Psychedelic Los Angeles rockers The Third Mind are touring for the first time on the East Coast so, of course, they have to stop at Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall to spread some tracks from their new Right Now! (Yep Rock Records) on the smart ears of this room. Grammy winning singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer Dave Alvin of The Blasters formed this band with Victor Krummenacher of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. Then, when Counting Crows and John Hiatt guitarist David Immergluck joined with Richard Thompson/John Cale drummer Michael Jerome and vocalist Jesse Sykes, their stage was set.

Any event the entity known as Darkside New Jersey puts on is sure to blow your mind. On Oct. 18, at the N.J. Convention & Expo Center on Sunfield Road in Edison, things will get creepy for ten full hours starting at 10:00 in the morning. Promoted as “a darker, more immersive, and beautifully twisted experience,” over 175 curated vendors of the macabre and bizarre will include tattoo parlors, piercing, taxidermy, a “Mother Knows Death” podcast, Mrs. Angemi The Human Dissector, Horror Panels, Five-Breathing Sideshows, live music and an on-site masseuse.

New York City band Black Satellite is on tour with Mushroomhead, Psychostick and Mind Incision. Their brand new Aftermath album is out with lead single “Kill For You.” They go from industrial to metal in an artful melding of dark, edgy soundscapes. Lead singer Larissa Vale is intense, indomitable and unflinching. The band has tightened up since their opening slot for Marilyn Manson. According to Vale, “the single explores the lengths someone will go to for those they love, and at what point that starts to border on obsession. I like to conquer my fears in my music videos. The last thing I’d ever want to do is let a tarantula crawl all over my face so I thought why not just do it?”

As part of ProgStock 2025 at the Williams Center in Rutherford on Oct. 12, vocalist-guitarist-keyboardist Mike Keneally will bring his Beer For Dolphins band onstage with guests Dave Bainbridge and Sally Minnear. Keneally has 30 years of material to choose from, including his work with Frank Zappa, Devin Townsend, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Robert Fripp, Mastodon, Wayne Kramer, The Loud Family and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins (not to mention his 29 solo albums). 

Pianist Caelan Cardello will accompany Chicago singer-songwriter-arranger-educator Julia Smulson at Brvsh Cul7ur3 on Cedar Lane in Teaneck Oct. 11. She won the 2022 International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition Her self-titled debut came out last year. She’s currently pursuing her Master’s at Julliard.

Swing’s the thing at Drew U Oct. 11 in Madison when Michael Martocci and Brandon Tomasello front the 22-piece JTole Jazz Orchestra in a night of Sinatra. Frank’s manager, Eliot Weisman, hailed Martocci as “the closest you will ever come to reliving the Sinatra experience.” Joe Piscopo collaborator Tomasello is planning on taking a deep dive into the Sinatra-Basie catalog, excavating songs not performed in nearly six decades.

British Soul-Pop duo Young Gun Silver Fox will start its stateside tour Oct. 11 down the shore in Asbury at Wonder Bar in support of fifth album, Pleasure (Blue Elan Records). Funky soul man Andy Platts used to run ragged with Mama’s Gun in London. Shawn Lee moved across the pond from Kansas to join England’s Ping Pong Orchestra. Reportedly, Jeff Lynne is a fan, and if he likes ‘em, so do we.

Pianist Joel Zelnick will present his “My Bill Evans: A Personal Conversation,” his personalized tribute to Union County’s greatest piano player on Oct. 11 at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Closter Library on High Street. This event is free to the public.

Los Angeles shock-rockers Patriarchy revel in the dark-wave scene with industrial and metal influences. Besides opening for The Cult, they’ll be doing a string of headlining dates which will take them to Newark Oct. 10 at QXT’s Night Club where they will be performing selections from their just-released Manual For Dying, co-produced by Brooklyn’s Twin Shadow, the Dominican Author, Fashionista, Actor, Guitarist, Keyboardist, Bassist with six albums of his own.

With its new Earthkeeper album just out on Hopeless Records, this Maryland trio—vocalist Ashrita Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo and drummer Myron Houngbedji—fuse pop-punk, alt-rock, dance, grunge, metalcore and a love of Beyonce into a well-pounded spark. Their second single, “I’m Gonna Tell My Therapist On You,” is their most-known song. The new single is “Vacant.”

As part of her “Blues Is So Good” tour, in support of her new Moonlight Movin’ & Groovin’ album, Louisiana blues belter Geminii Dragon will perform with her partner Linwood Taylor in Newark at Clement’s Place on Oct. 8, as co-produced by the Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies.

On Sunday afternoon at 3:00, the Madison Community Arts Center on Kings Road will present the Anais Reno Duo. New York City award-winning singer-songwriter Reno—with the backing of pianist Jeb Patton—should do songs from her Lady Of The Lavender Mist album, as well as her repertoire of Ellington, Strayhorn and “The Great American Songbook.” Opening will be The Desmond Diehl Trio:  guitarist Diehl, bassist Lark Villinski and drummer Beckitt Diehl.

Glenn is the Guitarist-Vocalist-Composer who played lead in the Jukes. Oria is the transcendent singer who just happens to be his daughter. That Bood Harmony will be in full effect down the shore at the Transparent Clinch Gallery—210 Fifth Avenue—on October 4 in Asbury Park. Glenn tells us there’s some new material that he’s been writing and, of course, they’ll do some discreet covers of songs that will never die. The 4:00 p.m. start time will be for one 75-minute set.

Supporting its self-produced Corporation P.O.P., Hot Milk will spill all over Jersey City at White Eagle Hall September 30. They’ve got a lot on their minds and it all comes spewing forth on this, their second album: collective pain, personal fear, saving the world, politics and a sense of doom and gloom that permeates throughout their stance. Oh, and they’re very British. They wear their allegiance to their Manchester hometown on their sleeve.

