A few months back, I found this great band from NYC on my friend’s (Diablo Royale) MySpace page, but never knew anything about the band until recently! Their name is Hybrid Dawn, and they are awesome! I’m surprised that they don’t have more recognition in this Metro area. I think they need a new PR guy! Anyway, I felt that singer Shon Mohsin’s voice is simply amazing. He has great rock ‘n’ roll chops, and sounded great on songs like “My Innocent,” “A Kind Of Heaven,” and the band’s CD title track, “Kill The Messenger.” The rest of Hybrid Dawn was no slouch either! These guys know how to write some good songs and can really give the bands on the scene right now a run for their money. They’re just a good grooving hard rock band!
Hybrid Dawn started out as four separate guys from four different corners of the world that were brought together by the same calling in life—music! Their diverse backgrounds and musical tastes led them to New York City. The band’s members, singer Shon Mohsin, guitarist Tony Cortes, drummer Eric Applegate, and bassist Pablo Furtado, used to play the NYC area under the name Receptor until recently when they changed the name to Hybrid Dawn. In their bio, Hybrid Dawn seems to really push their racial diversity, but I don’t think that they need to. They’re music is powerful enough to speak for itself!
Hybrid Dawn just returned from a tour in the Philippines, which I found pretty impressive. They have a CD out now called Kill The Messenger. When Hybrid Dawn does start to play this area again, they should be a must-see! You can find out where they’re playing next at hybriddawn.com or by logging onto their MySpace page at myspace.com/hybriddawn.
SPY THE THINKER—Northern NJ
Yes, once again, I am featuring two bands this week as it was a slow news updates week in my email inbox. Anyway, the singer/guitarist for a band called Spy The Thinker, Matthew, recently emailed me on MySpace after reading my feature a few weeks ago about the band Damn Glad. Matthew claims he did his research and hunted me down and decided to reach out. So, because of his efforts, I decided to check out his band Spy The Thinker via their MySpace page, myspace.com/spythethinker. They reminded me of an earlier Live-meets-The Dave Matthews Band on songs like “Skipping Stones,” “Lonely Only,” and “Nobody Buy Me,” which can be found on their recently-released debut CD, Ruby Kill Club. Spy The Thinker actually won me over with their live cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which can only be heard on their MySpace page.
Spy The Thinker is a band that thrives on being independent and who strives on writing energetic music. They’re a rock trio trying to make a name for themselves rising up through the ashes of what is being considered the post-rock era. Their music has calm moments that explode into some wide grooves provided by a guy named Fatal on bass and a guy named Jayme on drums.
Spy The Thinker’s recently released debut CD, Ruby Kill Club, is a real indie rock record. The band named the CD after a childhood street where the band members grew up. You can hear tracks or buy their CD, Ruby Kill Club, on CDBaby.com/cd/spythethinker. You can also find out where these boys are playing next by logging onto myspace.com/spythethinker.
That’s all for now! And remember, if your band is from North Jersey, and you want some exposure, send your demos and press kits to Arts Weekly, c/o Tim Louie P.O. Box 1140 Little Falls, NJ 07424. No cover bands, please!
Just remember….We’re all in the same boat, so every little bit of exposure counts!
NJN Concert Calendar:
5/2—Black Water Rising—Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
5/2—Hybrid Dawn—Sterling Hotel, Allentown, PA
5/5—Charetta—Crash Mansion, NYC
5/8—Infernophonic—The County Line Pub, Pine Brook, NJ
5/8—Charetta—Sterling Hotel, Allentown, PA
5/9—Ippy and the Project—Dublin Pub, Morristown, NJ
5/9—Mercury Morning—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
5/14—Only Living Boy—Bar 46, Hackettstown, NJ
5/15—Black Water Rising/Monster Magnet—The Blender Theater, NYC
5/15—Eden Star/Seeking Through Silence/End of an Era (CD Release Party)—Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
5/15—Deathrash/Without End—Cranford Elks Lodge, Cranford, NJ
5/15—Kosmic Daydream—Saints and Sinners (O’Donoghue’s), Hoboken, NJ
5/16—HelenaMaria—Halo Pub, Hamilton Square, NJ
5/22—Atom Strange—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC
5/23—Echofission—Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, NJ
5/29—Jet Lag Gemini—School of Rock, South Hackensack, NJ
5/29—Atom Strange—The TriTone, Philadelphia, PA
5/29—Evan Toth and the Excuses—Mexicali Blues, Teaneck, NJ
