TOKYO MOTOR FIST—Ringwood, NJ
I’ve known Steve Brown from Trixter for many years. I’ve known him when he was doing the Trixter thing, when did the 30 Ft. Ringo and Throwan Rocks thing, when he did the cover thing, when he put the Trixter thing back together (my band played their first show back at Dexter’s in Riverdale, NJ), when he played with the mighty Def Leppard, and now when he put a project together with fellow Jersey rocker Ted Poley, of Danger Danger fame, to put together Tokyo Motor Fist. I’m still trying to figure out what the name even means, but at any rate, I can’t believe it took this long for Steve and Ted to collaborate on anything considering they probably have known each other forever since they both had bands come out of the same era in music and both never gave up their music dreams.
You don’t need to be a die-hard ’80s metal fan to know that an artistic alliance between Danger Danger singer Ted Poley and guitarist/producer Steve Brown of Trixter would make melodic rock fans more than happy! The sound of Tokyo Motor Fist is exactly what you would expect from this collaboration. It’s a catchy and uplifting hard rock sound, the way it should be, with BIG hooks and BIG guitar riffs. Of course, there would need to be a killer rhythm section holding things down with Ted and Steve holding down the front line. Well, with Greg Smith from Ted Nugent, Rainbow, Alice Cooper and Wizards Of Winter holding down the bass and Chuck Burgi from Rainbow, Blue Oyster Cult, and Joe Lynn Turner on drums, how can you go wrong? Ted and Steve have been friends for a long time. They were even playing the same club circuit with their respective bands, Danger Danger and Trixter, back in the ’80s. Over the years, they kept a great personal relationship and the idea of doing a record together has been on the table for many years. With the help of Frontiers Records, this concept became a reality.
Tokyo Motor Fist released their debut self-titled CD a couple of weeks ago, and if you ask me, it’s the perfect blend of Danger Danger meets Trixter. There are some great melodies and harmonies on songs like the debut single “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” (which the band has a music video for), “Shameless,” “Black And Blue,” and “Get You Off My Mind.” These songs will be stuck in your head for hours. Rock fans can expect Tokyo Motor Fist to promote this CD soon with some local performances. For more on Tokyo Motor Fist, check out the band’s EPK at youtu.be/tk2Dna0G-oM.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My brother, Chino Marin, known for his work with Ronin and Statik Silence, has released a music video for his first single “Home” off of his first solo CD, Letters for the Living, which is available on all digital platforms like iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon.com. The hook in this song is so memorable it’s a killer because you will be singing it in your head all day like I am right now. Check out Chino Marin’s video for his song “Home” at youtu.be/hG6KrXR-DMk. For more on Chino Marin, visit IAmChinoMarin.com.
My bro Tim McMurtrie and his band Full Scale Riot will be hitting The Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on March 30 with Fury Within, Happy Hawthorne, and Black Lagoon. This will be Full Scale Riot’s only show this month as Tim and the boys will be performing many songs off of their EP, Depopulation, and their new CD, Empower, which is out now on Eulogy Recordings. For more on Full Scale Riot, visit Fullscaleriot.com.
And finally, my brothers from Ashes Of Your Enemy have just landed a totally awesome gig! On April 20, they will be opening for Testament, Sepultura, and Prong at the Starland Ballroom in Slayerville, NJ. Nothing can get more metal on 4/20 than this show at Starland. For discounted tickets to this show and more info on Ashes Of Your Enemy, visit Facebook.com/AshesofYourEnemy.
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:
3/16—Shy Shape/Happy Hawthorne/Tura Lura/Casual Friday/Late Nights—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/17—Jaded Past—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
3/17—Castle/Triple Addiction—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/18—Judas Priestess/Natural Born Losers/Symetria/Corners Of Sanctuary/White Void/Firefight/Cold Blooded Capital/Kold Blooded/Prince and Beggar—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/19—The Breakout Year/21 Kings/The Mighty Nothings/Whoever, Whenever/The Breakout/To The Skyline/Anatomy of an Outcast—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/22—Tarpit Boogie/Reign of Zaius/Borgo Pass/False Gods—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
3/23—DOPE/Combichrist/September Mourning/Davey Suicide/Panzie*/Deprived—Highline Ballroom, NYC
3/23—True Will/The Fossils/The White—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/24—Lane Six Present: Last In Line—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
3/24—Skunk Daze CD Release Party/Disposable/Taylor and The Apes/Montgomery—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/25—Jersey Campfires Production Presents: Rahway/Palaceburn/Know Your Enemy/Sucker/Sinertia/Answer Infinity—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
3/25—Killcode/Baelfire/Corevalay/Ryder/The Shade—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
3/26—Match Party/Cover Her Face/Drakensberg/Signals of Bedlam/VIV—QXT’s, Newark, NJ
3/26—Jump for the Sails/When Thieves Are About/Wasting Time/Killed By Accident/Dig Deep/Someday Far—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/30—Full Scale Riot/Fury Within/Happy Hawthorne/Black Lagoon—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ
3/30—The Shaking Trees/Broken Angels/Prodigal Sons—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
3/31—Lane Six Presents: Tim “Ripper” Owens/Ghost of War—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
3/31—Canamara/The Silverhounds/Our Fears—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/1—Broken Past/High Octane/Mark Mayer/Bobby Mahoney and the Seventh Son—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/2—A Boy Named John/The Rose Monarch/Nominee/Sundressed—William Paterson University Student Center, Wayne, NJ
4/7—TheMusiciansRockNetwork.com Website Release Party featuring Pocketful Rialto!/Pyramada/Miss Demeanor—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/8—Voodoo Terror Tribe/Binary Code/Seas of Wake/Orbynot—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/8—Steel Panther—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
4/8—PB Street Gang/York Town/Uncrated/Mikell’s Plot/Doug Diettman—Al Cibelli’s Restaurant and Bar, Perth Amboy, NJ
4/19—Doyle from The Misfits—Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
4/24—Gothic Knights/Delain/Hammerfall—Stage 48, NYC
