North Jersey Notes: Cashmier

CashmierI got an email the other day from Vince Albano, the singer of a band called Cashmier, asking me to check out his band. I know that I say this every week, but I do check out every band that asks me to give them a listen, or at least give time to those bands who actually take the time to send me a CD through snail mail. Anyway, I did go and check out the band Cashmier on MySpace and it turns out that they’re a local band from the ‘80s who’ve recently reunited. Their music was definitely dated. Songs like “Moving On,” “Monster,” and “Insane” sounded like they would’ve sounded great during that era. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how this style of music will fit with what’s going on today. The music was good, however, and if Cashmier is doing this for the love of playing, and not trying to compete with the music of today, then they will be just fine because believe it or not, there still is a market for ‘80s rock!

Back in the ‘80s, Cashmier was one of the top bands on the circuit opening for bands like Kix, Riot, Anthrax, Twisted Sister, and White Lion. The band did break-up after a pretty successful run at the top. About two years ago, the members of Cashmier were invited to play a L’Amour reunion show when the legendary rock club re-established itself in Staten Island. The guys from Cashmier had so much fun playing again that they decided to take another stab at it. Joining singer Vince Albano in Cashmier is lead guitarist Dean Santa (the only NJ resident in the band), bassist Hughie Walmar, and drummer Tony Lazzara, though drummer Keith Lopez is credited for playing drums on the song “Moving On.”

Cashmier is currently writing and recording their as-yet-untitled upcoming CD, which they hope to release by June 1. They were supposed to play with Zebra on March 21, but decided to cancel so that they can finish recording their CD. If you want to find out more about Cashmier or want to find out when they’re playing, log onto myspace.com/nycashmier.

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

Evan Toth And The Excuses have a new bass player! Evan recently sent out an email saying that he’s amicably parted ways with his former bass player, Gregg, and replaced him with new bass player, Jeff Constantine, without even missing a gig! Evan Toth And The Excuses were also recently asked to take part in a small acoustic show down at Rockin’ Joe’s Coffeehouse in NYC for a radio promotion for 101.9 WXRP. Stay tuned to the Evan Toth saga by logging onto evantoth.com.

The gang from Kosmic Daydream have posted a couple of new videos on their YouTube page; one being live footage for their song “A**hole,” and the other is live footage of the band covering the Led Zeppelin classic “Communication Breakdown.”You can check these videos out at youtube.com/kosmicdaydream or you can check Kosmic Daydream out at kosmicdaydream.com.

And finally, I recently stopped down at the Gotham Rocks showcase at Crash Mansion in NYC, and caught a rockin’ set by a NYC band called Eve To Adam that you’ll here more about in the coming weeks, but most importantly, I got to catch my boys from Diablo Royale’s set. The boys sounded great as always, only this time, I thought that singer Adrian Barrios had really stepped up his game as a front man! During this set, I thought that Adrian really took command of the stage and the crowd. You need to see Diablo Royale live! Fid out where they’re playing next at myspace.com/diabloroyalerock.

That’s all for now! And remember, if your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your demos and press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424. No cover bands, please!

Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!

NJN Concert Calendar:
3/13—BoundAlive CD Release Party—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/13—Reverse Order—Shacks Sports Bar, Frenchtown, NJ
3/13—Shadows Lie—O’Brien’s, Coram, NY
3/13—Evan Toth and the Excuses—Caffe Vivaldi, NYC
3/14—Hybrid Dawn—Sinclair’s, West Babylon, NY
3/15—Reverse Order—V.F.W. (The Break Contest Round 2), Cedar Grove, NJ
3/19—ZO2/Bret Michaels—Mulcahy’s, Wantagh, NY
3/20—God Zero/White Knuckle Battery—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/21—Echofission—Buddie’s Tavern, Sayreville, NJ
3/21—Ippy and the Project—Dublin Pub, Morristown, NJ
3/24—Diablo Royale—Crash Mansion, NYC
3/27—Evan Toth and the Excuses—The Brown Room, Cape May, NJ
3/27—Damn Glad—The Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, NJ
3/27—Shadows Lie—O’Brien’s, Coram, NY
3/28—Rahway—Club 35 Player’s Lounge, Sayreville, NJ
3/28—Seven Witches/Autumn Hour/Infernophonic—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/28—Black Water Rising—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
3/29—Shadows Lie—Sullivan Hall, NYC
3/29—Rahway/Bled for Glory—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
3/31—Diablo Royale—Crash Mansion, NYC