One of my Facebook buds and bass brothers, Rip Riley, has been telling me about his band for quite some time and I keep meaning to check them out, but unfortunately for Rip, I have to put North Jersey and NYC bands before Philadelphia bands when I’m writing this column. Lucky for Rip, this week was a slow week for the Northern area bands and now I can fit a Philly band in here. So, the name of his band is We…Our War, and one of my bands actually played with them a couple of years ago at The Legendary Dobbs in Philadelphia. I did miss their set, but after listening to the songs “Between The Stone And The Rain,” “Privation” and “On This Island,” I kind of wish I caught the band live. The songs were as metal as metal can get. Vocals were brutal and aggressive. What more can you ask for in a metal band?
According to their bio, We…Our War formed back in 2013 out of what was left of the band Beyond The Lies. Just like most new bands, We…Our War’s goal is to change the direction of the metal genre as it is right now. The band has drawn its influences ranging from classical music to death metal and whatever falls between. Founder, singer and guitarist Joe Gorski, formerly of the band Deteriorate, is joined by former Anvil Bitch drummer Chuck Stadulis, former Beyond The Lies guitarist Eric Shields and bassist Rip Riley. Together, they put on a live show that is compared to no one else. How many times have we heard that?
We…Our War recently opened for my bro Marc Rizzo and his band Cavalera Conspiracy up at Reverb in Reading, PA and received some pretty raving reviews for their set. That’s something you like to see if you’re in a metal band playing a metal show in front of a metal audience. I’m officially all “metalled” out! Keep your eye out for We…Our War. They’re starting to make some waves even in the Jersey music scene. I’m sure they will be breaking down our barriers very soon! Check them out and find out where they’re playing next at facebook.com/weourwar.
NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:
My bro Derrick Klybish from 40 Below Summer has been in the studio laying down some bass tracks from the new 40 Below Summer CD, IV. Derrick said on his Facebook page, “The record is coming out way beyond my expectations. I’m so proud to be in a band with such talented and great people that I can trust to be at their best at all times. I’ll never forget how amazing this process was. And this is just the beginning!” If you remember, Derrick was the guitar player in local favs Hello Eden many moons ago and the members in that band have gone on to do great things. Former Hello Eden singer, Sal Marrano, has been killing it with Thank You Scientist, who recently toured the country with Coheed And Cambria. For more on 40 Below Summer, visit facebook.com/40BelowSummerOfficial.
Congrats to the Steve Bello Band, whose latest single, “Quicker Than The Devil,” debuted at number one on the metal charts in the U.K. for New USB radio a few weeks ago. Steve Bello Band has also landed a gig opening for Lynch Mob at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ on June 17. That should be pretty cool seeing two great guitar players on one stage. For more info on the Steve Bello Band, visit steviehimself.wix.com/bello1969.
And finally, a huge congrats to my BlackOcean brother, Bill Cavallo, who landed a gig playing drums from the ’80s thrash band Faith Or Fear. For those of you unfamiliar like I was, Faith Or Fear is a South Jersey thrash band that made their bones opening for bands like Metallica, Slayer, Venom and Exodus back in the day. They were even signed to Metal Blade Records at one point. They’ve become metal heroes to music fans who live in the South Jersey region. So, basically, this is a big deal for my brother, Bill. He actually heads to Peru for a metal festival with the band in September, which is another thing he should be looking forward to. As for our band BlackOcean, we haven’t drowned yet! There are still signs of life in the Ocean, so keep your ears peeled. For more on Faith Or Fear, visit reverbnation.com/faithorfear.
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:
5/20—Sean Danielsen (of Smile Empty Soul)/Opus (of Dead By Wednesday)/Ascending From Ashes/Ronin—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
5/20—Prophets of Addiction/The Erotics/Long Gone Day/Blackout Stereo—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/20—Breathing Theory/STEALING FAME/Lost Cause/Salems Outlaws—The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
5/29—The Independents/Black Cat Attack/Darrow Chemical Co.—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
5/30—D.R.I./Driven Mad/Robots and Monsters—Blackthorn51, Elmhurst, NY
5/30—THE MURDER JUNKIES/Negative Traction/Full Scale Riot/Pat Veil and the Beach Needles/Choke Artist/Damien the Cat—The Brighton Bar, Long Beach, NJ
5/31—The Algorithm/Angel Vivaldi/In Dying Arms/Silent To Slaughter/ The Polaris Breach/Blameless and Upright/Under The Red Hood—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ
6/5—TANTRIC/The West Front/Gravity Well/Tilted/Spiral Scar—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
6/5—New Day Dawn/Eve to Adam/i-Exist—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/6—Jon Herington Band/Stolen Rhodes—The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ
6/6—Warrior Soul/Metalfier/Robots And Monsters/Extercitum/Acid—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/6—The CynzRock/Crash Gordon and Debra Dynamite/Vextion/Speed Queen/Lauren Blue Fox/Flowers To Flames—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
6/14—THE DREAMING/Die So Fluid/Voodoo Terror Tribe/Aurin/Salems Outlaws/My Rising Fall—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
6/17—Steve Bello Band/Lynch Mob—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
6/20—ORBYNOT (CD Release)/ Rivera Bomma/Lyken21/Fever Vein/Adherence—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
6/20—Steve Bello Band—Popcorn Park, Forked River, NJ
6/27—ANAKA/Brand of Julez/Proxima Control/Tempest City/Unveiled—The Gramercy Theatre, NYC
