The ‘Filters’ of Bayonne

Written By Mike Greenblatt
Bayonne

Bayonne, besides being a New Jersey town in Hudson County, is also the stage name for Roger Sellers, an Austin-based electronica mystery man, who has followed up his 2023 Temporary Time with Filters (Nettwerk Music Group). “The title,” he explains, “correlates with the concept of finding ways to get through rough times. It’s like filtering through some of the negative things in life.”

He’s currently touring throughout Europe. The stateside jaunt starts September 27 in Oklahoma City before stopping in Chicago Sept. 30, Philadelphia Oct. 8, New York City Oct. 9, Austin Oct. 24 and Los Angeles November 21.

Bayonne is a multi-instrumentalist composer-arranger-vocalist whose music has been described as psych-folk, synth-pop, alt-funk and/or electronic-ambient. Even live, he layers loops like Brian Wilson layered harmony.  “Filters feels like a continuation of Temporary Time,” he explains. Temporary Time was this grievance phase, and this feels a little bit more like it’s in the same universe, but it’s more the acceptance phase of that period of my life.” Influenced by the rather new age Enya and the electro-pop pioneers in Air, he worked with drummer Matt Toman on the new sound, complete with tapes of their nature walks. See for yourself below.

Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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