Killkenny Alehouse w/No Pasaran and The Invisible Lines

Saturday June 13th, 8pm. I bust out the door of my job and hightail it directly to the PATH. I went from the PATH to a cab outside of Newark Penn Station, to 27 Central Ave. Kilkenny Alehouse. Jennifer Schwartz had put together another show, which by all indications promised to be killer.

I walked in as Sons where making their moves on the stage. This outrageous growl punk band played about five songs after I walked in. They were unchecked aggression. John (vocals) was prone to manic episodes as well as one depressive moment when he sobbed on stage. I overheard that during their first show (this being their second) he was dressed in a Santa outfit so that made the sobbing a little more disturbing. I heard influences of Minor Threat from Matt,Brian (guitar) and Butch (drums). If I could describe Sons without having your hear them, imagine One Handed Scissor by At the Drive In, during the chorus, but the entire time! It was harsh, brutal and more raw that than a maki combo. The band is still working on its name however and they may change it in the near future.


Invisible Lines made their mark next. They are Alan (Guitar, Bass)
Greg (Guitar, Bass, Drum Machine) Michael (Drums)William (Guitar, Bass, Vocals). A sort of Conspiracy Surf Rock group. IL brought some sick energy! Songs like Do Not Be Phased that started with a prelude on the drums and guitars are the harbingers of a serious driving song. That’s if you drive in the Demolition Derby! It's a great thing coming out for a show and seeing a band you've never even heard of before that just rocks your mind away. After the show I caught up with Will. It seems IL will be recording a new album soon I personally can’t wait to get my grimy paws on it.

Andy Borsz and Sara Cavic are Slasher Risk. It’s extremely hard to put into words what happened in the next 20 mins. Suffice it to say that if music was sex, this is the craziest exhibition I’ve ever seen. Andy played the Guitar while writhing on the ground then dropped it and jumped on to the drums while Sara manipulated sounds on the guitar. They traded off from playing guitar to drums messing with the speakers. It was about as close to performance art as a rock show can get.

Reeling from what I had just witnessed on stage I took a moment of refuge in a bottle of Budweiser. Chatted it up with some folks. These show have become a serious social event for rockers in Brick City and areas surrounding. Each time there are brand new faces and some old reliables as well.

Jennifer Schwartz of Una Pong and Ryan Havers of the Vontons took my attention away from my elixir. There was to be a guitar Toss-off. Jen vs Ryan in an all out no holds barred battle royal of guitar/wits/ and shit-talking. The guitar finesse was on par the tossing was well received, I have to say the shit talking was much to be desired. I heard ZERO your momma jokes and a very low amount of cursing.

Here’s a quick lesson in History. No Pasaran: propaganda slogan used to express determination to defend a position against an enemy. It was most famously used during the Battle of Verdun in World War I by French General Robert Nivelle. "¡No pasarán!" became an international anti-fascist slogan.(wikipedia) Ok lessons concluded. Now since you have a little background, Its easy to conclude that with a name at that level of concept the band itself must breathe lightning and smoke thunder. Well if that was your assumption True Believer , then you ain’t just whistling Dixie! No Pasaran is Eric Mason (Bass, Vox) Tom Barret (Drums) and Romel Espinel (Guitar, Vox). This Clash style set up is a full force post punk band. Think Husker-Du meets Mission of Burma, with a dash of Boy Sets Fire. It’s heavy and its thrashing. They beat you over the head with guitar and bass and rip the carpet right out from underneath you with the drums. I highly suggest you make sure you see these guys the next time they get out for a show, which I believe is going to be The Groove on Grove on July 8th. In fact, say hi if you make it out. I’ll be there. I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION, Eric decided to chug a good 3/4 of a bottle of Heine's Famous Malt Vinegar. There are pictures, it was not the most intense event of the night but it definitely punctuated the evening.


Drunken Sufis complete the line-up with some resolute Political Psycho Punk. Billy Delerioso takes the low end. Slinky keeps the beat. Renzo rounds out the band on Guitar. Billy and Renzo the share responsibility of vocals. DS Started off at 90 mph, and remained reckless for their whole set. It was part message part farce and all fun. They took full advantage of the ample room in the hall and came out into the crowd screaming! When they finished up I was pretty positive I couldn’t handle anymore rock for the night.

Jen offered me a ride back to the PATH. I’m never one to make my life more difficult so of course I accepted. We bullshitted about music, and what we were trying to achieve in the last five years, and how those paths always lead back to music someway or another. Relationships and what not, y’know the stuff you bullshit with a good friend at 2am on your way to the PATH. I got to the station and wouldn’t you know it the train showed up right as I got to the platform. Everything seems like it’s falling into place for the Rocker Tycoon these days.

