– Asbury Park, NJ
This week, I discovered a band that brings a West Coast feel to the beachfronts of the Jersey shore. The band that I’m talking about is Dentist out of Asbury Park, and after listening to their 2018 release Night Swimming and their latest single, “Someone Like You,” I picture myself walking around with my wife in an H&M or an Old Navy shopping. Most of those songs come from alt-rock bands out of the West Coast. I never would have guessed that the music from Dentist comes from our shores. You will need a “Dentist” after listening to these sweet sounds!
Dentist comes from the oceanfront urban landscape of the legendary home of Bruce Springsteen: Asbury Park. Their sound, as they say, “combines the freedom of the beach atmosphere and the urgency of the city into a fuzzed out, surf punk-tinged brand of indie pop with hooks and infectious melodies to spare.” The vocal ability of singer Emily Bornemann is countered by the sometimes aggressive, but always addictive sounds of guitarist Justin Bornemann and drummer Matt Hockenjos.
Dentist formed back in 2013 around the songwriting partnership of Emily and Justin. They released their self-titled debut album in 2014, which Pandora described as “a deliriously infectious collection of fuzzy, California-styled, indie pop jangle and sun dappled garage rock crunch.” Dentist’s sophomore album, Ceilings, was released in the summer of 2016 via Little Dickman Records to much critical acclaim. This led to the band touring regularly as Dentist’s notoriety continued to grow along the way. It was during this time that Dentist received much praise from many alternative media outlets, including being named one of the top bands at SXSW 2018.
Dentist released their third album, Night Swimming, in July 2018 by way of Cleopatra Records, which is their strongest release to date. Night Swimming was described as having, “tight chemistry, killer hooks, and a distinctive sound that’s both lo-fi and retro-pop smooth.” After the album’s release, Dentist embarked on a month-long tour across the country with national acts including Television, A Giant Dog, White Reaper, Modest Mouse, Laura Stevenson, Mrs. Magician, Death by Unga Bunga, and GYMSHORTS, to name a few. Find out where Dentist is playing next at DentistBand.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brother, Chino Marin from RONIN, Statik Silence, and Life Without Warning has a new band that he’s fronting called Lone Wolf, whose debut single will be hitting the Internet some time this month with the debut EP, Dark Was the Day, to follow soon after. The EP was produced by Jose Urquiza from 3 Years Hollow and Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose. Based out of Tampa, Florida, Lone Wolf is said to be heavily influenced by bands like Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Any Given Day, and Of Mice and Men. For more on Chino’s latest project Lone Wolf, visit Facebook.com/LNEWOLFMUSIC…. Anyone watch the new Kore Rozzik music video for “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” yet? I think the song is a great rock anthem, but as I watch this video, I can’t stop thinking, “What the hell am I watching?”—with the exception of the performance footage. Catch Kore and his crew on their Vengeance Across America Halloween Tour throughout November. For more info on Kore Rozzik, visit KoreRozzik.com….. And finally, I’ve been meaning to post this for weeks, but something else kept popping up. If you haven’t seen Keith Roth’s movie Let Me Down Hard yet, you need to—especially if you’re a musician in New Jersey. We can all relate. For those of you who live under a rock, Keith Roth is a deejay on the WRAT and Sirius/XM’s Hair Nation and Ozzy’s Boneyard. He was also the bass player in one of my favorite Jersey bands growing up, Bad Biscuit, and now fronts his own band Frankenstein 3000. Let Me Down Hard, which features cameos from local heroes Zipperhead, Mark “Weissguy” Weiss, and Monster Magnet drummer Bob Pantella is streaming now on Amazon Prime! Trust me! Again, only a true Jersey musician can appreciate this film!
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.
