BLACKWATER—East Brunswick, NJ
A couple of weeks ago, I went to hang with my bro and former That Metal Show co-host, Don Jamieson, at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ, since I hadn’t seen him in a while. I didn’t know any of the bands playing that night, but Don was hosting an evening of local bands, and one of the bands really stood out for me. The name of the band was Blackwater, which raised a bit of an eyebrow for me since there is a band on the scene called Black Water Rising…I think? We haven’t really heard anything from those guys in a while, and the guys from Blackwater might be too young to even realize that there was a band called Black Water Rising on this music scene. Confused? Good! Me too!
Blackwater formed only this past summer out of the School of Rock East Brunswick. The members of Blackwater realized they all liked each other’s playing and decided to form a band. After watching this band perform live, I think they may have been onto something. Singer Ave Panza and guitarist Will LaCasse have some amazing stage presence, but the musicianship in this band can really give musicians on the music scene right now a run for their money. These kids have some future in front of them. Rounding out Blackwater along with Ava and Will are bassist Jack Napoli and drummer Josh Lopez.
Blackwater is currently writing new music, as they told me that they “have multiple songs in the making and hope to have an EP, or a full CD, by the spring.” They’ve been mixing some covers into their set along with their originals. I remember hearing an Audioslave cover and Ava Panza sung the crap out of that song! It’s tough to describe how great these kids are with no music online. So, I guess you’ll just have to check them out live. Find out where Blackwater is playing next by visiting Facebook.com/OfficialBlackwaterBand.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bro Anthony “Tonybro” Gabriele from the band Orbynot, which is Tonybro backwards, just sent me a message that Orbynot will be opening for the German symphonic metal band Xandria at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ on November 9. This will be a huge gig for Tonybro and his band, as it’s only one of four U.S. dates for Xandria. For tickets and more info on Orbynot, visit Orbynot.com.
My dudes from Robots And Monsters will be headlining their first show at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ this Saturday night (10/29) with a Halloween-themed show including giveaways and costume contests. This will be a big night for the Robots And Monsters crew considering the fact that they’ve held down the number two slot on WSOU for two weeks in a row and have been in the top 10 for a month with their song “King of the World” off of their Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Fight EP. Being number two for two weeks just means they’re “The Shit!” Congrats, boys! Catch Robots And Monsters this weekend at the Stanhope House! For more info on Robots And Monsters, visit Facebook.com/RobotsandMonstersband.
And finally, my brother Michael “Smitty” Smith lost his son, Big Redd, earlier this year to an accidental O.D. This Sunday (10/30), Smitty will be celebrating Big Redd’s birthday with a Birthday Memorial show at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. Performing will be performers under Smitty’s Zenergy Entertainment Group and some of Big Redd’s favorite artists like Ashes Of Your Enemy, Baelfire performing an acoustic set, Corey Glover from Living Colour, Sekond Skyn, Underground Logic, and Uni V Sol. Hit The Saint in Asbury Park on Goosy Night to celebrate the life of Big Redd! Proceeds from the evening will go to help those fighting addiction through organizations like Recovery Advocates of America, Young People in Recovery and Roots to Addiction. For more info on the event, visit Facebook.com/events/188690638233547.
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:
10/26—Failure Anthem/Through Fire/Letters from the Fire/Cover Your Tracks/Mother—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
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
10/27—As All Hope Dies/Perennial/Upon Intellect—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/28—Puddle of Mudd/Year of the Locust—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY
10/28—Genitorturers/Voodoo Terror Tribe/HG202/Blue Movie—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
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
10/30—Sentinels/Reborn Divided/From the Depths/Enochian/A Vixen’s Flaw/Reaper’s Solace—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
10/31—In Dying Arms/Pathways/Denihilist—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/2—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Robots And Monsters/No Kings Among Wolves—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
11/3—Swampbox/Rahway—Bally’s Mainstage Wild West Casino, Atlantic City, NJ
11/3—Jaded Past/Natural Born Losers/Circuline/Back For Nothing—Blackthorn 51 , Elmhurst, NY
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
11/18—Skold featuring Tim Skold of Marilyn Manson and KMFDM/Panzie*–Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
11/18—Empire Fallen/Legion,Circuitry/Mikell’sPlot—Al Cibelli’s Restaurant and Bar, Perth Amboy, NJ
11/19—Incognito Theory/Ryder/Endall—QXT’s, Newark, NJ
11/19—Wet/Demo Taped/Aerial East—Webster Hall, NYC
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