Friday Night Riot with Frankie and His Fingers, and friends

I know most of you would be shocked to find this out, but there are some Friday nights when I'm at a loss for what to do. Sure, I mean of course I'm gonna go out a watch a band. That's a given. But I like to have a friend come with. As it turns out I'm also a last minute kind of guy. These two things don't always mesh well. Not everyone I know just waits by the phone for me to give them a buzz and grace them with my presence. And as sad as that is, sometimes it's nice to just go off on my own and not have to entertain, or worry if anyone else is having fun. I check the tubes to see who's playing out at IMAC tonight, and its a bunch of bands I've never heard of! Four Bands..... at least one has to have the stuff! And for $6 it's certainly worth a gamble. I check out the band's myspace pages for a audible appetizer. The First band to really set me off was Frankie and His Fingers. It's 8pm, the bands start at 9pm so I guess I better wash the taste of happy hour out of my mouth, and off my body. And I should change too. Damn going out is much more of an ordeal when you fall asleep after drinking through lunch.


Thirty minutes later, I'm clean, dressed, shaved and feeling like a new man. Definitely ready to rock it. Now I spend the next twenty minutes wandering around my house looking for my other Chuck Taylor All-star, like a defunct king of Iolcus. Of course it turns out to be in the last place I'd ever look..... on the television. Hell of a place to put your shoe after happy hour. With my second shoe, found and a touch of the weird feeling, I make a break for IMAC. After spending my last three Fridays hanging out here and shooting the bands, it's starting to really feel like home. They know what I drink, smiles and chit chat are exchanged friendly nods and wave fly across the room. Most excitingly they've started waiving my entry fee as a member of the press. Yes, I know! I said before that I'd rather the band get the money. I'm no hypocrite, it means I'm going to use that money to buy merch and EPs. I can always use a new tee shirt!

The first band, Binky Bianca, was just finishing up. I caught a few of their songs. If I had been a touch more conscious of the locale of my footwear I'd have caught their whole set. They had a great little country rock thing going on I snagged a video of them and a few pictures. Maybe its me, but it seems like there's a resurgence or Country influenced rock and roll taking back the smaller venues lately. I'll be the first to admit I'm much more in love with the past than I am the present, but it's bands like this that are really warming me up to today's music scene. FAHF set up. They played most if not all of their EP. Which is available for free download on their myspace page (Look under their blogs, well worth the price. I'd say you're losing money not picking these up). They rounded third and busted right into a cover of Bullet with Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins, which was unconventional and really well executed. Frank(vox, guitar) was a consummate front man. Jumping about and rocking the stage. He used every inch of his space, and even some of Adam's (bass), who really grounded Frank's pleas and exclamations with solid backing. Samantha's work on the drum was classic rock with a great use of accents. She really went to work on the solos. And before I was quite ready for them to be finished...they pulled out with Hell Broke Loose.


The crowd was charged up as Eastern Anchors hit the stage. It was really hard to classify this band. They have a serious New Brunswick basement sound, and you can get a real feel for surf rock influence as well. I mean don't get me wrong it worked well. I felt like I was 22 hanging out in a Hamilton street basement. Anytime a band can bring me back to days of pounding my fist in a sweaty basement to post-hardcore music in hopes of meeting a cool girl or just moshing in areas that are far too tight to be slam-dancing in, that's a great thing. I got this great video of them rocking out to Tectonics. The sound is great. I'm starting to get a better idea for how to work the camera. Sometimes on the job training is the best kind. So they finished up their set to thundering applause and an anticipation for more kick to the teeth rock!


No Pasaran! Burst on to the stage. These three cats had more energy that this place could really handle. Eric Mason(vox, and guitar/bass) kicked into top gear right from the start with stage antics and serious motion. I didn't even mention his singing or playing which were beyond erratic and panicky. Romel Espinel (vox, guitar)kept a lower profile, but was no less kick ass, a perfect compliment to Eric's over the top hijinks. Tom Barrett (drums) ripped his kit a new one.
Inbetween Eric's manic vocals and Romel's more melodic backings they would bust out into an intrustmental episode. The whole thing was intense, punchy, and positively punk. I felt young again. Well younger than I am at least. And just like all those basement shows I used to frequent in my youth, I went home a sweaty drunken mess, alone, my ears ringing and my body bereft of all energy.