KODIAK – Toms River, NJ
I’m not really sure how I even stumbled across these guys, but I am so glad that I did. They have a retro eighties rock sound and I’m an eighties rock kind of guy, and no one is playing eighties rock anymore. Everyone is copying whatever is on Octane. The name of the band is Kodiak and they are out of Toms River, NJ. Singer Eric Dalton can sing. That’s for sure! The thing that really draws me close to these guys is the fact that the drummer and guitar player are brothers. I am very familiar with this dynamic as a member of Rahway, but famous bands that made this dynamic work include the mighty Van Halen and the godly Pantera. Another unique fact about Kodiak is that they’re managed by legendary Vanilla Fudge, King Kobra, and Ozzy Osbourne drummer Carmine Appice, who also no stranger to sibling rivalry.
Kodiak was formed in early 2018 in the lovely town of Toms River by brothers, guitarist Chris and drummer Pete Biggiani, who have been playing together since they were old enough to hold a guitar or drumsticks. Pete was lucky enough to tour with Last In Line featuring Carmine’s brother Vinny Appice, Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, bassist Phil Soussan, and singer Andrew Freeman, when he met singer Eric Dalton. Chris and Pete already knew bassist TJ Haefner prior to recruiting him into Kodiak and knew he would be a great fit for the band. After the lineup was finalized, the band started working with managers Carmine Appice and Warren Wyatt. This led to Kodiak landing a deal with World Sound and AWAL earlier this year.
In early June, Kodiak released their first single “Goodbye” to raving reviews and most recently, they released their latest single and music video for their song “Alone.” If these songs are any indication of what these kids have in store for their debut record, this is going to be amazing. As I said, I’m an eighties guy, so they already won me over. Whoever said rock ‘n’ roll was dead hasn’t checked out Greta Van Fleet or Kodiak! For more info on Kodiak, visit KodiakBand.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
So, my old singer, J from Mean Venus has a little girl, LilyBella, who I remember at our shows when she was a child. Well, LilyBella is all grown up and recently released her debut single “Breaking Us” on Spotify. Wow! If there is an agency or manager reading this, your money-maker is right there. LilyBella has a beautiful voice and I see a real future in the music industry for her. This is an amazing start! Now, J can follow LilyBella. How the tides have changed huh, J? Give “Breaking Us” a listen now on Spotify…. The boys from Dark Sky Choir have added more power behind their kick by adding Jordan Cannata from Adrenaline Mob to their lineup. Jordan joined the band right before they left for their European tour. To find out when Dark Sky Choir will be back in your neck of the woods, visit DarkSkyChoir.com…. And finally, Kore Rozzik is hosting a birthday show for himself at Arlene’s Grocery in NYC next Friday night, August 23. Along with a performance from Kore and his band will be performances from The Amatory Murder, King To Burn, and my brothers from Behind The Bullet. This should be a fun show in the city! For more info on Kore Rozzik and his birthday party, visit KoreRozzik.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.
