Continuing to bring both local and national acts to the Sayreville stage, the Starland Ballroom is packed throughout the month of October. Listed are the shows to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye out for more concert updates from The Aquarian Weekly.
Oct. 6
Featuring Paul Raymond, Phil Mogg, Vinnie Moore and Andy Parker, the English rock group UFO will start off October at the Starland Ballroom. Formed back in 1969, UFO was originally Hocus Pocus before changing their name in ‘71. They broke into the American music scene in the early ‘80s with their hit “Back Into My Life,” and while the band might have gone through some member changes throughout the decades, they’ve stuck to their classic hard rock sound. Last year, UFO released their 20th studio album, Seven Deadly, via Steamhammer. Special guests Cashmier, Mental Disorder and Saviour will also be performing.
Oct. 9
Debuting in 2010 with Tourist History, which featured the singles “What You Know” and “Something Good Can Work,” Two Door Cinema Club established themselves as an increasingly popular electro-indie trio. After releasing their sophomore record, Beacon, the Irish group was featured on numerous remixes and is now taking to the Starland Ballroom stage Oct. 9 with special guests St. Lucia and Smallpools. Fans of Phoenix and MGMT will enjoy Two Door Cinema Club along with solo electronic pop artist St. Lucia and the catchy pop group, Smallpools.
Oct. 11
For those who like a bit of theatrics with their classic rock, The Machine will be kicking off Columbus Day weekend by covering a number of songs from Pink Floyd’s discography. Paired with light and imagery that take audiences back to the ‘70s, The Machine turn their set into an intense experience. In previous shows, the band has included requests from fans into their set and sometimes will play entire albums by Pink Floyd front to back. Sharing the stage are Lower The Veil and The Brake Brothers Band.
Oct. 12
During their Fall 2013 tour, AFI, Touché Amore and Coming will be making their way to Sayreville in support of new releases. Originating in the early ’90s, AFI started out with a hardcore punk sound, though over the years, began to shift to a more alternative emo route. In 2003, they teamed up with producers Jerry Finn and Butch Vig for Sing The Sorrow, and the record began earning them more mainstream recognition. Now, AFI’s latest album, Burials, is set to release on Oct. 22 while Touché Amore’s Is Survived By dropped Sept. 24 via Deathwish Inc.
Oct. 13
Experimental pop mega mashers The White Panda will soon take over the stage. This past year, they released two editions of Bearly Legal, with both containing dance-style mash-up versions of popular songs like Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” Juicy J’s “Bandz A Make Her Dance” and Green Day’s “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.” Fans of the group Super Mash Bros. will appreciate The White Panda’s unique remix style. Electronic dance trio Cash Cash are set to open.
Oct. 14
Post-hardcore staples Finch will be passing through during their final U.S. tour with Dance Gavin Dance and Reason To Rebel. After Finch’s release of Say Hello To Sunshine in 2005 following their popular 2002 full-length What It Is To Burn, the band went on a brief hiatus. During that time, some of the members went on to join different groups like RX Bandits, The Autumns, Circa Survive and The Sound Of Animals Fighting. Now, during their What It Is To Burn 10thanniversary tour, Finch will be celebrating the success of the album and their notable career for one last time.
Oct. 16
Progressive metal and indie rock group Coheed And Cambria are set to headline Starland Ballroom during their upcoming tour. Fronted by lead singer Claudio Sanchez, Coheed And Cambria are recognized for their distinguishably high vocals and blend of rock genres. Following The Aftermath: Ascension, they put out their seventh release, The Aftermath: Descension. That night, alternative bands Balance And Composure and I The Mighty will open. The PA-based Balance And Composure issued The Things We Think We’re Missing last month via No Sleep Records while I The Mighty released Satori back in January through Equal Vision.
Oct. 18
During their worldwide tour, WSOU presents Between The Buried And Me with The Faceless, The Contortionist and The Safety Fire. The hardcore metal ensemble Between The Buried And Me formed in early 2000 and eventually signed with Victory in 2002. Following the 2011 conceptual EP, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, they released the second issue, The Parallax II: Future Sequence, last October via Metal Blade. Their sound currently resonates somewhere between From Autumn To Ashes and Pantera. All three opening acts resemble a metal quality and The Safety Fire just released Mouth Of Swords in September.
