When One Door Closes. Another One Opens.

 Back in late 2016 I was offered my very own column on the former print zine and current website Jersey Beat. The offer to write just about anything I want and the chance to have it posted on one of independent music's longest running platform was, to say the very least, enticing.  As Jim has become both a friend and someone whose varied taste in music has helped broaden my own. Trusting him to give me the freedom to let my opinions run amok came naturally.

You can check out my Jersey Beat Column 'United By James;,  Here
 
 Since embarking on my column in early 2017. I've continued reviewing music and books, while occasionally doing an interview. (My personal favorite part of music journalism.) With Dave gone, my moving out West and my Jersey Beat column. Chances of future United By Rocket Science post seem pointless. Still, I will keep the site online. We did some good, creative things and met some great people during the blogs time and there would be no reason to erase that.
Currently Accepting; Punk/Hardcore/Metal, Reggae/Ska/Dub/Rocksteady,Indie Rock/Pop/Soul,Shoegaze /Dream Pop
Please, do not send; Corporate Rock, Country, Classical,  Dance/Electronic

If you'd like to have your music reviewed, You can either send me a private email requesting a mailing address or send a download or link to your bandcamp account.  Send all  submissions to damionphoto@gmail.com

United By Images; Archie Alone

It's rare that I miss any chance to see Archie Alone at their home away from homes, Montclair's  Meatlocker Music Venue. Being that the show celebrated the birthday's of it's guitarist, Cindy Ward and it's drummer, Pete Clark. I made an extra effort to show up. Be sure to give them a listen on bandcamp and follow them on facebook. 

Bandcamp

 Facebook

 

 

 

United By Images; Whiner

Over the weekend. I finally got the chance to check out Whiner. Champagne and a particularly celebratory mood filled the room. As Archie Alone members Cindy Ward and Pete Clark celebrated their birthdays. New Jersey's Whiner have been on my radar for some time now. The chance to finally catch them live was quite rewarding. You can check out my show review and images from the show at my new Jersey Beat column Here.

Bandcamp

Night Battles - Curse the Day / Locust Sky

Sometimes, a good thing just falls into your lap. Such is the case with the two-song offering from Raleigh, North Carolina's Night Battles. Featuring members of various local NC acts as well as old friend and guitarist Christopher Skelly. (Dahlia Seed / Static is a City) Night Battles lay down some diabolical post punk scripture on their debut two song release.

“Curse the Day” introduces Night Battles with devilish vocals and gasoline soaked riffs.

Dirty post core that kicked in like a shot of whiskey with a rattlesnake chaser. Knocking me off my balance while jacking my heart rate to dangerous levels. Side effects aside. I really dig the deviant nature it conjures up. The “Sinner takes all” vibe displayed here cannot go without noting.

“Locust Sky” follows. Providing a musically visual authority to its namesake with a slower, even more ominous approach. Imagine Afghan Wigs and Laughing Hyenas waist deep in the sludgy industrial complex along the side of the highway.

While these two teasers had “Best stuff around” written all over them. I was left wondering how soon the collected personnel would get back in the studio for more. Regardless of future collaborations. I appreciate Night Battles reminder that great things often come in small packages. 

Bandcamp

Jersey Beat and Maxwell's Host The Milwaukees, Eastern Anchors and the Bastards of Melody

It's been close to a year since I left Hoboken for the sunny shores of Jersey City. In the times I've been to Hoboken since. I see less and less of what first brought me there in 2001. 
The legendary club that first had me crossing the Hudson in the early 90's not only changed hands in ownership. It's moved on with the times and no longer provides music for local and touring musicians in the way it did for decades. Times change though and while that might be hard for many to emotionally digest, it's inevitable. So when Jim Testa invited me to his Jersey Beat showcase. I was more that happy to attend.