The first three dates of the American tour of Norway’s rock’n’rollin’ Cocktail Slippers are in New Jersey starting September 28 in Ringwood at Live At Drew’s. The following two nights, in Hightstown, at the Randy Ellis Man Cave, they’ll perform the new “Back Where You Belong” (on Stevie Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool record label). Then, on October 11, they will open for labelmates Soraia in Denville at the Sweet Vinyl Café (the seriously cool place with great coffee).  

In support of The 502s at Asbury Lanes down the shore, Arts Fishing Club will play a full set including the first single, “Gary Busey,” off their new Supernatural Groove EP. The indie-rock band from Tennessee is fronted by Christopher Kessenich, a dude who walked for five months—over 1,600 miles—from Maine to Georgia, playing 60 shows and sleeping on the floor in the homes of strangers. 

Cuban-Venezuelan pianist-vocalist-composer-arranger-producer-educator Cesar Orozco will be performing on Cedar Lane in Teaneck at 8:00 p.m. with his trio. He’s been based in New York City for the last decade and has worked with famed sax man Paquito D’Rivera among many others, having toured extensively throughout the U.S. as well as Scotland, Mexico, Australia, Columbia, England and Holland. 

The music of Australian hard rockers AC/DC has never been more gay! Dee Snider of Twisted Sister loves ‘em and they redo AC/DC’s iconic “Bad Boy Boogie” into the ironic “Gay Boy Boogie.” Coming to Rutherford for the first time, these shockingly astute hard rockers had members of L.A. Guns, Armored Saint and King’s X on their “Highway To Hell” video.

Dirty City ain’t sayin’ their Jersey City hometown is dirty. They’ll play in Washington Park from noon to 2:00 for free. They told Jim Testa’s “Constant Listener” that their sound is “high energy, low volume [with] irresistible grooves [of] bass, drums and bedroom vocals.” 

Touring in support of the 10^th anniversary of their breakthrough Men Amongst Mountains album, which has been re-released as an expanded 36-track bonanza, Louisiana’s The Revivalists have embarked on their “All In The Family” tour with Ohio singer-songwriter Nolan Taylor opening.

In support of its 12-track Oar On, Penelope! album on Yep Roc Records, The Minus 5 will perform “Blow In My Bag,” “Words And Birds” and other selections on September 21 in Jersey City at White Eagle Hall. From Americana to Psychedelia, this collective, since 1993, has featured, within its ranks, members of R.E.M., Drive-By Truckers, The Bangles, Wilco, Death Cab For Cutie and Pearl Jam.

In a special 3:00 p.m. all-ages show, Fear Of Falling, the Hunterdon County alt-rockers, will be playing selections from their brand new 11-song cherry-red vinyl limited-edition album, Long Shadows Echo.  Visit ebay.com/itm/406121327090 to get the $20.00 ticket for $13.

It’s been 30 years Of Ugly since Life Of Agony recorded that seminal alt-metal album. Now the New York foursome will perform that second album of theirs in its entirety on a tour that will crash-land at the Starland in Sayreville. Guitarist Joey Zampella says, “everyone was expecting River Runs Red, part two, but Ugly was a left turn. People were like, `this is different!’ It took some time to sink its hooks into our listeners but when it did, it became a classic.” God Forbid will open and on this night of nights so will Jasta, the solo project of Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta. Bring earplugs.

Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz have recorded six albums together as The Lucky Losers. In support of Arrival, which arrives Nov. 7, the San Francisco blues rockers will play in Montclair at the Brewery Sept. 19.

Lily Vakili will be performing a benefit concert at the Montclair Story Salon for 1in6 Support and Mission Kid Success. As a mother of an autistic son, she has always supported organizations such as Parents Who Rock. She also serves on the Montclair Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities. She’s produced documentaries and has always considered herself a voice for the less fortunate. Her Oceans Of Kansas album drops October 17. “Hold On They Say” is the new single.

Celebrating the 10^th anniversary of his Night Surfer album, Californian Chuck Prophet is on tour and will land in Mount Ephraim at Haddon Lake Park September 17. “There are a lot of little stories on this record,” he says.

“The Ultimate Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour,” as England’s Graham Gouldman, 79, calls it, hits the Carteret PAC Sept 13. He’s sold upwards of 30 million records with 10cc, the band he started in 1972. “I’m Not In Love” (1975) and “The Things We Do For Love” (1976) still sound as fresh and vital today as when they were first released. Then there’s “Dreadlock Holiday” from the 1978 movie The Social Network. Gouldman is touring with a whole new 10cc as he switches off between acoustic and electric guitars plus bass amid drums, percussion, keyboards and mandolin. 

Those going to the Sea. Hear. Now Festival on September 13 best get there on time to see that little old band from Texas, ZZ Top, as drummer Frank beard is back after a lengthy illness. Beard issued a statement that reads in part, “The doctors did what they did so now I’m able to do what I do. Happy that it’s back to band business as usual.”

Guitarist Pete McCann has played with Manhattan Transfer and the Mahavishnu Orchestra besides plenty of others. He’s currently in eight different bands but still has time to lead his own, which he will do September 12 in Teaneck. He’s the go-to guy when CNN, the BBC and Sesame Street needs a guitar.

Here’s a good triple-bill downtown Newark at the Pru:  Pennsylvania’s Breaking Benjamin, around for 23 years, with 10 #1s and 8.5 billion streams, will be supporting its Ember album by headlining with Canadian hard rockers Three Days Grace and L.A. alt-rockers Return To Dust.