I recently received an email from Cover Her Face drummer, Jason Steiginga, wanting me to give his band a listen, or he wanted me to at least spread the word about his band. So, like I do with all bands that want me to give them a listen, I obliged! Sometimes, I wish that I didn’t waste the three to four minutes listening to some bands that ask me to, but it’s part of being a critic, I guess. When I went over to myspace.com/coverherface, I wasn’t sure how I felt when I heard songs like “Blue-Collar Martyrs” and “His Bitter Sweet.” I definitely didn’t feel it was a waste of time to listen to them, but I also felt that the music was kind of all over the place. The screaming, or more like yelling, vocals of singer Carl Gasbarro really distract you from the music. I mean, personally, I’m not a fan of the constant yelling and no melody vocals, but there is a market for it. Musically, Cover Her Face does fill its songs up with some basic but tasty metal riffs that are very nice to hear every now and then.
Cover Her Face formed in 2007 when guitarist John Ziegler and drummer Jason Steiginga, who played in a couple of bands together previously, started rehearsing with the intention of starting a new project. Bassist Barry Schultz joined the band soon after and the three began writing together, as the search began for a singer. They solidified their line-up by adding singer Carl Gasbarro, whose dynamic vocals and penetrating lyrics were exactly what the band was looking for. In the summer of this year, Cover Her Face added a second guitar player in Frank Cimillo, whose leads and technical skills helped to give the band a fuller, more aggressive sound.
For a band who’s managed to stay under wraps for the past couple of years, Cover Her Face seems to be getting some much needed airplay. They currently have a seven-song EP out called Carmen Ex Cado Sanctus, and apparently WSOU is playing songs from it on their Street Patrol show. Cover Her Face is currently writing material for their new CD that they hope to have out in the fall, but they’re also playing as they write. Find out where they’re playing next by logging onto myspace.com/coverherface.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
The gang from Kosmic Daydream has finally released their long-awaited EP, Piss And Vinegar. The CD features the pop-punk track “Picnic” followed by the anthemic “Asshole,” which is probably about me, and concludes with a pretty cool cover version of Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown.” The songs can be heard on Kosmic Daydream’s MySpace page, myspace.com/kosmicdaydream, where the EP Piss And Vinegar can also be ordered. In other Kosmic Daydream news, the band has recently added drummer Jerry Adamo to the line-up. Many of you might recognize Jerry from his former bands Dirty Old Man and The Railways. The Kosmic ones parted ways with their former drummer, Jose, back in May. To find out where Kosmic Daydream is playing next, log onto kosmicdaydream.com.
Has anyone heard the new track from A Lesson In Violence? Holy crap! These guys are not messing around! They are brutal and every time that I give them a listen I feel like I just got my ass kicked! The new song that they posted on MySpace is called “Burn Your Bridges Behind You,” and I’m exhausted just from listening to it. For those of you scratching your heads still, A Lesson In Violence features Dave from Dead Letter Box, Tim and Kevin from Split Vision, Lance from The Reckoning, and Kanky from the Marc Rizzo Band. Check them out at myspace.com/alessoninviolenceband.
And finally, I keep forgetting to mention that Black Water Rising’s self-titled debut CD, which features the Sirius/XM hit “Brother Go On” and my favorite “Hate Machine,” has officially been released and is available for purchase on iTunes. The CD dropped last month and I kept meaning to mention it, so what better time than now! So, get over to iTunes to buy the self-titled debut from Black Water Rising today! For more info on it, log onto blackwaterrising.com.
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:
8/12—Echofission—Hackettstown Summer Concert Series, Hackettstown, NJ
8/13—Atom Strange—The Bowery Electric, NYC
8/14—Black Water Rising—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
8/14—Cover Her Face—BLVD Bar and Grill, Elmwood Park, NJ
8/15—Kosmic Daydream/Jim Testa/Mod Fun—Buddie’s Tavern, Parlin, NJ
8/20—Saints of Pain—Don Hill’s, NYC
8/21—Life Without Warning—Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, NJ
8/22—Rahway—Rock The Ink Festival, Providence, RI
8/22—Echofission—Wharton Canal Day Music Festival, Wharton, NJ
8/22—Bled For Glory—Mountain Creek, Vernon, NJ
8/22—Claire’s Well/Hope Kills Fear—The Cup Complex, Linden, NJ
8/22—Ape Fight—The Lamp Post, Jersey City, NJ
8/23—Mean Venus/Pretty Boy Floyd—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/24—Diablo Royale—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
8/28—Milan/The Wailers—The Surf Club, Seaside Heights, NJ
8/29—Split Vision (final show)/Piston Driven—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
8/29—Diablo Royale—Maximum Capacity, Chicopee, MA
8/29—Bled For Glory—Automata Chino, Jersey City, NJ
8/29—Mean Venus—Victory Motorcycle Event, Lebanon, NJ
8/29—Cover Her Face—Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ
8/31—Diablo Royale—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
