WEAPONS OF ANEW—New York City
There’s a brand new band on the scene that has really piqued my interest. They piqued my interest because the band features two of my former bandmates, former Spread Eagle and Hostel Inc. frontman Ray West and my former Smoke Star drummer and former Audio Empire drummer Chris Manfre. This new band is called Weapons Of Anew, and I wrote about them a couple months ago when they released their debut single and music video, “Killshot,” which is off of their upcoming CD, tentatively titled The Collision of Love and Hate. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Weapons Of Anew announced that they will be hitting the road with Alter Bridge and Nonpoint on 17 dates of their North American tour. Two of those stops include the Electric Factory on February 4 in Philadelphia and the PlayStation Theater on February 9 in New York City. This is a huge deal for a band who hasn’t even played a live show locally yet. Then again, if you know Spread Eagle’s history, then you know they were signed by MCA Records without ever playing a show. History might be repeating itself for my brother, Ray Ray West!
According to their bio, Weapons Of Anew are four veteran rockers not afraid to sonically paint outside the lines and who refuse to be “boxed in” or fall under any genres of music. Their sound is colorful, layered and textured, which is a testament to each band member’s vast musical background. Weapons Of Anew gives guitarist and songwriter Freddy Ordine and his bandmates the opportunity to expand and expound upon their musical vocabularies. Ordine’s past pursuits focused on his love of old school thrash. He stated, “I wanted to concentrate on hooks. I want to experiment with harmonies and melodies. I want to play music that comes naturally to each of us in this band.” Ordine enjoyed some success with the band’s Axiom and HavocHate, where he met bassist Reno back in 2005 when he was HavocHate’s touring bassist. The duo met drummer Chris Manfre when they replaced members of Audio Empire. The trio decided to put Audio Empire to rest and that’s when they found the final piece of their musical puzzle in Ray West with his classic raspy, raw, “melodic, soulful and psychotic” vocal styling they we all know and love. I actually remember Chris asking me for Ray’s number, but I thought Ray was taking a break from music to focus on life, so I remembered giving him Ray’s number and telling him not to expect anything. Well, I guess Freddy, Reno and Chris sold Ray the right goods because 2017 looks like the year of Weapons Of Anew.
Weapons Of Anew’s debut CD was produced by Ordine in his home studio. The band’s long-awaited debut is set to be released sometime this spring, and my bro Manfre actually let me listen to some of the new material last year, and I have to say that if what I heard actually made the CD, Ray Ray and company sound pretty damn good and you are all in for a treat with Weapons Of Anew. Their live show should be pretty amazing as well since they have one of the best frontmen that I’ve ever played with fronting the band. Ray Ray is definitely not short on words in a live setting! Ray says, “We are chomping at the bit, jumping out of our skin to get going. We can’t wait to introduce ourselves to the world.” Catch Weapons Of Anew with Alter Bridge and Nonpoint in February when they hit these shores. For more on Weapons Of Anew, visit WeaponsofAnew.com.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bros from Corevalay need your help! The boys are trying to raise funds to finish their new CD, Forever, by way of GoFundMe. Corevalay is also proud to announce that a portion of these funds raised will be donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The GoFundMe page has been set up with a bunch of great rewards and experiences from the band. Donations can get fans a copy of the Forever, tickets to a private acoustic show, or even a guitar that was used to record the CD. To donate and help Corevalay, visit their GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/corevalay, or for more on Corevalay, visit Corevalay.com.
My brother Dave Incognito and his band Incognito Theory are putting the finishing touches on their latest CD. The band also added bassist Scott Pustilnick from South Jersey’s INARI ONE to their live lineup for when bassist Mike Lepond cannot perform with the band. Incognito Theory shares the stage with the legendary Ross the Boss from Manowar this Saturday night (1/28) at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ. Dave also told me that he and the boys will be filming a music video for their song “Reckoning” to be released in February before they release the upcoming CD. For more on Incognito Theory, visit Facebook.com/IncognitoTheory.
And finally, did you miss Lower The Veil’s un-“veiling” of their new guitarist a few weeks ago at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ? Well, I still don’t know the name of the “new guy,” but you get another chance to see him and Lower The Veil next Saturday night, February 4, at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ with Cycle Of Pain featuring my buds J.D. from Black Label Society and Bob Pantella from Monster Magnet. For more info on this show, visit LowerTheVeil.com.
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:
1/26—Mike Daly and The Planets/Windsor Circle—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
1/26—Tomorrow Isn’t Promised/Abilify/Alive in Fiction/Gravelord—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/27—Arch Demon/Sinners/No Kings Among Wolves/Rezkoretor/Arc’d Angel/Pocketful Rialto/White Void—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
1/28—Sonic Reign—Bound Brook Hotel, Bound Brook, NJ
1/28—Incognito Theory/Ross The Boss from Manowar—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/3—Dirkschneider/Midnite Hellion—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
2/3—Super Snake “Record Release Show”/Will Wood and The Tapeworms/Don’t Upset the Bear/Trü—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/4—Weapons Of Anew/Nonpoint/Alter Bridge—The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
2/4—Circle of Pain/Lower The Veil—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
2/4—Jaded Past—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
2/4—Constantine Maroulis/Brian Dunne—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/4—Red Hymns/Delta Falling/Pralaya/Behind the Grey/Another Distraction—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
2/7—Mirror Eyes/Brigades—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
2/9—Weapons Of Anew/Nonpoint/Alter Bridge—PlayStation Theater, NYC
2/10—From The Depths/Ender/Reborn Divided/Oceans Of Illusion—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/10—Cycle of Pain/Dirty Black 7/Ryder/Orbynot—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
2/17—Trixter/Reality Suite/Lunatic Fringe—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
2/19—hedPE/Motograter/Ender/Seas of Wake/Among Us/Know Your Enemy/Throat—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
2/25—Jersey Campfire Presents Downshallow “Reunion Show”/Everything Falls—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
