CAT LONDON – NYC/NJ
As I trolled the Internet for some good music from the North Jersey region, I came across the voice of an angel! Her name is Cat London, and I stumbled upon a song called “Cities” off of her EP, Dangerous Me, and her voice and the piano reminded me of New York City. I’m not even kidding a little bit. I closed my eyes and listened to this song and I was teleported to the streets of Manhattan. I loved it! Wanting to hear more, I listened to the next couple of songs, “Involved” and “With Him,” and while “Involved” had this Natalie Merchant-feel to it, “With Him” was little bit more poppy with some beats in it, which really brought out Cat’s voice even more, giving her more of a Gaga or Lana Del Rey-feel. She’s an amazing songwriter with an amazing voice. Most of you know that I love my hard rock, but sometimes it’s nice to wind down with a voice like Cat London’s.
According to her bio, Cat London is an indie artist from Northern New Jersey, but claims New York and Jersey as her home base. She is backed by a four-piece band onstage and in the studio including pianist and vocalist Rich Aveo, bassist Paul O’Keeffe, and drummer Anthony Freda. In 2012, then simply billed as “Cat,” she released her debut EP, Box of Chocolates, which was produced and engineered by Robert Frazza in Woodstock, NY, and showcased more introspective lyrics and melodic acoustic guitar. After a rep’s fortuitous suggestion that Cat’s voice was better suited for piano than guitar, she taught herself to play the piano, and “Cat London” was re-born.
Cat armed herself with a more refined sound and developed the controlled musicality and darker, more substantial narratives that her songwriting exudes today. Through the years, London has shared the stage with worldly performers like Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead, Jeffrey Gaines, Bobby Bandiera from Bon Jovi, Garland Jeffreys, John Eddie, Glen Burtnik, The Head and The Heart, and Hey Ocean. Those are some pretty big names in the industry and her genre alone. In 2014, Cat London recorded her haunting duet, “The Right Way” featuring Jerzy Jung and produced by Rich Aveo, at Lakehouse Recording Studio in Asbury Park. The single became the heart of London’s #TheRightWay, a bullying awareness and kindness campaign encouraging unity among peers. Both the campaign video and music video garnered the attention of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and News12 NJ Spotlight TV. It took home awards at the Garden State and Ridgewood Film Festivals, screened at the Asbury Park Music in Film Festival and Rahway Film Festival.
In 2016, London would release her latest EP, Dangerous Me, which finds the singer confronting the monster of self-doubt. If you listen to the lyrics carefully, she questions how she can trust herself if she is made up entirely of contradictions. She’s the strong, enigmatic femme fatale in the title track, but then becomes the vulnerable girl of “With Him,” and then the detached lover in “Involved,” which was submitted and accepted by the casting directors of the television show “The Song,” making Cat London a successful entrant and finalist for the show’s pilot episode. During filming, Cat was on set with the likes of Lisa Loeb, Eliot Sloan from Blessid Union of Souls, Andrew Copeland from Sister Hazel, as well as other industry names. Cat London seems to have her ducks in a row. I would love to see her share a bill with our very own Queen V soon. That could be bad ass! For more on Cat London, visit CatLondonMusic.com
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bro Santino Noir, former singer of Scarlet Carson, and his new band Crash the Night recently released their new music video for their song, “Stars,” and I love it! I love the feel of the song, the poppy sound of it, and the hook is just awesome. Yes, the band is based out of Los Angeles, but Santino is a Jersey guy and the band also features Josh Hawksley from NYC’s She Said Fire, so how can I not write about these guys? For more on Crash the Night and to check the music video for “Stars,” visit CrashTheNight.com.
Speaking of NYC and Cat London, my brother, Tommy London from The Dirty Pearls has been busy lately pushing his debut single, “Sugar Red,” which dropped a couple of weeks ago. Tommy celebrated with a Single Release Party at The Vinyl in NYC along with Thornes as his special guests. “Sugar Red” is everything I love about rock ‘n’ roll! It’s dirty, sleazy and gritty! Not to mention, it belongs on rock radio! Are we still really asking “Who the F*ck Is Tommy London?” Give “Sugar Red” a listen now at TommyLondon.com.
And finally, keeping it in NYC, my brother Rob Carlyle and his band The Compulsions has a new music video and single out called “Dirtbag Blues.” This is the first single off of the band’s upcoming CD, Ferocious, which features guitar heroes Earl Slick from David Bowie, which I mentioned a few weeks back, and local guitar hero Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal from Guns ‘N’ Roses, bassist Alec Morton from Raging Slab, and drummers Brian Delaney from the New York Dolls and Frank Ferrer from Guns ‘N’ Roses. Reviewers (not me) are calling this concoction of musicians a “Punk ‘N’ Roll Supergroup.” The song “Dirtbag Blues” is every bit of dirty as you would expect. For more on Rob and The Compulsions, visit TheCompulsionsNYC.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:
1/26—Jersey Campfires Production Presents Blackout Paul/Drifting Figures/Symetria/Instant Regret Syndrome/Toxic—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
1/26—Monument of a Memory/Zoume/Refinement/Muerte/Nihilum/Charred Graves—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/27—Ripped—The Delancey, NYC
1/27—Joe Lynn Turner/Chevonne and The Fuzz/Ryder/Fragile Sky—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
1/27—The Bathwater/Sick/Vas Difference/The Atomic Disasters/Dig A Revel—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/28—An Acoustic Showcase with Tiffany/The Phoenix Within/Kathodial/Gabe—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/2—Uncle Einar/Generation Underground/Molten/Mind Hazard—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/3— Christine Martucci and The Band Of Love/9Minutes2Seven—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
2/3—The Pain Method/Funghoul/Uprise Shadow/Vision Serpent—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/3—Incognito Theory/Leaving a Legacy—The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
2/9—Spitphyre/Michael Golden and The Outsiders/IdleWave/Sexy Heroes/The Angry Pirates—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/10—Barren/Answer Infinity/Arc’d Angel/incolor/Under Blood Red Skies—Roxy and Dukes Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ
2/10—Schism (Tool Tribute)/Corevalay/Atomic Minds/Dead End/Alden—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/11—In Our Glory/The Vaughns/Glume—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
2/11—Trapped Under Ice and No Warning/Wisdom in Chains/Vein/Combust—Debonair Music Hall, Teaneck, NJ
2/21—Doyle/Deadtide/After The Burn/War For The Crown—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
