I recently received an email from a band out of Suffern, NY called Fracture, and when I went to their site, I saw a bunch of kids. Now, I don’t discriminate, and I know better than anyone to never judge a book by its cover, but for some reason, seeing these kids made me even more curious to hear what they sounded like. I mean, they do say that the future of music starts today. I think they say that, anyway. So, I gave Fracture a listen on ReverbNation and woah! These kids rocked! I got to hear the songs “Broken Walls” and “The Machine,” which was my favorite track, and these songs had this raw punk sound while maintaining a commercial sound with its hooks. Their sound was very reminiscent of Green Day and Blink-182, but still just rock ‘n’ roll!
According to their bio, Fracture was formed in back in 2014, but really didn’t hit the scene until the beginning of 2015. They are the self-proclaimed representation of the “trials and trouble we all face in society from the perspective of a high school punk rock band.” The only difference is Fracture is here to play with the big boys. Singer Jon Thomas leads the charge with his punk style of vocals, mean guitar solos and unmatched stage energy, along with rhythm guitarist Ryan James at his side. Holding down the foundation of Fracture is drummer Jake Valois, who supplies an “overload of intensity to the drumming that is only matched by his incredible precision,” and bassist Gabby Cabral, who grooves her way through Fracture’s punk beat.
Since the band kicked it into high gear last January (2015), Fracture has won the St. Aquinas College Battle of the Bands, they performed at last summer’s Ramapo Town Fireworks show in June, and in August, they released their debut EP, Broken Walls. Like I said, Fracture does have this commercial punk sound that hasn’t been done like this in a while, so they might be in a good spot for agents to notice them. I thoroughly enjoyed their music and thought that they sounded better than some alleged seasoned musicians on the scene. They definitely have something going on here. Give Fracture a listen by visiting FractureOfficial.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brothers from The Compulsions have teamed up with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal to release a cover version of the Beatles’ classic “Revolution.” Bumblefoot and Compulsions drummer Frank Ferrer were bandmates in the pre-reunited version of Guns N’ Roses. The Compulsions will be releasing the track by way of iTunes on April 19. The band did a pre-sale for the song with all proceeds going to VH-1’s “Save The Music Foundation.” I actually heard a clip of the song and it sounds pretty awesome! For more on The Compulsions, visit TheCompulsionsNYC.com.
I mentioned these guys and gals a couple of weeks ago, but my buds from Baelfire recently emailed me a copy of their Neverland EP. The CD is pretty good. Singer Donna Unverricht’s vocals are so powerful, her future in the music business is so bright. So, I hope she never gives it up. As for the music, the title track, “Someway,” “Red Death,” “Level Man” and the more mellow “Morella” are so well-written, it’s hard to believe the age range in this band. Pick up a copy of Neverland at Roxy and Duke’s in Dunellen, NJ on May 14 when they play with my band Rahway and a bunch of other great bands. For more on Baelfire, visit Baelfire.org.
And finally, my brothers from CausticAudio have begun work on their new CD. The Caustic ones headed into the studio a couple of weekends ago to begin tracking some new music for EP number 4, which means we should have a new CD from them sometime this summer. If you haven’t heard CausticAudio yet, you’re the one missing out. That’s all I can say! Check them out at Facebook.com/CausticAudioMusic.
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:
4/8—The Undead—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
4/8—An Evening with Borgo Pass—Mr. Beerys Village Pub, East Rockaway, NY
4/10—Goolsby/Crypt Keeper 5—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/11—Killcode/Ace Frehley—B.B. King’s Blues Club and Grill, NYC
4/12—Corrosion of Conformity/Tarpit Boogie—The Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ
4/13—Killcode/Ace Frehley—The Paramount, Huntington, NY
4/15—Killcode/Ace Frehley—F.M. Kirby Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA
4/16—The Vaughns—Drew University, Madison, NJ
4/16—Brand of Julez/New Day Dawn/Corevalay/Empire Fallen—Maxwell’s Tavern, Hoboken, NJ
4/16—Me With Creeps—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ
4/16—Killcode/Ace Frehley—The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
4/16—Voodoo Terror Tribe/Midnite Hellion/ORBYNOT—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/16—MDC—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/16—The Vaughns—The Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
4/17—Rahway—Game Changer World, Howell, NJ
4/17—Baelfire—The Boneyard, Atlantic City, NJ
4/19—Gus G/The Clocktown Giants/Unholy Dispute/Endall/Hot Blonde Dead—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/21—Nekrogoblikon/Psychostick/Urizen/Monument Of A Memory/Ocean Of Illusions/Edge Of Annihilation—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/22—Rahway/Saint Caine/Pat Llewellyn Band—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
4/22—Robots and Monsters—QXT’s, Newark, NJ
4/23—Steve Bello—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
4/23—Lyken 21/Flathead Sky/Gathering After Ashes/Dying Eyes of Sloth/Iron Front/Lunatic Fringe/Incognito Theory—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/23—Baelfire—The Brighton Bar, Long Beach, NJ
4/24—Faster Pussycat/Zsah Domme/Blue Movie/Firefight—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/30—Robots and Monsters—Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ
5/6—Robots and Monsters—My Place Pizza, Poughkeepsie, NY
5/14—Rahway/Baelfire/Division 1.1/Ixion Lux/Nuse/Midnite Hellion/Ashes of Your Enemy—Roxy and Dukes, Dunellen, NJ
5/20—Seas of Wake CD Release Party/The Blessing of this Curse/That of a Lion/Comb the Desert/EchoLab—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
5/21—Robots and Monsters—The Fire, Philadelphia, PA