First impression of Maxwell's rebooted were good. Getting carded at the door as a forty something was a good start. Being on the guest list, pretty cool. The back room looks really sharp. The moved the bar and make the room look a lot brighter, deeper and wider. 
The overall feel of the crowd was great and it was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces.
James Damion

Bastards of Melody opened the show on a promising note. Formed way back in 1998.
The trio featuring Paul Crane, Paul Gil and Scott Treude.... gave the intimate crowd a rewarding set of power pop that quickly reminded me of bands like Sloan, Big Star and the Replacements. Lead singer/guitarist Crane loomed tall over the crowd boasting a pretty impressive Hank's Saloon Tee. One that reminded me of may a wild night in Brooklyn.
For their swan song, the band was joined by host Jim Testa of Jersey Beat for a cover of
Velvet Underground's Sweet Jane. Afterward, I headed over to the merch table in the back and grabbed copies of Breakup, Fun Machine and Hurry Up and Wait. Good stuff I thoroughly enjoyed listening to. Bastards of Melody

In the days leading up to the show host and Jersey Beat founder Jim Testa asked me if I was familiar with The Milwaukees. "Sure, if you mean hearing about them from you countless times." The truth was, despite hearing the name and having a couple of CD's I had never listened to taking up space in my bookcases." Regardless, the chance to finally see and hear a band that had ben talked about so often in Jersey Rock lore was much needed.
From the first song to the last. The bands energy and connection with with the crowd was praiseworthy. I felt my body move in places that seemed forever cast in stone.
Singing along to songs I had never heard and enjoying the charisma and chemistry of a great band. If all goes well, I will be both seeing and hearing out this Jersey City band for years to come.
The Milwaukees

To be painfully honest. If it were not for
Eastern Anchors inclusion on the nights bill.
I would have never made it off the couch.
With the keys changing hands at Maxwell's in 2013 and my purchasing a home in Jersey City in 2014. I've had little to no reason to return to the town I called home for over ten years.
The somewhat rare opportunity to see
Eastern Anchors anywhere near my zip code was all the gas I needed to get on to RT. 139 and in to the biggest collection of potholes in all of New Jersey. While my exposure to Eastern Anchors stated in 2012 with a handful of shows and the release of the outstanding
Drunken Arts & Pure Science. The bands membership, music and footprint on New Jersey rock goes back to the 90's with Aviso'Hara,
Mr. Thumb and Tow. These days I find myself listening to Eastern Anchors more and more while getting familiar with Aviso'Hara. What I love most about this band is that, while they remind me of long time favorites Husker Du. It's the overall sound and performance of  Eastern Anchors that I love. Imagine, if you will, a band that sounds like themselves. That's what I feel I'm getting when in the midst of an
Eastern Anchors song or live set. Great seeing these guys again and again and.......
Eastern Anchors

United By Images; The Milwaukees at Maxwell's 7/2/2015

Milwaukees guitarist Jeff Nordstedt asked if I would post some extra pictures from this Thursday's show at Maxwell's. So I decided to add some additional ones to go with the show review I posted. Included is the set list I snagged from Jeff. James Damion
The Milwaukees

Maxwell's to Host Jersey Beat Showcase

The Milwaukees were among the handful of local bands invited to play Maxwell's back in July, 2013, during the club's final weeks under its old ownership.  So the Jersey City    power-rock quartet seemed the perfect choice to headline Jersey Beat's first showcase at Maxwell's under its new management.

But the Milwaukees won't be the only familiar faces at Maxwell's on Thursday, July 2.  Eastern Anchors, featuring former members of New Brunswick rock powerhouse Aviso'Hara, and the power-pop Bastards Of Melody also have long histories at the legendary Hoboken club.  Enduring through lineup shifts, careers, marriages, and parenthood,  these three bands persevere as exponents of the Garden State's eclectic and ever evolving indie-rock scene.

