INTERNATIONAL OVERRIDE—Clifton, NJ
The Cricket Club in Irvington, NJ will be re-opening its doors on Dec. 15 thanks to Missi Fieretag from MMFlame Productions, who will help to bring the rock back to the Cricket Club with performances from my band Rahway, Ryder, PAULUS HooK, Police Navidad featuring Anthony Coviello from Long Gone Day, and this week’s featured band International Override. For those of you wondering about the Cricket Club, it was one of “the” clubs on the music scene back in the days of Studio One, Club Bene and the Birch Hill Nite Club. The club has new owners and is trying to bring the club back to its old glory. So, Dec. 15 is the date, and one of the bands who intrigued me was a band called International Override. They reminded me of BioHazard, which kind of sets them apart from the rest of the pack on the current music scene, because no one else, to my knowledge, is writing this hip-hop, punk music that they’re writing.
International Override is a five-piece from Clifton, NJ, a blue-collar town where most people are either factory workers, teachers, or completely broke. This group formed from the remnants of three separate bands and three different genres. The experiences and influences that each member brought into this project really came together to create a wider range of different sounds, concepts, and emotions, which each band member felt were limited in their previous projects. As International Override, they are not afraid to step out of their comfort zone to try different sounds and styles, nor will they hesitate to dive into topics most people stray away from. They don’t believe they always have to sing about the general topics in music like love, drugs or the government, but make music about what people only say to each other in confidence and in private. These are the types of things that they try to bring to the forefront in their songs.
The guys in International Override say that they are not trying to be “badass” rock stars. They are just ordinary guys with day jobs and they are not so desperate to compromise their integrity by conforming to mainstream topics or attitudes. I bet if someone offered them a multimillion-dollar deal, they wouldn’t turn it away either! International Override is Eric Pavan, Brian Valverde, Steve Valverde, Jonathon Ferry, Kenny Perez. Don’t even ask what each guy plays. It’s not even on their band bio. True punk rockers!
I only got to hear two songs from International Override from their demo. Yes, I said demo. I didn’t even know demos still existed. Anyway, the songs “Money” and “Lights” interested me enough to write about these guys. The song “Money” really had that BioHazard feel, and if these guys really wanted to grow their following, I would head in this direction musically and become more of a hip-hop, hardcore band. They clearly have the chops and talent. I’d like to hear more from International Override. Oh, yeah! I will be on Dec. 15 at the Cricket Club Grand Re-Opening! For more on International Override, visit Facebook.com/internationaloverride.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers from Black Water Rising recently unleashed their new music video for their song “Payback” off of their new CD, Electrified. The song rules, but the video is even better! It was like watching a mini-movie starring my brother, Jose Hernandez Jr. from the hit TV series, Oz, Mistress Juliya from Fuse TV, and my buddy Jayne Richards. The video was executive produced by another good friend of mine, Damon Ferrante, and follows a blood-thirsty beast played by Hernandez being hunted by Juliya, who plays a demon hunter. Like I said, it’s like watching a mini-movie. Watch “Payback” now on YouTube. For more on Black Water Rising, visit BlackWaterRising.com.
Speaking of new music videos, my band Rahway also recently released the video for our song “Racecar” off of the band’s new CD, Undefeated. The video features NAPA racecar driver Ron Capps, who also endorsed the video. You can watch the “Racecar” video at on our YouTube channel. For more on my band Rahway, visit Rahwayband.com.
And finally, my brothers from BoundAlive are back together with Jorge Avila back on bass. The band recently released a lyric video for a brand new song called “Blame.” I have to say that I like what I’m hearing and hope this is the first of many songs to come from BoundAlive, who we can catch live in March when they open for Monster Magnet at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville with my band Rahway, Sekond Skyn, and The Walk Arounds. Check out their new song “Blame” on their YouTube channel.
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:
11/29—Sun and Flesh/One Hundred Thousand/Swanky Tiger—Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
11/30—The Penthouse/Tura Lura/Economy Flights—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/1—Royal Revolution/Sinertia/Our Fears/The Silverhounds—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/2—Don Jamieson/Mikell’s Plot/Midnite Hellion/Carson and St. James from Common Wealth & Derrick Klybish from 40 Below Summer Acoustic/worldsucks/Lunatic Fringe—Paul’s Tavern, Belmar, NJ
12/2—A Winter Night With The MINISTER OF METAL: The Walk Arounds/Marvin Sunk/Sekond Skyn/Lower the Veil/GOTHAM—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
12/2—American Angel/Ted Poley/Rock Kandy—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/7—Bobaflex/Low Roads Ghost/Raftree—Debonair Music Hall (formerly Mexicali Live), Teaneck, NJ
12/7—Set to Stun/Northern Ghost/The Haunting/For Those Who Fall/Dreams of Demise—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/8—The Independents—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/9—Incognito Theory/Moreso/Know Your Enemy/Gathering After Ashes/Ryder—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
12/9—Last Pharoah/Dyspell/Beyond Fallen/Ashes In The Sky—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/11—Bodysnatcher/Falsifier/Aethere/Stronger Than Death/Burning Limbs/Koba—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/14—A Killer’s Confession/Awake At Last/You Are A Toy—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/15—Monitor/Steel Spade Syndicate/Cover Her Face/Alden/Sick—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/15—Police Navidad/Rahway/International Override/Paulus Hook/Ryder—The Cricket Club “Grand Re-Opening”, Irvington, NJ
12/16—Billy Monroe and the Soul Survivors/Rahway/Ten Ton Mojo/Burial Park—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
12/16—Jaded Past—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
12/17—Lorna Shore—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
12/22—“THAT METAL SHOW” Annual Holiday Bash featuring Headmotor “Motorhead Tribute”/Graffiti Cannon/Sister Salvation/Lunatic Fringe/Grounded4Life—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
