THE PAUL GARGIULO BAND—Caldwell, NJ
I recently got an email from a dude named Paul Gargiulo, from Caldwell, NJ, asking me to check out his band, The Paul Gargiulo Band. Paul said that the band has a long history, even though, I’ve never heard of them, and I’ve been on the scene for quite some time. He wanted to promote his new live CD, Live At The Franklin, and after hearing songs like “New Way Home,” “Marita,” “Feelin’ American” and “Back On Track,” the CD really captured that live bar band sound.
If you close your eyes and open your ears, you can totally feel that dirty Jersey bar atmosphere, and if you really dug deep you might even be able to smell that bad bar food while your listened to The Paul Gargiulo Band. That’s how well Live At The Franklin captured that sound.
Back in 1991, Paul Gargiulo formed his band with the intent to create original music in North Jersey. Since then they have performed at any venue that will have them, from the tiniest hole-in-the-wall clubs to headlining the best blues bars in NYC, NJ, PA, Memphis and Nashville.
The music of The Paul Gargiulo Band has been described as a cross between blues-rock with a slight funkabilly twist, which I definitely heard. If I had to compare them to somebody, I was going to say Brian Setzer or even The Stray Cats, for that matter. Paul surrounds himself with nothing but top-notch musicians like Ken Adessa on drums and Brad Schwartzseid on bass, who has also done session work with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.
The Paul Gargiulo Band is planning to spend the majority of this summer supporting Live At The Franklin. You can log onto paulgargiulo.com to find out where you can catch the band live, or you can go there and buy the CD.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bros from Metal Blade’s Return To Earth, featuring Chris Pennie from Coheed And Cambria have landed another gig. This time they’ll be hitting a club in North Jersey called the Canvas Clash in Boonton, NJ, on June 26 with Thank You Scientist in tow. If you missed Return To Earth down at The Saint in Asbury Park back in March, here’s your chance to see a great band with an amazing drummer. If you haven’t heard Return To Earth yet, log onto reverbnation.com/returntoearth. For more on Thank You Scientist, go to reverbnation.com/thankyouscientist.
The very popular John Rango And Friends returns to the ReBar in Lodi, NJ, next Friday night, June 10. The Echofission guitarist and singer, Rango, will be returning with his Echosfission cohorts Geb Zurburg, his guitar and singing counterpart, and drummer Joe Abate. He’ll also be joined by Mike Jaskewicz and Laurin Apruzzese. According to John, “This is as closest to an Echofission show you will see for some time.” They will be playing a mix of both Echofission favorites, as well as, some cover songs. For more info on this fun night, log onto echofission.com.
And finally, the gang from Knucklebone was recently handed a great gig opening for the iconic hair band Cinderella at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville on August 13. Cinderella has embarked on their 25th Anniversary Tour. Also performing that night with Knucklebone will be my buds from Cashmier and the newly reunited Pharoah. For tickets, hit up Knucklebone at myspace.com/knucklebonenj or go to starlandballroom.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:
6/3—Blue Food—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/5—The Dirty Stayouts/The Zombie Mafia—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/9—Incognito And DePalma—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/9—Panzie*/Killcode/Sex Slaves—Blender Theater, NYC
6/9—The Paul Gargiulo Band—54 Main, Madison, NJ
6/9—BoundAlive/Murder League All-Stars/Seas of Wake/Locked/Regalia—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/10—John Rango and Friends—Rebar, Lodi, NJ
6/11—Thank You Scientist—The Canvas Clash, Boonton, NJ
6/11—Dead Fish Handshake—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ
6/12—With Daggers Drawn/Otep/Sister Sin/Black Guard—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/18—Sky Picnic—Legion Bar, Brooklyn, NY
6/24—Filter Effect—The Crocodile Rock Cafe, Allentown, PA
6/25—King Kelly—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ
6/26—Return To Earth/Thank You Scientist—Canvas Clash Art and Music Venue, Boonton, NJ
6/30—Incognito And DePalma—Bar A, Lake Como, NJ