The Milwaukees

United By Images; Melissa & Paul

Melissa & Paul were an edgy New Jersey rock duo who's sound featured a brooding mix of Garage Punk and the Blues. During their short, yet fruitful existence. The duo had several highly regarded releases on Bedside Manner, Star Beat Music and Gruff Beard Records. And while Melissa & Paul certainly left us with some memorable releases. It was their emotionally charged live sets that earned them their following and respect of show goers and the press alike. Time can only tell if Melissa & Paul will resurface for a show or recording. What's important is they left us with a lot of unique and special memories. Three of the five images featured were taken at Montclair's Meatlocker the fist time I caught them live. The energy coming from both the band and those in attendance mad it feel as if there were over a thousand people in the crowd. An epic event. James Damion

Melissa and Paul

Sink Tapes - Creases

If it wasn't for Jersey Beat's Jim Testa and Holy City Zoo's Frank DeFranco I might have completely missed the boat on New Brunswick's Sink Tapes. The honest truth of the matter is, that with all the bands, shows and releases I take in. I find myself missing out on more than you might imagine.

Additionally, in helping create and sustain a music blog for almost four years. I've learned that, as much as I thought I knew about music, the scene and what's happening within.
I really know nothing.
Which ultimately brings me to Sink Tapes and their latest release 'Creases'. Recently named as one of the
35 NJ Bands We're Excited About in 2015.
Creases opens with the laid back and mellowed out
Maybe Gray. A song that more than lives up to it's title with it's melancholic jangle pop majesty. Bugs follows with similar results and by the time
Blow Me a Kiss, a personal favorite of mine, is done. You begin to understand and appreciate just where Sink Tapes excel. While the bands Lo-Fi approach and melancholy brilliance can easily bring praise from fans of the beloved Guided By Voices. I couldn't stop myself from planting my own "What if the Lemonheads, Jesus Mary Chain and
the Black Hollies had a threesome that produced a lovechild who possessed
uncanny super powers?" seeds as to where Sink Tapes sound took me.  
400 Mint Records and Sniffling Indie

If Creases 13 songs aren't enough to win you over. There are twelve bonus tracks that include demo and acoustic versions of many of the songs. 'Creases' is a perfect example of when an album takes you out of your usual comfort zone, only to put you in a new, unexplored one. I highly recommend exploring all of Sink Tapes catalog. Just make sure you start with 'Creases'. James Damion

Sniffling Indie Kids  Get it Here

Sink Tapes

United By Images; Chambers (Old Love)

I was standing outside of ABC No Rio when I managed to start a conversation with Jim Testa of Jersey Beat. For whatever reason Jim seemed to know me. So when I enquired about the possibility of becoming a contributor. His response,
"We'll, I don't really cover much Hardcore."
though predictable, irked me. Looking back, I felt that somehow, a lot of people saw me as this one dimensional "Joe Hardcore" character more than twenty years after I last produced an issue of my short lived fanzine. One who was still referred to by many as James Unite. 

Regardless of any preconceived notions Jim might have had. I assured him that my interests in music lay far beyond that of any genre or sub genre labeling. Before long, my pestering paid off and Jim handed me my first assignment.
An interview with New Jersey Hardcore Metal act Chambers. While I had no prior knowledge of the band. I had their brand new album "Old Love" and two consecutive shows to help me get familiar. The first night I headed to Clifton's Dingbatz to see the band perform with the mind blowing
Tiger Flowers and a host of others.
What impressed me most about Chambers and singer Dan Pelic in particular, was how they took on the lazy son of a bitches who were too busy to leave the comfort zone of the bar. Chambers were one of the rare acts there, or anywhere else for that matter, to bring it to the crowd. Dan leaped from the comfort of the stage and got in the face of everyone while challenging those at the bar to make the price of admission worth a damn.
Before the end of the night. I had two new bands to cheer for and an interview set up for the next at Maxwells.

Aside from getting to experience some new music. The guys in Chambers were aces and the interview turned out to be the first of many collaborations with Jersey Beat and Jim Testa.
I also look at my interview with the band as a moment where my exposure to music and in particular, the NJ music scene began to broaden. Great thanks to Dan Pelic, Gregg Kautz and Vinnie Fiore for making my first assignment so enjoyable.
James Damion

James on James: James Damion gets the 411 on CoolDad Music from James Appio.

