TRUE WILL—Hightstown, NJ
If you’re going to play punk, you have to play it right! Yes, the beauty of punk rock is that it doesn’t have to be perfect, but there is a way to play punk, and I think the boys from True Will might have found the right ingredient when it comes to playing punk rock music. I came across this Hightstown band while I was checking out Dingbatz in Clifton’s schedule for the week and True Will came up, so I gave them a listen, and I really dug what I heard. I gave the songs “Voices” (which opens with a great bass punky bass riff), “Breathe” (my favorite track) and “Dust To Dust” a listen and these are some of the best punk songs that I’ve heard come out of Jersey in a while.
According to their bio, True Will was formed in Hightstown, NJ in late 2010 by singer and guitarist Billie Seeland and his brother Chris Seeland, who shares the vocal duties and plays bass. Drummer Mike Soto was brought in soon after to finalize the lineup. The Seeland brothers found the term “True Will” in the religion of Thelema, which was founded by Aleister Crowley, an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer, who identified himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Aeon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, he published widely over the course of his life. He was also the basis of the popular Ozzy Osbourne song, “Mr. Crowley.” True Will is defined as one’s grand destiny or purpose in life and only by forgoing false desires, inner conflicts and habits does one find it. Since the band’s formation, they’ve performed and supported many acts in the Tri-State Area like the Misfits, Michale Graves, Doyle, Argyle Goolsby and The Roving Midnight, and The Cryptkeeper Five. They’ve also toured much of the U.S. and have released many EPs with the intent of evolving and exploring themselves, sonically.
True Will’s most recent CD is a full-length called Painful Truths And Comfortable Lies, which they released back in November. The boys are currently on a mini tour of the East Coast promoting their Painful Truths And Comfortable Lies CD. If you’d like to give the CD a listen, you can find it on Spotify. For more on True Will or to find out where they’re playing next and you love punk, visit them on TrueWillBand.com, or catch them live at Dingbatz in Clifton tomorrow night (3/23).
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My boys from Psychoprism put out their latest CD, Creation, back in July, but I never had a chance to listen to it until this week. This CD is pretty powerful from riffs to thunderous drums to some really powerful vocals from singer Jess Rittgers. I mean he was hitting notes in songs like the title track, “Defiance,” “The Wrecker,” and “Stained Glass” that only singers like Geoff Tate can hit. After listening to these tracks, I’m afraid that Psychoprism is not getting the credit they deserve on this music scene. For more on Psychoprism and their latest CD, Creation, visit Psychoprism.com.
I featured these guys a few weeks ago here in North Jersey Notes. I’m talking about the band Ryder. They recently released their brand new music video for their song “Don’t Lose Your Heart,” which is the last track off of Ryder’s debut EP, IV, available wherever CDs are sold digitally. Check out the video for “Don’t Lose Your Heart” and find out where Ryder is playing next by visiting Facebook.com/RyderBand.
And finally, for my shameless plug of the week, my band Rahway will be making their Tenth Street Live debut in Kenilworth, NJ this Saturday night (3/25) as part of a Jersey Campfire Productions show with Sinertia, Sucker, Know Your Enemy, PalaceBurn and Answer Infinity. This show is set to be a packed house, so get their early! Then, Rahway has been added as a special guest to the Steel Panther show at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on April 8. Contact the band for discounted tickets. And keep your ears peeled for the new Rahway CD, Undefeated, being released this June. For more on Rahway, visit RahwayBand.com.
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:
3/22—Tarpit Boogie/Reign of Zaius/Borgo Pass/False Gods—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
3/23—DOPE/Combichrist/September Mourning/Davey Suicide/Panzie*/Deprived—Highline Ballroom, NYC
3/23—True Will/The Fossils/The White—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/24—Lane Six Present: Last In Line—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
3/24—Skunk Daze CD Release Party/Disposable/Taylor and The Apes/Montgomery—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/25—Jersey Campfires Production Presents: Rahway/Palaceburn/Know Your Enemy/Sucker/Sinertia/Answer Infinity—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/25—Killcode/Baelfire/Corevalay/Ryder/The Shade—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
3/26—Match Party/Cover Her Face/Drakensberg/Signals of Bedlam/VIV—QXT’s, Newark, NJ
3/26—Jump for the Sails/When Thieves Are About/Wasting Time/Killed By Accident/Dig Deep/Someday Far—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/29—The Devyl Nellys/Switch Mob/Cory Singer/Catch Me If You Can—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
3/30—Full Scale Riot/Fury Within/Happy Hawthorne/Black Lagoon—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
3/30—The Shaking Trees/Broken Angels/Prodigal Sons—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/31—Lane Six Presents: Tim “Ripper” Owens/Ghost of War/Lethal Affection/Fragile Sky—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
3/31—Canamara/The Silverhounds/Our Fears—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/1—Broken Past/High Octane/Mark Mayer/Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/2—A Boy Named John/The Rose Monarch/Nominee/Sundressed—William Paterson University Student Center, Wayne, NJ
4/7—TheMusiciansRockNetwork.com Website Release Party featuring Pocketful Rialto!/Pyramada/Miss Demeanor—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/8—Voodoo Terror Tribe/Binary Code/Seas of Wake/Orbynot—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/8—Steel Panther/Rahway—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
4/8—PB Street Gang/York Town/Uncrated/Mikell’s Plot/Doug Diettman—Al Cibelli’s Restaurant and Bar, Perth Amboy, NJ
4/12—The Breakout/The Break Lights/ProPain/The Jersey Panic—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
4/13—One Hundred Thousand/EchoLab/Red Hymns/Pralaya/Behind The Grey—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
4/19—Doyle from The Misfits—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/24—Gothic Knights/Delain/Hammerfall—Stage 48, NYC
