North Jersey Notes: Legacy, Common Wealth, Incognito Theory and More!

An amazing young band from Freehold, NJ has raised its ugly head on the Jersey music scene and I’m really, really digging them. The name of the band is Legacy and I came across them when I started writing about the TRAPT show at the Stanhope House in February (see below). I mean, I knew the rest of the bands on the bill, but not Legacy. So, I decided to give them a listen and was blown away with what I heard. The really well-mixed songs “Room Service” and “Hampton Jig” have so much energy and have such a different vibe around them, I think Legacy is ready to leave their “legacy” on this Jersey music scene. I am loving these guys!

According to their bio, Legacy came from the minds of drummer Zakk Dubois and guitarist Jordan Moed back in July 2014. Up until December 2014, Legacy was basically just an idea, but then singer Frank Piccirillo asked Zakk about the band. As luck would have it, Zakk was in the market for a new singer since he fired the original guy. The next step was finding their bottom end (my favorite part) and within the weeks after Frank joined the band, auditions were held and Jordan’s guitar-playing house mate, Cody Tarrant, stepped up and picked up a bass for the first time and nailed it. Cody was quickly considered for the full-time role as the bassist for Legacy, finalizing the band as quartet. Musically, Legacy blends “high energy and quick tempoed elements from 50s style Swing-Rock with the aggression and experimental attitudes of Alternative Metal and Punk.” This is what I mean by the different vibe. Terms often used to describe the band have been American Party Rock, Hardcore Swing, and Good Ol’ Rock & Roll.

Legacy has taken the “do-it-yourself” approach with their band, and has even taken it to a whole new level, from building their own stage risers to incorporating their own light show. They’ve basically put their band on the road to rock stardom with no one’s help but their own. They currently put the “Hampton Jig” out as their debut single, a song that even my fellow Aquarian writer, Maria Ciezak, has raved about. You need to check these guys out. I know I’ve said this before, but these guys could be the next BIG thing to come out of Jersey because they’re different. They’re definitely my favorite band of 2016 so far. For more on Legacy, visit facebook.com/LegacyrockNJ or catch them live at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ in February with TRAPT. Now, I just hope that they’re as good live as they are on tape!

 

 

NORTH JERSEY NOTES UPDATES:

So, as I was saying, my boys from Common Wealth were recently added to an awesome bill opening for TRAPT at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ on Feb. 27. Also performing will be my bros from Ronin, SYKA and Legacy. This is a pretty solid show to be a part of, even though the boys from Common Wealth might be too heavy for this show, it’s a solid show regardless. For more info on Common Wealth or for tickets to this TRAPT show, visit facebook.com/CommonWealthNJ, where you can also check out the new music video for their song “Mended The Pieces.”

My bro Dave Incognito recently reached out to me to leak that he has a very special guest playing bass on the upcoming single for the song “Desire” from his band Incognito Theory. Dave told me that Symphony X bassist and local Jersey boy Mike LePond lends his bass playing talents to the song, which should be out by now. The latest version of Incognito Theory features members from Dave’s death metal project Dying Eyes Of Sloth and the band Gathering From Ashes. He told me there should be a full-length Incognito Theory CD out by this summer. For more info on Incognito Theory, visit facebook.com/IncognitoTheory.

And finally, my brother Derek Klybish from 40 Below Summer recently hit my up on Facebook and wanted to know what I thought about 40 Below Summer’s latest CD, Transmission Infrared. Um…duh! It’s absolutely amazing! To be honest, I actually liked when singer Max Illidge sang on songs like “Rated Rx,” “Recidivist History” and the Justin Timberlake cover of “Cry Me A River.” Yeah, I get that 40 Below Summer made their bones playing metal and he sounds amazing on the metal stuff too, but I’m just saying his singing voice is actually very good and might give some of these hard rock singers a run for their money. For more on 40 Below Summer, visit facebook.com/40BelowSummerOfficial or catch them at Webster Hall in NYC on January 29.

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:

1/21—The Company Kept/The Vaughns/Devon Goods/Maxilla—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

1/21—Jake and Dan Duo—Ivy Stone Diner and Lounge, Iselin, NJ

1/22—Queensryche/Meytal/Halcyon/Psychoprism/Cashmier/Ixion Lux—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

1/22—The Tea Club/In the Presence of Wolves/Mindboys/Something Like a Monument—Bull Shooter’s Saloon, Philadelphia, PA

1/23—Barren/Gathering After Ashes/TRNZPRNT/Soraia— Roxy and Duke’s Roadhouse, Dunellen, NJ

1/23—Jersey Campfires Production Presents: Strive’s CD Release Show/Ascending From Ashes/Chevonne and The Fuzz/Our Fears/Low Roads Ghost—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

1/23—Jaded Past/Trapped In The Shadows/Cara Crash/The Test Band—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

1/23—Robots and Monsters/Unkempt Herald/The Donner Party/Sonick Plague—The Clash Bar, Clifton, NJ

1/23—Triphammer/Rich Deans/Equinox/Dead Space/Phillips Head—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

1/23—Empire Fallen/Corevalay/New Day Dawn/Brand of Julez—Maxwell’s Tavern, Hoboken, NJ

1/24—Whiplash/Pychoprism/Half-Witted Dogs/Death Thrash/Black Mass/Paralysis—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

1/27—Dead Rocking Horse/Acey Slade—Arlene’s Grocery, NYC

1/28—Ashes To Rain/The Schwam—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

1/29—Echolab/Pralaya/40 Below Summer—Webster Hall, NYC

1/29—Trixter/Eric Martin/Long Gone Day/Reality Suite—Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ

1/30—Killcode/Ten Ton Mojo/Nakid Jedye—The Shop, Brooklyn, NY

2/27—TRAPT/Ronin/SYKA/Legacy/Common Wealth—Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