It's hard to fathom that CoolDad Music has only been around for two years. With the amount of content and consistency of which it's delivered. You would think that CDM was a state institution with a history as long as New Jersey treasures Jersey Beat and the Aquarian. After months of getting familiar with CoolDad Music and engaging James in Facebook discussions. I decided to reach out to its creator to talk about the site, staying busy and just what I've been missing on the south side of things.

JD: How did the inspiration for Cool Dad Music come about? Had you written about music before that? Maybe had a fanzine or contributed to someone else's?

JA: I’d never done anything like this before. I just spent a lot of time sharing favorite songs, album recommendations, grainy phone pictures from shows on social media. My friends used to say to me, “You should start a blog.” So I did.
     I’d kind of gotten to the point in my professional life where I wasn’t deriving much fulfillment from work, and CoolDad Music turned into an extremely rewarding second job. I joke that I’ve put more work into and gotten more out of running the blog than I ever did from 20-odd years at “real jobs.”

JD: Did you know what you wanted to cover from the get go? What's your focus?

JA: My focus has really evolved. I’ve got the tagline at the top of the blog that says
“Thoughts on mainstream indie music from a cooldad on the Jersey Shore.” At the beginning, I was just writing mostly about the music I was listening to on something like SiriusXMU.
The “Big Indie” like Arcade Fire and The Walkmen and Vampire Weekend. I was also reviewing shows by national touring acts either in Asbury or NYC.
     In the search for other stuff to write about, though, I started to open my eyes to things happening locally. I like to say that the half-full can of PBR that King Khan threw from the stage at Asbury Lanes knocked some sense into me when it landed on my head. It was that, plus hooking up with and contributing to a great local webzine here --
Speak Into My Good Eye -- that shifted my focus a bit. Things changed when I realized that there was this whole world of local music right in my backyard. I started to try and make it a point to let people know that, “Hey. You can go out almost every night of the week around here and see something really great.”

Alex Rosen at Asbury Park's Wonder Bar. Photo; James Appio

I’ve also gotten more and more into taking pictures at shows, so there’s a lot of pics at the blog as well.
     I’ve done a couple of book reviews. A few movie reviews.
 So focus? I’m not sure I’m really that focused. But I’m much more locally tuned in than when I started. Maybe I should change that tagline.

JD: Can you pinpoint something that might set you apart from the other catrillion blog and web slingers covering music in our area?

JA: I think my point of view and my approach set me apart a bit. I like to say that CoolDad Music is a blog not a webzine. What I mean by that is that it’s still really my personal observations on what’s going on. I’m not a journalist or a critic. I would love to have as many people as possible read the blog and let me know what they think, but I’m not trying to “monetize pageviews” or produce “clickable content” or whatever. I just try to write about the way a show or a song or a record makes me feel. What it makes me think about.
How it relates to my experience. And my experience is that of a middle-aged, suburban husband and father of two who has the most wonderful amazing wife in the world. She can tell what makes me happy and encourages me to go for it. So I go out a few nights a week to see bands that I know, or to catch something new; and I try to write about it in a way that’s interesting even if you don’t know or care about the actual music. Sometimes I’m probably guilty of using the music I listen to as an excuse to write about something entirely different with the show or the album as just a stepping stone.

JD: How long before you went from a blog to a .com?

JA: I’ve been CoolDadMusic.com from the beginning. I went and got the domain, figured out how to make it point to Blogger, and went live. I still use Blogger which is both beautiful and frustrating in its simplicity. It doesn’t really take any technical knowledge to get a post on the site, but it’s also limiting in some ways. For example, I’ve developed this whole convoluted workflow to get HTML5 slideshows into my posts so that people can see the pics on their phones. I’ve thought about moving to Wordpress, but I’m a creature of habit and fear change.
     Wow. That was kind of a boring answer. Sorry.

JD: No worries, we're old.

JD: Do you feel being a .com makes you come off looking more legit. Get you more review submissions and traffic?

JA: Like I said, I’ve been a .com since the beginning, so I’m not sure how being a .com vs a .blogspot.com affects traffic. But, for me, the biggest positive influencer of traffic and readership is actually getting out and meeting people in real life. It’s funny. We’re so plugged into social media and the Internet. And I have some hermit-like, anti-social tendencies that could really be exacerbated by our disconnected electronic world. But it’s the real connections with real people that make the most difference, at least on the scale that I’m operating at now.

