Lately, I’ve been getting my inbox stuffed with emails from bands asking me to check them out. Sometimes, bands send me multiple emails because I don’t respond quickly enough; therefore they think that I didn’t see their email. Well, to “all” of the bands that send multiple emails, I did see your emails, but I am trying to get to every single band who asks me to check out there band in a timely manner, so please be patient!
That being said, one band that had such persistence was a reggae band out of Bergenfield, NJ, called Bearin’ Peace. They recently headlined Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ, which is not an easy thing to do for any local band. Anyway, I’m not a fan of reggae music, but I don’t hate it. Nor did I hate what I heard on the self-titled 2008 Bearin’ Peace CD. I swear! I know that I say this a lot when I write about reggae bands, but Bearin’ Peace’s songs like “Drop Out,” “Cool Cat,” and “Lucky Bear,” really made me want to spark up a spliff, and sit back and relax while listening to their music!
Bearin’ Peace is a North Jersey-bred reggae rock band that is quickly gaining much notoriety for themselves thanks to the dwindling current music scene which was oversaturated with emo and one-hit-wonder bands. Growing up in Bergenfield, NJ, has helped Bearin’ Peace develop their style. Guitarist and singer Anthony “Bear” Restifo, guitarist Pete Stolba, and bassist Nick Paull, all live in Bergenfield and bring their own personal style and musical taste into the heart and soul of the band. Rounding out the band is their hard-hitting drummer, John a.k.a. J5.
Bearin’ Peace’s live show let’s their fans groove to their smooth reggae tune or dance to a swing song! They released their self-titled CD in 2008 and made it available on CD Baby for $13! If you want to give them a listen before you buy their CD, log onto cdbaby.com/cd/bearinpeace. If you want to see Bearin’ Peace live, then check out their MySpace page, myspace.com/bearinpeace to find out where these guys are playing next! Roll one up before you go though! Trust me, it’s necessary!
EDEN STAR—Edison, NJ
This week, I’m going to feature two bands since my managing editor, Slev, thought that my “all updates” column last week was lame! Oh, did I just call you out, Slev? Anyway, speaking of receiving emails regarding bands to check out, one band that tickled my fancy was a band called Eden Star. I was surprised by their sound and their look because I didn’t think bands like them existed anymore. The singer known as Hellion has a unique and excellent voice. Songs like “Velvet Red,” “Leave Your Mark,” and “Unsane” really exemplified their hard rockabilly style. Yes, I just made up a new genre, but hey, Eden Star can be the first of their kind! They also had a retro ‘80s glam rock sound reminiscent of bands like Motley Crue-meets-Guns N Roses.
Eden Star was formed and developed in the garages of North Jersey by singer Hellion and guitarist Hyde. Unlike most bands during their evolution, Eden Star focused less on the pretentiousness of creating “a new sound” and they decided to focus more on making music that was fun, sensual, loud, and hard! Hellion and Hyde performed with a bunch of session players until drummer Kat Kaos came into their lives. Kat played with Eden Star for nearly a year before she came on board as a full-time member, which solidified the line-up, and helped Hellion and Hyde realize the sound that they were after.
Eden Star recently released their eight song EP, Skin, on CD Baby. Fans of the band have described the band’s music and live shows as “energetic, madcap and some of the rawest hard rock out there!” They’ve even been compared to bands like early A.F.I. , The Distillers to even hard rock bands like Motorhead and Velvet Revolver. If you want to check out Eden Star, you can do so at edenstarmusic.com or myspace.com/edenstar. Don’t forget to support your local bands and buy Eden Star’s CD, Skin, at CDBaby.com/cd/edenstar2. By the way, for the wiseasses who do read my column every week, and you know who you are, I am not related to the Eden Star singer, Hellion!
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:
3/27—Trixter/Valentine—Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
3/27—Ape Fight—Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
3/27—Evan Toth and the Excuses—The Brown Room, Cape May, NJ
3/27—Echofission—The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
3/27—Damn Glad—The Loop Lounge, Passaic Park, NJ
3/27—Shadows Lie—O’Brien’s, Coram, NY
3/28—Rahway—Club 35 Player’s Lounge, Sayreville, NJ
3/28—Seven Witches/Autumn Hour/Infernophonic—Ding Batz, Clifton, NJ
3/28—Black Water Rising—The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY
3/28—Steve and the Fallout—The Elm Street Grill, Oakland, NJ
3/29—Shadows Lie—Sullivan Hall, NYC
3/29—Rahway/Bled for Glory—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
3/31—Diablo Royale—Crash Mansion, NYC
4/3—HelenaMaria—The Record Collector, Bordentown, NJ
4/3—Mercury Morning—The Chance Theatre, Poughkeepsie, NY
4/4—Black Water Rising/Saint Caine/Piston Driven—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
4/4—Rahway—Club 35 Player’s Lounge, Sayreville, NJ
4/4—Factory Syndicate—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ
4/4—Diablo Royale—Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ
4/7—Reverse Order—United Skates of America, Seaford, NY
