism, and fearless abandon.”
Atomic Beauty has been playing the Jersey and NYC music scene for a little over a year, but has already hit the big spots like Starland Ballroom, The Stone Pony, and The Bitter End in NYC. Earlier this year, Atomic Beauty released their debut EP, Cut To The Chase, featuring the tracks “A.R.T.,” “Empty Bottle,” “Last House,” “One On One” and “Better Without You.” All these tracks are great and have that nostalgic arena rock feel to them. The question is, “Is there a market for this sound still?” Before I can even say, “No,” I would have to look at some of the bands I’ve featured recently, who were all as young as the guys and gal in Atomic Beauty, but also had that arena rock sound. Can it be that the arena rock, hairband revolution is coming through again? I mean it does happen in cycles, right? Check out Atomic Beauty! For more on the band, visit, Facebook.com/AtomicBeautyband.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bro P.J. Farley, from Trixter, has a new video out for his song “The Fallen” off of his debut solo CD, Boutique Sound Frames. This was one of the songs that I really liked off of the CD, so it was awesome to see a video for it, but it was even cooler to see P.J., a Jersey boy, walking through the streets of L.A. with a guitar. According to P.J., “With Suicide Prevention Month just barely behind us it seemed timely to release this track. ‘The Fallen’ is for those who think they might not have any options, a subject and cause I am all too familiar with so hopefully this can contribute to a glimmer of hope in some tiny little way.” Check the video out at youtu.be/Id4wkLakvH0 and for more on P.J., visit PJFarley.net.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, my brothers from Voodoo Terror Tribe are less than a month away from releasing their third full-length CD, The Sun Shining Cold. Following the release of a new track entitled “Cell” featuring guest vocals by The Sun Shining Cold producer, Cristian Machado, of Ill Niño, the band revealed a guitar “play-through” video for the song featuring guitarist and my bro, Emir Erkal, playing along with the song, via Gear Gods, youtu.be/fzQv6d92KaU. For more on Voodoo Terror Tribe, visit VoodooTerrorTribe.com.
And finally, my old pal Pete Wells, from Apathy, who I haven’t heard from in a long time, recently sent me an email with brand new Apathy songs, which I was pleasantly happy to hear! The long-awaited EP Hell Is All We Have is finally being released around Thanksgiving! The EP features the five brand new Apathy songs, which I gave a listen to, and if you love your thrash with a classic sound, you will love this new Apathy EP. I, for one, cannot wait for Pete and crew to release it! For more on Apathy, visit them on Facebook, Facebook.com/APATHY.NJ.
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:
10/19—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
10/27—Metalfier—Bally’s Mainstage Wild West Casino, Atlantic City, 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
10/29—Marc Rizzo/INARI ONE/De je vu/Tommy Traina/Moscow Girls/Oraculum—Boneyard Bar and Grill, Atlantic City, NJ
10/30—“BIG REDD Birthday Memorial” featuring Ashes of Your Enemy/Baelfire (acoustic)/Corey Glover (of Living Colour)/Sekond Skyn/Underground Logic/Uni V Sol—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
11/2—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Robots and Monsters/No Kings Among Wolves—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/5—Streetlight Circus/Reality Suite/Broken Angels/Our Black Friday—Stanhope House, Stanhope, 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
11/9—Xandria/BlackThorne/Orbynot/Dead City Crown/Fiakra/Eye Of Eternity—Dingbatz, Clifton, 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
11/26—Full Scale Riot/Homicidal/Me With Creeps/Ego Destroys/Robots and Monsters/Silence Equals Death—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