JD: I'm currently wracking my brain trying to remember who put me on to the term
"Dad Rock". When I picture the term, I can't help but picture fat, balding men wearing
Dad jeans. Would that be an accurate description of Dad Rock and does it relate to the term "Cool Dad Music"?

JA: Dad Rock to me is guitar-based rock music played, mostly, by men over the age of about 35. It’s pretty conventional and usually based on “classic rock.” I think of bands like
The National, The Walkmen, The Hold Steady, and Wilco as Dad Rock. I know it’s used as a negative and a joke, but I like a lot of those bands. But I am a dad.
     CoolDad Music is more about my being a cooldad -- a guy who’s reached a point in life where many people think you kind of stop evolving your tastes. Instead, I do stuff like go to FYF Fest in LA to traipse around in the dirt and dust with a bunch of twentysomethings. It’s kind of a dig at myself, like a joke about how all those kids must see me when I’m out there with them. Funny thing is, though, most of them don’t care and have just welcomed me and accepted me like any other music lover. Also, in the old days when I was just posting stuff to Twitter and Facebook, I would hashtag it #cooldad to kind of say, “Yeah. I’m a dad and I like hipster music.”
     I’ve expanded CoolDad Music from a purely one-man operation by adding fellow cooldad Scotch LaRock as another columnist. We met through the blog, and it turns out he’s just like me when it comes to his love of music. It’s nice to know there are more of us out there.

JD: I often kid myself about going to more shows at places like The Saint, Brighton Bar, Asbury Lanes and the Stone Pony. Truth is, I can rarely deal with driving both ways and I hate public transportation. Aside from that. I'm flat out lazy. Tell me a little bit about what's happening on your side of the tracks.

JA: It seems like so much. Like I said, it’s possible to see some quality show just about every single night of the week.
     Asbury Lanes is just a unique and wonderful place with one of the friendliest, most welcoming staffs around. Jenn, Mike, Sam, and everybody there really care about what they’re doing. Same goes for Scott and Meg over at The Saint. Plus, The Saint may be my favorite place to take pictures. The Brighton gets lots of interesting and venerable bands through, almost always paired with some local acts. I saw Jonathan Richman at The Brighton this year, and it may have been my favorite live experience all year. The Stone Pony is the big name venue in the area, but it’s still small enough that it’s great when you can see one of your heroes there. Ensuring that you end up with a good spot can take some planning and preparation, though.
     In addition to those places, there are some new-ish things happening. There are a bunch of free shows every week. Christine Feola who runs Dark City Entertainment down here puts on a free show at The Wonder Bar every, single Monday. “Happy Mondays” has grown into one of the major events of the week. Thursday through Saturday see a bunch of free shows on the boardwalk at the Langosta Lounge / Asbury Park Yacht Club complex. And there’s also a growing DIY scene at places like the Wunderloft, Red Bank Rehearsal Studios, and dens and basements all around the area.

Asbury’s Little Dickman Records is a great rock and roll label run by two of the coolest people around, Chris Yaniak and Amy Earixson.
The Battery Electric, Hot Blood, Corrina Corrina, T.V. Tramps, Inspecter 7, Wolfcock are all on the label; and they all care about fostering music here in the area.
     You may not have to travel too far to see some of the bands from down here. I think Hot Blood and The Vansaders are going to stop at
The Lamp Post in Jersey City and The Gutter in Brooklyn on their current tour. You should definitely go see them.

JD: I think it's safe to say that we are an aging breed. We're past our high school, college and mid to continually late 20's. What is it that still motivates you to leave the house, cover live music and buy records?

