Meet…
New Jersey is Bursting With Talent!
Meet… The Dust-Ups
With members from Roselle Park, Somerville, Hasbrouck Heights and Belvidere, The Dust-Ups lace their Americana with alt-country, honky-tonk, rock’n’roll and folk. Their self-titled upbeat 10-song debut came out digitally last month containing a road anthem with plenty of pedal steel, a rockin’ murder ballad, a country power-pop synthesis plus nods to Cajun and Surf Rock.
Meet… George Becker
Singer-Songwriter George Becker grew up in Rahway listening mostly to rock’n’roll but soon discovered he had a passion for real dirt-road country music. Three decades later, he’s still at it, recording and touring. Although his band certainly owes more to country-rock than barroom country weepers, his acoustic solo side shows his devotion to pure country.
Meet… N’Kenge
Jersey City chanteuse N’Kenge just might give you a “Goosebump Moment” with her funky new worldbeat single. The multi-genre vocalist has sung pop, jazz, soul and opera—besides appearing on Broadway—in five octaves and 11 languages over 20 years.
Meet… Brock & Sgro
The fourth studio album from Alan Brock and Chip Sgro, ‘Cut The Wires,’ streamed live last week. Brock (Mountain Lakes) and Sgro (Boonton) are augmented by drummer Ken Trimmer (Lavallette) and bassist Rich Santiago (an out-of-state foreigner).
Meet… Sonic Blume
Call it Asbury Park Alt-Pop. Max Connery (vocals/guitar/synthesizer), Noah Sullivan (guitar/synthesizer) and James Waltsack (bass) are, collectively, Sonic Blume. The band was hatched in 2016 as musically-curious high school students, then bloomed out of the shore like American Beachgrass. Their combined love of sumptuous ‘80s synth-pop galvanized them to create their own.
Meet… Studio D’Lux
Studio D’Lux is led by keyboardist-vocalist Doug Kistner (Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Blood Sweat & Tears/John Waite) from Verona in Essex County. His band is super! We’re talkin’ drummer Liberty Devitto (Billy Joel), guitarist Jon Herington (Steely Dan), New Brunswick singer Glen Burtnik (Styx), Asbury Park singer Reagan Richards (Williams Honor), bassist Malcolm Gold (Sheryl Crow) and saxophonist Tom Timko (Gloria Estefan). The new single—“Silence Is Louder”—is out now.
Meet… Scott Anthony
Scott Anthony says “I Don’t Like New Songs.” He’s the co-owner of Storybook Sound Studios in Maplewood, a producer, an engineer, and, now, for the first time, at 57, a singer-songwriter. After working with The Feelies, Seal, The Beastie Boys, beat poet Allen Ginsberg, Henry Rollins, The Cucumbers and hundreds of other artists, it took the death of his dad and 25 years of yoga to push him into making his own music.
Meet… Reece Young
Born and raised in New Jersey, Reece Young, now based in Nashville, has put all the adversity he’s faced, his personal struggles, his anger, and his frustration, into a vulnerable and universally authentic sound.
Meet… Sohma
They call themselves “sparkle-pop.” Sohma, from Bloomfield, have just released their debut single, “Overexposure” (7hz Recordings). It’s an airy puff of sweetness from singer Jess Kenny, whose whispery vocals deliver the goods in a sensual way that clings to the ear like a moist q-tip. Mike Baron is her musical partner. Kyle McCammon is the producer and his light touch manifests itself into a dreamy soundscape.
Meet… jimrosch
He comes out of Westfield secure in the knowledge that his songs are valid, profound, melodic, entertaining and of substance. His musical fluidity comes from his trio but also from somewhere down deep…with literate narratives delivered in a guitar-centric universe where Tom Verlaine and Al Green vie for supremacy within his soul. This is adult fare.
Meet… Joseph Luca
Joseph Luca—from Ho-Ho-Kus in Bergen County—is a rather unique artist. His music is vulnerable, sensual and seeks to find the freedom inherent in loving whoever the hell you want despite pressures from a repressive society. Genre? Call it alternative soul-pop. Is he the new George Michael?
Meet… LUI
Rapper LUI, from Orange in Essex County, just may be the future of hip-hop. The bilingual rapper, born in the slums of Peru, whose 2018 `Thoughts In My Head’ and 2019 `Time To Eat’ were both well-received, has grown as an artist with each project. Now comes `Graduation: The American Dream.’ But we’ll let LUI introduce himself.
Meet… Afloat
This indie-rock band out of Cherry Hill in Camden County has already toured the Midwest. Lately, they’ve been busy writing. Influenced by punk and emo, they have more on their minds than mono-chromatic ballsiness. Between their vocals and instrumental prowess, there’s room to move and experiment. Born in 2018, Afloat’s latest tune, “Mouth Shut,” is irresistible.
Meet… Adrian Danon
Adrian Danon, 28, calls himself “a Jersey boy through and through,” having been raised near Montclair and now living in Jersey City. He told Jim Testa at NJ.com, “I started taking guitar lessons at 12 or 13 but wound up quitting at least a dozen times. I was so frustrated. My hands wouldn’t do what they were supposed to do. I just wasn’t getting it. And then one day it was just, `Eureka!’ It all fell into place. I started writing my own songs at around 17 or 18.”
Meet… Window Weather
Jersey City is busting out all over with all kinds of bands, one of which is Window Weather. WW is helmed by the sultry vocals of Georgia Sebesky and the harmony of her songwriter partner, guitarist Evan Dibbs. With new drummer Samir Tawalare, the 10-track Out From Under debut is smart, catchy, memorable and promising.
Meet… Reg Mason
Our state is known for music, tomatoes, beaches and diners, among other things. In rapper/singer/producer Reg Mason’s new video for “STE” featuring JTT, he’s in a diner, The White Rose System Diner, to be exact, in Roselle, sharing fries with a hottie. It’s a first date.
Meet… Mihali
He lives in Vermont now but Mihali will never let the Jersey out of his soul. When’s the last time you met an artist who wrote such a solid song about the town he’s from. “Maplewood” is the song. Maplewood is also the town in Essex County where he’s from. He’s a singer, songwriter, guitarist and reggae lover whose band Twiddle put him on the musical map. Now he’s solo and the sky’s the limit.
Meet… Reese Van Riper
Reese Van Riper have 11 albums and over 100 songs. Their gritty “Jersey Swamp Rock” sound is dark, oftentimes eerie, definitely hard-charging and filled with rock’n’roll smarts. Vocalist Papa Reese is a mountain of a man, six foot seven inches of pure aggression tempered by elements of Alice Cooper, the New Orleans Radiators and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Meet… Bobby Syvarth
Deep in the wilds of Morris County there’s a small place called Jefferson Township. In 2007, singer-songwriter Bobby Syvarth was a long way away from this hometown of his as he was in the process of recording in the sacred Southern California foothills of Laurel Canyon with producer Bruce Witkin on his debut for Unison Records, a label that the producer had started with Johnny Depp. Fifteen years later, his sophomore effort, Silver Lake Boulevard, came out last year and his new single, “I Like,” with Elliott Peck on vocals, will come out April 28.
Meet… Dreams Of Venus
Heavy psychedelic stoner rock. Lots of wah-wah pedal. Two-part vocal harmony. All accentuated by what band guitarist Addie Flaxx calls the “Wooly Mammoth” of Schulman’s bass. Voila! Power Trio Extraordinaire!