North Jersey Notes: Passing Planets, Apefight, The Compulsions and more

PASSING PLANETS—Nyack, NY

A young band from Nyack, NY recently came across my plate via theaquarian.com. Yes, we do actually read those! Anyway, the name of the band was Passing Planets, so I decided to log onto the band’s ReverbNation page, reverbnation.com/passingplanets, where I was able to hear a track off of the band’s upcoming EP, Out of Sight, Out of Mind. The name of the song was “Bite My Tongue,” and it was an extremely modern sounding song until about two and half minutes in. That’s where they brought out the metal, and it rocked all the way until the end. It made this listener very happy!

Passing Planets only formed this past June in Nyack, NY, but they’ve managed to stay very busy since forming with multiple local and regional shows, while pushing their music and merch all summer long. Passing Planet’s consists of singer and guitarist Chris Bambi, bassist Brandyn Brady, guitarist Mark Martino and drummer Alex Kouvaris.

The boys from Passing Planets don’t plan on slowing down any time soon. A couple of months ago, they went into the studio to start tracking their upcoming EP, which they expected to release sometime this month. Check these guys out! They’re pretty good! To fiind out more about the band, log onto reverbnation.com/passingplanets.

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

My bros, Ape Fight, one of the most bizarre bands in North Jersey, recently released a ridiculous holiday song called “New Christmas Dance,” or as they like to call it ‘Blah Blah Blah Christmas,’ just in time to download this past holiday season. They released the song under the moniker The Feasters, an original band ‘from Croatia.’ Yes, they are freaks, but they’re lovable freaks! They even ended their mass email to promote their Christmas song by saying, “We like getting presents too! Send us a photo of your _____!” What the hell is the matter with these guys? Anyway, download the latest Ape Fight Christmas carol on apefight.com or itunes.com.

Anyone catch the return of The Compulsions last Saturday night at Don Hill’s in NYC? What a show! My bud, and main compulsion, Robbie Carlyle, put together quite a lineup for the band’s return. Rob was joined by Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Richard Fortus and G’N’R drummer Frank Ferrer along with legendary bassist Sami Yaffa, who’s better known for his work with the Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe, Jetboy, New York Dolls and Joan Jett. Rob also reminded me that he’s working on the new Compulsions CD tentatively titled, Beat the Devil. The CD will include songs like “I Was Right, You Were Wrong,” “The Buzz” and “Shut Yer Hole,” which features special guest, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf guitarist, Hubert Sumlin. Keep an eye out for The Compulsions in 2011! You can keep track of them on thecompulsionsnyc.com.

And finally, my high school chum, Eric Cohen, former drummer of Hello Eden and current drummer of Just Kait, has recently put together a solo project called Mag Animus. He just released a CD with the same name. I was dying to hear what it sounded like, and you can definitely hear Eric’s stoner rock influences on these tracks, except the song “Children of Aeon,” where I felt he showcased more of his hard rock background. I also really liked the songs “On the Radio” and “Serendipity.” Eric is currently searching for a band to take Mag Animus live. He is looking for a lead guitarist, bassist and drummer. So, if you think that you have the chops to play with Eric, email him at info@eobelisk.com. If you want to hear the songs first, log onto facebook.com/maganimus.

That’s all for now! If your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424, or you can email me at tim@theaquarian.com, where you can also let me know where you’re performing next!

Just remember: we are all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!

Tim Louie is the author of S**t Happens.

NJN Concert Calendar:

1/15—With Daggers Drawn—Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ

1/19—Diablo Royale/ZO2/Sweet Cyanide—Canal Room, NYC

1/20—Killcode—Highline Ballroom, NYC

1/22—Passing Planets—Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre, NY

1/22—Incognito Theory/Diecast—Championship Bar and Grill, Trenton, NJ

1/23—Endall—School of Rock, Hackensack, NJ

1/28—ZO2—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

1/29—Passing Planets—School of Rock East, South Hackensack, NJ

2/5—Pharoah—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

2/5—Passing Planets—Lodi Boys and Girls Club, Lodi, NJ

2/5—Piston Driven—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

2/7—Cascadence—Angels and Kings, NYC

2/9—Knollwood—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