Growing up in the same neighborhood helps to form bonds between band members, however, a stronger bond is the bloodline. The Nico Blues are a band made up of two sets of brothers and a longtime friend who is family regardless of genes. The quintet, who are originally from the Northern New Jersey area, have been tearing down the basic walls of the music scene and expanding them through their artist collective, Tiny Giants. Their loud, melodic blend of rock and folk has helped the band reach fans not only locally but all over. With some hard work and determination The Nico Blues beat out some tough competition and won a contest sponsored by mtvU and had their music video for one of the their most successful songs, “Living Proof” aired on the college channel.

2011 was a big year for the five-piece, however, 2012 is going to thrust this band into a new light with the plans to release two six track EPs, the first one being released in…

Morning… has had one hell of a year. Their debut album, Breakfast Forever was released at a stupendous show and only pushed the band to work harder in the remaining months of 2011. Now that it’s 2012, the band is taking some time to write new music and playing the occasional show. During my little chat with the quintet we spoke of how the band has changed since their emergence into the music scene as Morning… three years ago and how the Tiny Giants Artist Collective has helped them grow as a band.

How has the band evolved since becoming Morning… roughly three years ago?

Darryl Norrell: Our inside jokes have come along way. We’re starting to incorporate politics now.

George Serr: I think we’ve grown as musicians.

Ben Oliveira: I think our general level of professionalism and musicianship has gone way up. Just the way we write our music in general.

DN: Yeah, we used to not practice three times a week. That’s been a big deal. Our music is different. I mean…

It’s been about five years since I last visited my favorite tattoo shop in New Jersey. Yes, I’m talking about Pure Ink in Ledgewood, NJ, only the last time I was there, they were in a different location. Owners Danny Pain, Graig Berkowitz, and Rich Pizzutillo decided to pick up and move shop right up the road on Route 10 to an even bigger and badder location. My bud, Danny Pain, invited me up to see the new and improved Pure Ink, and I was quick to jump at the opportunity. I have to be brutally honest, though. On my first visit to Pure Ink back in 2006, these guys impressed me so much with their cleanliness, artwork, professionalism, and all-around family setting that they pretty much set the bar pretty high when it came to reviewing other tattoo shops in the years following. Not many reached that bar, but many, however, did come close.

As I drove by the old shop, which looked completely empty, I was pretty excited to see Danny and…

There was this expectation of a long, detailed saga on how singer and songwriter Jay Mickens found his way into music and has reached the point where he finds himself now. However, a carefree attitude seemed to reveal a past that with a simple decision, allowed for a journey to unfold in developing his unique sound, with influences that aren’t out in plain sight. With inspirations rooted in bands known for a harder sound, it is intriguing when first listening to Mickens’ music and finding a soulful, soft rock, coming from the speakers.

It’s been all eyes on Mickens for the past couple of years, playing numerous shows, taking the stage with only his acoustic guitar alongside him. Now there’s a new twist to his story, which sees him welcoming two other fellow musicians on stage, performing as the Jay Mickens Trio. This also has opened a new door for Mickens that may take fans on a new listening adventure that was not heard on his recent EP, If You Just Believe.

With guitar…

The quest for the party that never ends… sex and romance, infidelity, gossip, and gentrification in the city where anything can happen at any time. The song is “Where Are The Freaks,” and the band is Spanking Charlene, a New York City based group that recently won Steven Van Zandt’s Sirius Radio “Best Unsigned Band” contest.

As a result of the contest, Spanking Charlene is releasing two songs through Van Zandt’s label, Wicked Cool Records, and had the songs produced by the legendary guitarist as well.

“A song from our first record called ‘When I’m Skinny’ was entered into the ‘Best Unsigned Band in America’ contest sponsored by The Underground Garage station on Sirius Radio by singer Genya Ravan, who’s a DJ on that station,” explains Charlene. “There were about 1,000 bands entered into the contest, which then got narrowed down to a few hundred. There were a few rounds of Internet voting via the Underground Garage website. It got narrowed down to three bands that faced off in a live competition at Piano’s…