North Jersey Notes: The Bad News, Scarlet Carson, A Lesson In Violence, And More!

I’ve written about these guys a few times, but now it’s time to officially introduce them with a feature. Singer Jimmy Forest is the former head honcho of the band Beatrix Kiddo, who is now defunct, but one of the good bands to come out of Jersey. Jimmy went on to play with that hottie Natasha Komis for a little while, but he needed to fulfill his destiny as a lead singer. So, he teamed up with guitarist Jimmy Franklin and put together The Bad News, and already they are creating quite a buzz in the North Jersey area!

Earlier this year, Forest and Franklin formed The Bad News in Jimmy’s basement somewhere in Dirty Jersey. Both young chaps come from a couple of popular local bands called Hollander and Beatrix Kiddo. The new dynamic duo knew what they wanted and what direction they wanted to head in. Choosing bassist Travis Smith and drummer Jeff Strahle was a no-brainer since they shared the same vision as the two Jimmys, plus they were former bandmates of the two guys anyway. That just meant the chemistry was already there.

Jimmy Forest asked me for my opinion on his new music and I loved what I hear so far! The songs “Keep The Faith,” “Sleeping With The Enemy,” and “Love Song” have this strong ‘80s influence and Jimmy’s vocals are very reminiscent of Stephen Pearcy from Ratt. I have to say, it’s a great direction they’re heading in—especially since Jimmy is a huge Steel Panther fan! The Bad News has been making their way onto the club scene and already is causing quite a stir. They’ve already been on Maria Mar’s local music show on 95.9 The Wrat! Not even I’ve been on The Wrat yet! Anyway, find out where Jimmy and the boys from The Bad News are playing next by logging onto reverbnation.com/thebadnews69.

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

My boys Scarlet Carson look like they’ll be hitting the road with a mini-tour up in Michigan with NYC’s The August Infinity at the end of June! That’s a pretty good package because both bands are extremely similar musically. Scarlet Carson will be returning to Jersey in July with a headlining stint at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. If you can’t wait that long, catch Scarlet Carson live this Thursday night (6/7) with Eye Empire, Mother, and Atom Strange at Sullivan Hall in NYC or log onto scarletcarson.ning.com for all of your Scarlet Carson news.

My bros from A Lesson In Violence have been chosen to compete in a battle for a chance to perform at this year’s Mayhem Festival in Camden on July 27. The battle is a two-day event that will take place at the Starland Ballroom on June 23 and June 24. Some other North Jersey Notes alumni partaking in the battle are Life Without Warning, Aurin, and Betrayus. This should be a pretty interesting battle and the prize is totally worth the fight! I have to apologize to the other bands because A Lesson In Violence really are my bros, and I will be pulling for them to win this! Sorry! Learn more about A Lesson In Violence at reverbnation.com/alessoninviolence.

And finally, my bros from Panzie* recently filmed a new music video for their song “Rock ‘N’ Roll Hammer” off of their new CD, Love And Blood, which hits shelves this summer. That’s not all, though! The boys will have a very busy summer with shows in Coney Island, Philadelphia, Governors Island, and all over NYC. Expect to hear a lot about Panzie* in the coming months! Check them out now at reverbnation.com/panzie.

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’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!

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

NJN Concert Calendar:

6/7—Eye Empire/Mother/Atom Strange/Scarlet Carson—Sullivan Hall, NYC

6/7—Shadowplay—G Lounge, Philadelphia, PA

6/7—Steve Brown Acoustic Trio—Thatcher McGees, Pompton Lakes, NJ

6/8—Darrow Chemical Co./Dead N Wasted/Stillborn Monster Babies—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/8—Eye Empire/LadyKiller—7 Days Bar and Grill, Union Beach, NJ

6/8—Ghosts of Eden/Charetta—The Brighton Bar, Long Beach , NJ

6/9—Ten Foot Tall—John and Peter’s, New Hope, PA

6/9—Division 1.1—Roxy N Duke, Dunellen, NJ

6/9—Summer Jam Festival—Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ

6/13—Shattered Realm/Death Before Dishonor—7 Days Bar and Grill, Union Beach, NJ

6/15—Richie Scarlet—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/16—Kosmic Daydream/The Black 100s—Goodbye Blue Monday, Brooklyn, NY

6/16—Fate Strikes Twice/Charetta/Killcode—The Gramercy Theater, NYC

6/22—AUG—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/23—Panzie*—The Tattoo Shot Lounge, Brooklyn, NY

6/23—Shadowplay—The Grape Room, Philadelphia, PA

6/23—Ten Foot Tall—Unionville Winery, Ringoes, NJ

6/23—Aurin—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

6/24—Panzie*—Governor’s Island, NYC

6/24—A Lesson In Violence—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

6/25—Steve Brown—Dutchmans, Manahawkin, NJ

6/29—Ten Foot Tall—Olive’s, Nyack, NY

6/29—Mother—The Silo, Reading, PA