North Jersey Notes: Pink Velvet Krush, Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed, Killcode and More!

One of my Facebook buds, Greg Polcari, who actually played in a later version of the ’80s hair metal band Britny Fox, has a new project that’s creating quite a buzz on the scene. I waited till now to write about them because their debut EP, Fifty Shades Of Anything, drops next week. I met Greg while I was playing with former Spread Eagle frontman Ray West in Hostel Inc. Anyway, this new project with all the buzz that Greg is in is called Pink Velvet Krush. I know, I know, the name has some feminine undertones, but some of us grew up in an era where our heroes wore makeup and skin tight leather pants. So, hearing a name like Pink Velvet Krush for a band of grown men doesn’t surprise this old man. Besides, their music is anything but feminine. It’s just ass-kicking rock ‘n’ roll with a retro ’80s feel to it. If you love that kind of music like I do, you’ll really like Pink Velvet Krush. After listening to songs like “Ball And Chain” and “One Shot,” you can really feel where the five guys from Pink Velvet Krush lay their roots.

According to their bio, former members of the later versions of ’80s hair bands Bulletboys, Britny Fox and Steelheart decided to unite with former members of some local favorites, Vaudeville, Dust N’ Bones and Surrender, to create something new and exciting and calling it Pink Velvet Krush, whose five members come to the table with a pretty impressive resume, including U.S., European and world tours. Now, with a resume like that, there is no room for rookies. Pink Velvet Krush is made up of drummer Ryche Green, whom I actually just wrote about when he was playing drums for Maryland’s Saints Of Rebellion which he is no longer a part of, guitarists Greg Polcari and Sean Quidgeon, singer Doug “Savage” Ramey and bassist Steve Rivera.

Pink Velvet Krush wrapped up recording their debut EP, Fifty Shades Of Anything, at Tropic Digital Studios on Long Island and with Vic Rivera at Red V Studios in the Bronx back in October. The EP drops next week, but the songs “Ball And Chain” and “One Shot” have already garnered the band much attention. The band plans on heading back into the studio in February of next year to start tracking for their first full-length CD. Here’s the thing that I really like about Pink Velvet Krush: At the end of their bio, they wrote, “There is no reinventing the wheel here but more of a forging the old with the new and delivering great rock music that rock fans alike can identify with and that is the brand of Pink Velvet Krush.” That is being honest and true to your craft if you ask me! Find out more about Pink Velvet Krush by visiting pvkrush.com.

 

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

Mildly Medicated guitarist Ryan Chiarella has unveiled his new solo project, Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed, by releasing the band’s debut single, “Out In The Sun,” which I have to admit shows that the future of our music scene seems pretty bright. Ryan is an amazing young guitarist that I got to see play as part of a School of Rock band. Keep your ear out for Ryan Chiarella And The New Breed! If you’d like to learn more about Ryan, visit ryanchiarella.com.

My bros from Killcode will be opening a pretty fun show at the Revolution Bar And Music Hall in Amityville, NY on Dec. 13. They will be opening for John Corabi, who will be performing the entire 1994 self-titled Mötley Crüe CD. That’s the record where John Corabi actually replaced Mötley’s original singer, Vince Neil, which as a diehard Mötley Crüe fan, I will even admit might be the best Mötley Crüe record to date. I mean, I’ll always love Too Fast For Love and Shout At The Devil, but Mötley Crüe with John Corabi was probably the most technical record the band ever released. Not to mention it was pretty heavy for a Mötley Crüe record. Anyway, Corabi is performing the CD in its entirety at the Revolution Bar And Music Hall, and Killcode are opening. For more on this show, visit facebok.com/killcodeofficial.

And finally, my bros from Lower The Veil will be opening for the mighty Clutch as they return to the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for their annual holiday visit to the dirty Jerz. Anyway, Damien, Chris, Rob and Casey will be opening for the legendary stoner rockers right before New Year’s Eve. This is a show you won’t want to miss! If you need tickets, you can buy them through Lower The Veil at facebook.com/lowertheveil. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the new music video for their song “Soon,” which they just wrapped up filming on in Rhode Island.

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:

11/19—Atom Strange/Syka/F-Units—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC

11/21—Scottish Widows—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

11/21—The Detonators—The Big Apple Sports Palace, Bayonne, NJ

11/22—Gathering After Ashes/Dying Eyes Of Sloth/Decimate The Living/Day of Doom/Nole/Joe Caravella of The Reign (acoustic set)—Gussy’s Bar, Astoria, NY

11/26—KnuckleHead/The Growling Hounds—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

11/28—Queen V—Rockwood Music Hall, NYC

1/30—Homicidal/Danny Diablo/UNDIVIDED/FULL SCALE RIOT/Buried Before Death/Paralysis—The Blue Room, Secaucus, NJ

12/2—Famous Last Words/For All I Am/Kingdom Of Giants/Whether, I/Ashes Of My Regret/GlassHouses—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

12/5—Red Dragon Cartel/Audio Empire/Lipstick Magazine—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

12/5—Ted Poley/Rock Kandy—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

12/10—Otan Vargas—Mulcahy’s, Wantagh, NY

12/11—Charetta/Ghosts of Eden/REVEL 9/Statue of Anne—Lovecraft Bar NYC, NYC

12/12—Big City Rebels 6/Santa Cruz/Sweet Cyanide/Station/Nasty Habit/Wicked—The Studio at Webster Hall, NYC

12/12—Horizon Edge/From Below/Fear Report/Srotakin IV—Fontana’s Bar, NYC

12/13—Oraculum/Angel Vivaldi/Gyre/Ascending From Ashes/Canopy Veil/As Glory Fades/Eels Of Love/Localide—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

12/13—Killcode/John Corabi—Revolution Bar and Music Hall, Amityville, NY

12/19—That Metal Show’s Holiday Bash featuring Psychoprism/Madysin Hatter/Gathering After Ashes/Stereo Outlaws—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

12/21—Agnostic Front/HUGE/Negative Traction/Negative Sky/Mass Punishment—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

12/27—Battlecross/Wretched/War Of Ages/Julius Seizure/Monument Of A Memory—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

12/29—Lower The Veil/Clutch—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