JA: It’s just my favorite thing to do in the world, it turns out. I was having just a crappy day at work earlier this year. I managed to wrangle myself an invite to a Sharon Van Etten lunchtime taping for the A.V. Club at the Stone Pony. I got off of my conference call and went inside to hear her do Springsteen’s “Drive All Night,” and I was transported. Everything for the rest of the day was better.
     I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been up front at a show and just stopped to close my eyes and let everything wash over me. Or how many times, confronted with some situation or moment, I’ve thought of a song that plays over it like a movie soundtrack.
     People tell me that it’s kind of funny the way I always manage to bring every conversation back to music or relate everything to an experience at a show or to an album I like, but that’s me. My wife recognized that music is what makes me happy, so she has encouraged me every step of the way.
     Sometimes I wish I had found all this out sooner -- or acted on it, anyway. But I am having a blast now.

Dentist (The Band) performing at Asbury Park's The Saint. Photo; James Appio

JD: I recall you mentioning Dentist as your current favorites. What is it about them that you love so much. Any other favorites that can't go without mention?
(past and present)

JA: Dentist are definitely one of my local favorites around here. They just hit on a lot of things that I really like. Reverb, fuzz, surf, hooks, pop. And no other Asbury-based bands are really doing what they do now, so there’s a freshness to them.

I mentioned the Little Dickman bands. Hot Blood and The Battery Electric, especially, do a lot to try and grow the local music scene. Not only are they really good bands in their own right, but they also try to bring bands from other areas to Asbury. Corrina, Corrina are a band of under-20-somethings that I can see going onto bigger things if they stick with it.
     Smalltalk is a relatively new band made up of Zak Kaplan, Jamie Goldfarb, Tara Jones, John Chladniček, and Pete Steinkopf of The Bouncing Souls.
They do late 80s, British-sounding stuff like The Jesus and Mary Chain or
The Wedding Present. Black Wine are one of a couple of bands maybe associated a little more with New Brunswick that I think of as local. They’re a great band (they call themselves no-core) who are based down here now. Brick Mower are another New Brunswick via Monmouth County pop punky band I like.
     Then there’s the eclectic prog of Accidental Seabirds or the drone-y noise of Wreaths. There’s garage rock from The Von Mons and Ba Babes. Bob Paulos and Nick Cucci of GayGuy / StraightGuy are one of the loudest, hardest rocking two-pieces around.
River City Extension have a new album coming next year. Oh, and Dollys. Another indie pop band. They’re from New Brunswick, too; but they’ve kind of made Asbury a second home.
     I’m not trying to name drop. These are all good bands. There are more that I’m forgetting, but that’s why you’ve got to get down here and see for yourself or keep on the lookout for them in case they show up closer to you.
     My all-time favorites are artists like Bob Mould, The Replacements, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine, Billy Bragg, The Clash, Neutral Milk Hotel, Built to Spill, Pavement. For the last few years, I’ve loved Titus Andronicus, Screaming Females,
The Men, Shellshag, Waxahatchee, Swearin’. I’ve also been kind of into some of these 90s revival bands like California X, Milk Music, Diarrhea Planet. And I just heard this band, Further, who are actually a 90s band that never really made it big. I’ve been loving the compilation they’re putting out in a few weeks.

Thanks for all of the questions. Get yourself down here and tell some of the bands you like to come down here and play. I’m always up for something new, and I don’t like driving much either.

CoolDad Music
​

Cold Fur -Blouses of the Holy / 667 The Neighbor of the Beast

On their second EP to date Jersey City hell raisers
Cold Fur continue to take a blowtorch and chainsaw to what has become accepted as
Rock & Roll in many circles these days. Bringing a mix of abusive Stoner and Hard Rock to abusive levels of debauchery

Like a dark and heavy cloud descending on a small town, Cold Fur come heavy and loud. Offering unapologetic, balls out, tongue firmly placed in cheek rock at it's very best.
Killing Horse records should hire a tour bus to carry this bands cojones from show to show. Though the band,
it's personnel and sound will always share a connection with and ultimately be compared to The Rye Coalition  I don't think that's in any way a bad thing. Depending on your positioning, 'Blouses of the Holy' and '667 Neighbor of the Beast' will either keep you on your toes or knock you on your ass. Go get some. James Damion

KillingHorse Records  Get it Here