North Jersey Notes: Ten Ton Mojo, Powerflo, Brand Of Julez, and More

The Ten Ton Mojo guys have finally announced the name of their new singer. It’s Joey Lanz from The Bullys, who have been rocking NYC since the late ’90s. Lanz will make his Ten Ton Mojo debut at The Gramercy Theatre in NYC on May 27 with special guests Among Thieves, Lizzie And The Makers, and All Night Sounds. Who said rock was dead in NYC? Sounds to me that it just got cooler! Catch Joey Lanz’s debut performance with Ten Ton Mojo on May 27. For more info on this show and the new and improved Ten Ton Mojo, visit TenTonMojo.com.

Speaking of new and improved, it seems Jesyka Loren has moved on from the band bearing her name, Syka. She has a new project out called Villins with producer and guitarist Kareem “Jesus” Devlin, who played lead guitar on Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour. Jesyka and Jesus started working together toward the tail end of the Syka project, which Jesus produced and also played on. As Villins, they recently released their debut single, “Your Fantasy,” which is bit different than Syka. It has more of a dance track feel to it, but hey! It’s still art and it’s still music! Good for you, Jesyka! You can check out the music video for “Your Fantasy” at youtu.be/C4D2sVzsd_A. For more on Villins, visit Villins.com.

My brother, Billy Graziadei from Biohazard and Suicide City has a new project on the West Coast. So, I figured I’d give him some East Coast love. The new project is called Powerflo and it features Sendog from Cypress Hill, Roy Lozano from Downset, Christian Olde Wolbers from Fear Factory and Fernando Schaefer from Worst. Powerflo released their first single, “Resistance,” a couple of weeks ago in the form of a lyric video. The song is pretty powerful and aggressive! Just the way I like it! I ran into Billy out at NAMM back in January, and he was telling me about this project. Well, I guess it’s time to unleash the beast! For more on Powerflo, visit Facebook.com/PowerfloBand.

My bros from Brand Of Julez just landed an amazing tour opening for Opeth and The Convalescence for a few weeks in June. The boys will be making three stops in this area: June 12 at Webster Hall in NYC, June 13 at Revolution Music Hall in Amityville, NY, and June 14 at the Stanhope House in Stanhope, NJ. This is a huge step for Julez and the boys, whose last tour was stopped short by a van accident. Glad to see these guys on a bigger tour like this! It’s looking to be a busy summer for the Brand Of Julez guys. For more on Brand Of Julez, visit Facebook.com/BrandOfJulez.

Andrew Janda, from the band Metalfier, just sent me a copy of his band’s new CD, Into The Unknown, and it’s not bad at all. It’s got balls and is pretty heavy! It definitely has that biker feel to it, which I think Andrew and crew were looking for. The title track had this Judas Priest feel to it, but then lo and behold, there’s a cover of the classic Priest song “Breakin’ The Law” on there. There’s also a great cover of Metallica’s “Damage Inc.” as well as other sonically sound original tracks also like “Everybody Is Somebody” and “Battle Within.” You can totally hear Metalfier’s influences on these songs. Into The Unknown is without a doubt a tough record. For more on Metalfier or a copy of Into The Unknown, visit Facebook.com/METALFIER.

And finally, there was rehearsal footage floating around Facebook of a reunited Scarlet Carson, leaked by singer Santino Campanelli. The video footage showed the original Scarlet Carson lineup performing their song “Foreverless.” Could it be? Is a Scarlet Carson reunion in the works? Guess you’ll have to stay tuned to Facebook.com/ScarletCarsonRocks to find out more!

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:

5/17—Noise Brigade/Casual Friday/Empty Parking Lot/Atlas On Top—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

5/18—Rory Kelly/Natural Born Losers—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

5/19—Zipper-Head Productions Presents: The Return Of Swamp Rocker Rory Kelly—Ryan’s Pub and Sports Bar, Monroe Township, NJ

5/19—Raven/No Kings Among Wolves/The Donner Party/Fiakra/Flatleaver—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

5/19—The Stolen (Record Release Party)/110 Hiding Out/America Part Two/Ghost of a Gentleman/Chasing Down Sunset—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

5/20—End of an Era—Jersey Shore Festival, Grant Avenue Main Stage, Seaside Heights, NJ

5/20—Sekond Skyn/Life of Agony—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ

5/20—Primadonnaz–Jersey Shore Fest at EJ’s Tap House, Seaside Heights, NJ

5/20—Villins—Pianos, NYC

5/20—Jersey Campfire Presents: Orbynot/Triple Addiction/Shattered Skin/Sinsanity—Tenth Street Live, Kenilworth, NJ

5/20—Murder Junkies/Negative Traction/Honey Trap/Aristocants/Bionic Monkey/Kill To Create/Pat Veil—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

5/25—Sinking Monroe/Triple Addiction—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

5/26—MIDNITE HELLION/Metalfier/Ryder/Eternian/Psychonaut Underground/Pussy Wolf—The Gramercy Theater, NYC

5/26—Common Wealth—The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ

5/27—Mikell’s Plot—Perth Amboy Waterfront Arts Festival, Perth Amboy, NJ

5/27—Ten Ton Mojo/Among Thieves/Lizzie and the Makers/All Night Sounds—The Gramercy Theatre, NYC

5/27—Eye of Eternity/Infinitus Mortus/Know Your Enemy/Sunday Best—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

5/28—Flud/Death By Fiction/M-16—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/3—Shyneboxx—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

6/7—September Mourning/Eye of Eternity/Libricide/Strive/Soul Unhinged/Twisting Life—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/10—Dinosaur Eyelids—John and Peter’s, New Hope, PA

6/10—Rahway CD Release Party/Don Jamieson/Common Wealth/Everything Falls/Headmotor—Crossroads, Garwood, NJ

6/12—Brand of Julez/Opeth/The Convalescence—Webster Hall, NYC

6/13—Brand of Julez/Opeth/The Convalescence—Revolution Music Hall, Amityville, NY

6/14—Brand of Julez/Opeth/The Convalescence—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ

6/17—KILLCODE/Headmotor/Anthems For Autumn/New Day Dawn/Ten Ton Mojo/Empire Fallen—Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ

6/17—40 Below Summer/IncognitoTheory—The Stanhope House, Stanhope, NJ

6/23—Dark Sky Choir CD Release Party/Midnite Hellion/HIGH OCTANE/The RIFFS—Starland Ballroom, Sayreville, NJ