Oct. 19
Pop-punk ensembles Mayday Parade, Man Overboard, Cartel and Stages And Stereos will be stopping by Sayreville during the fourth annual Glamour Kills tour. With Mayday Parade headlining, fans of groups like We The Kings and Plain White T’s will flock toward this show. Mayday Parade came out with their single, “Ghosts,” back in August, and will be releasing their latest album, Monsters In The Closet, Oct. 8. Cartel are widely recognized as being “the band in bubble” during their 2007 PR stint and more recently came out with their 2013 record, Collider. Meanwhile, Stages And Stereos just released their Small Town Favorites EP Sept. 24.
Oct. 20
Country takes over Starland on Oct. 20 with Tennessee singer Rodney Atkins performing along with Southern musicians Frankie Ballard and Rose Falcon. Atkins debuted in 2003 with Honesty, which reflects a soft country sound and a catchy twang, and his new album, Take A Back Road, keeps to a similar tune. Warner Bros. recording artist Frankie Ballard released his country-pop single “Helluva Life” back in July while the sultry singer Rose Falcon just issued the second volume to her EP, 19th Avenue.
Oct. 22
Presented by Monster Energy and HardDrive Live, Black Veil Brides, Stars In Stereo and Throw The Fight will be pumping up the crowd with Bullet For My Valentine headlining. Releasing their fourth full-length, TEMPER TEMPER, this past year via RCA Records, Bullet For My Valentine showcase how they continuously bring their heavy rock quality. Fronted by female lead singer Bec Hollcraft, Stars In Stereo issued their self-titled record this year while California hard rockers Black Veil Brides came out with Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones back in January. Fans of acts like Atreyu and Thrice will gravitate toward this lineup.
Oct. 23
WRAT and WDHA present Papa Roach with Pop Evil and Age Of Days. The West Coast group Papa Roach first got together in the early ‘90s and released their first successful full-length, Infest, in 2000. The band is also recognized for hard rock singles like “Scars” and “Getting Away With Murder” off of their 2004 record, Getting Away With Murder, and just released their seventh record, The Connection, last October. The Michigan-based Pop Evil recently issued their 2013 album, Onyx. Sharing a dark and heavy rock vibe with Papa Roach, Age Of Days will open the show.
Oct. 26
Rocking a post-hardcore and alternative emo appeal, New Jersey locals Senses Fail are set to headline Oct. 26. Senses Fail were signed to Drive-Thru in 2002 before debuting with Depths Of Dreams in 2003. A year later, the band’s popularity jumped to a whole other level with the release of Let It Enfold You, which contained an array of singles like “NJ Falls Into The Atlantic,” “Bite To Break Skin” and “Buried A Lie.” Since then, they’ve gone on to release multiple albums including their latest, 2013’s Renacer. Other alternative acts such as The Acacia Strain, For The Fallen Dreams, Expire and Being As An Ocean will also be performing.
Oct. 29
Classic rock-inspired trio The Winery Dogs debuted this past July with their self-titled full-length and are now taking to the Starland stage with groups The Sixxis and The Infinite Staircase set to open. Composed of lead singer and guitarist Richie Kotzen, bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Mike Portnoy, the band delivers power ballads with hard rock guitar solos in their style and will attract fans of Lenny Kravitz, Dream Theater and Cream. Their self-titled full-length released July 23. The Sixxis also recently released a self-titled record while The Infinite Staircase issued their 2013 single, “The Things We’ve Done,” back in July.
Oct. 30
After the release of Forever Halloween, it makes sense why pop-punk group The Maine would headline Starland alongside Anberlin the night before the mischievous holiday. Originally from Arizona, The Maine got their start in 2007 and quickly signed with Fearless Records. As for Anberlin, they started a few years earlier in 2002 and just released their sixth studio album, Vital, last year. Anberlin bring a more alternative rock appeal while The Maine resonate with fans of the pop-punk genre. Alternative indie groups Lydia and From Indian Lakes will open for the two headliners.
Oct. 31
Presented by hostess.fm, Bash Concepts and Spinwell Entertainment, Klaud, Billy The Kid and Mikey P will perform an 18 and over show with The Disco Fries headlining. The Disco Fries perform in DJ fashion, remixing and producing songs that fit in with the club scene. Their music has been released on labels such as Central Station, Strictly Rhythm and Vicious Recording. Klaud, Billy The Kid and Mikey P also produce a dance-enthused style of music that might just turn the Starland Ballroom into a giant house party.
