NOTABLE LOCALS, VOL. 1
Here at the Jersey Shore, there are musicians of various ages with direct Bruce Springsteen lineage and/or no-doubt-about-it style similarities, and then there are those who have no Boss connections whatsoever.
No official poll has been conducted, but it's safe to say that the latter group dominates the Shore scene.
But public perception -- well, that's a different story, thanks to Springsteen's long shadow and influence, plus the lack of original Shore-bred acts to break nationally in the last 20 years.
That perception certainly will not change before Dec. 9. That's when a monument featuring Springsteen and the names of many of his 1960s/'70s contemporaries will be unveiled in Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore's unofficial music capital.
A companion concert featuring E Street Band veterans Garry Tallent and Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, plus other monument-honored musicians, will take place that night at The Stone Pony.
Congratulations to the honorees. Enjoy your day of recognition. Now let's move on to the current crop of Shore artists.
Up-and-coming musicians everywhere often take a back seat in the mainstream press -- and for myriad reasons, including the lack of space on printed pages and being eclipsed by the familiar and famous.
But thanks to the Internet -- and especially MySpace.com -- tentative fans can learn some basics about unfamiliar bands and listen to their music for free before choosing to buy it or venturing to a club performance.
Surfing the Internet can be time-consuming, though, and with that in mind, below are three solid Shore-based acts worth checking out. (Look for more developing Shore artists to appear in the Sounding Off spotlight down the road.) After all, to ignore the present means there will be little hope for the future.
THE CHILLING DETAILS:
This rock trio, which started out in August 2005, has the chops to play rough ("Little Disaster"), radio-friendly smooth ("GoGo") or shift gears mid-song and stretch out a bit ("Bobby Jones"). Last summer, the band won the Underground Live competition presented by G Rock Radio.
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/thechillingdetails
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 8: Future Starz Studio/Fairfield, N.J.
Dec. 12: The Court Tavern/New Brunswick, N.J.
MEETS WEST:
This band has a lot in common with the aforementioned Chilling Details: The trio, a fellow Underground Live competition finalist, isn't limited to three chords and by-the-numbers structures.
What's different about Meets West, though, is its shout-along choruses (particularly "That Girl" and "Addict") and punchier rhythm section. Look for the release of a full-length CD in early 2007.
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/meetswest
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 9: Loop Lounge/Passaic, N.J.
Dec. 15: Knitting Factory/New York
THE PARLOR MOB:
A lot has happened in 2006 for the band formerly known as What About Frank?. In June, the quintet recorded a four-song EP for Capitol Records (due in early 2007) and a video shoot is planned for this month. Good ol' fashioned, '70s-styled riffery and rock-god singing are the band's thing (listen no further than "Bullet" for proof).
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/theparlormob
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 10: Court Tavern/New Brunswick, N.J.
Dec. 11: North Star Bar/Philadelphia
Here at the Jersey Shore, there are musicians of various ages with direct Bruce Springsteen lineage and/or no-doubt-about-it style similarities, and then there are those who have no Boss connections whatsoever.
No official poll has been conducted, but it's safe to say that the latter group dominates the Shore scene.
But public perception -- well, that's a different story, thanks to Springsteen's long shadow and influence, plus the lack of original Shore-bred acts to break nationally in the last 20 years.
That perception certainly will not change before Dec. 9. That's when a monument featuring Springsteen and the names of many of his 1960s/'70s contemporaries will be unveiled in Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore's unofficial music capital.
A companion concert featuring E Street Band veterans Garry Tallent and Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, plus other monument-honored musicians, will take place that night at The Stone Pony.
Congratulations to the honorees. Enjoy your day of recognition. Now let's move on to the current crop of Shore artists.
Up-and-coming musicians everywhere often take a back seat in the mainstream press -- and for myriad reasons, including the lack of space on printed pages and being eclipsed by the familiar and famous.
But thanks to the Internet -- and especially MySpace.com -- tentative fans can learn some basics about unfamiliar bands and listen to their music for free before choosing to buy it or venturing to a club performance.
Surfing the Internet can be time-consuming, though, and with that in mind, below are three solid Shore-based acts worth checking out. (Look for more developing Shore artists to appear in the Sounding Off spotlight down the road.) After all, to ignore the present means there will be little hope for the future.
THE CHILLING DETAILS:
This rock trio, which started out in August 2005, has the chops to play rough ("Little Disaster"), radio-friendly smooth ("GoGo") or shift gears mid-song and stretch out a bit ("Bobby Jones"). Last summer, the band won the Underground Live competition presented by G Rock Radio.
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/thechillingdetails
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 8: Future Starz Studio/Fairfield, N.J.
Dec. 12: The Court Tavern/New Brunswick, N.J.
MEETS WEST:
This band has a lot in common with the aforementioned Chilling Details: The trio, a fellow Underground Live competition finalist, isn't limited to three chords and by-the-numbers structures.
What's different about Meets West, though, is its shout-along choruses (particularly "That Girl" and "Addict") and punchier rhythm section. Look for the release of a full-length CD in early 2007.
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/meetswest
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 9: Loop Lounge/Passaic, N.J.
Dec. 15: Knitting Factory/New York
THE PARLOR MOB:
A lot has happened in 2006 for the band formerly known as What About Frank?. In June, the quintet recorded a four-song EP for Capitol Records (due in early 2007) and a video shoot is planned for this month. Good ol' fashioned, '70s-styled riffery and rock-god singing are the band's thing (listen no further than "Bullet" for proof).
MySpace page: www.myspace.com/theparlormob
Upcoming gigs:
Dec. 10: Court Tavern/New Brunswick, N.J.
Dec. 11: North Star Bar/Philadelphia
posted by Chris M. Junior at 8:27 PM
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