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THE TOXIC AVENGER MUSICAL
New Brunswick's George Street Playhouse debuts
a laugh-filled winner
The town of Tromaville NJ, Exit
138, is in serious trouble. Nefarious forces are
turning the town into a toxic wasteland. Who will
save the day? Why, the Toxic Avenger, of course!
The George Street Playhouse debuts the new musical
comedy by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, which
brings Lloyd Kaufman's goo-dripping cult hero
to life in what editor Jim Testa calls a laugh
out loud triumph. Read
the review here...
 BOOK
REVIEW:
THE RED ALBUM OF ASBURY PARK
Alex Austin's Novel Captures The Mystery and Magic
of the Asbury Park of the Sixties
Imagine Asbury Park's Casino Hall alive with
dancing and music, the boardwalk exploding with
amusement rides and concession stands, the city
itself the gem of the Jersey shore, with rock
'n' roll pouring out of dozens of bars and clubs.
The Beatles blare from the radio, the Vietnam
War is tearing the country in half, and a counterculture
is beginning to poke its shaggy head from the
underground. Alex Austin takes us back to the
Asbury Park of the late Sixties in his riveting
second novel - part mystery, part rock 'n' roll
saga, with a rich history of a unique period of
New Jersey history
Read
Jim Testa's review of The Red Album of Asbury
Park here...
Read an interview with author Alex Austin here...
A CURSIVE MEMORY:
Welcome To The Brave New World of Emo Pop
Editor Jim Testa talks with Shaun Profeta, the 19-year
old frontman of Vagrant's new breakout act A Cursive
Memory. Their viral "bandarazzi" video
has already been seen by almost as many people as
Gone With The Wind, and they spent the
summer winning new fans on the Warped Time at the
same time their CD was burning up the charts at
Radio Disney. Pop, emo, bubblegum...? Boyband, punk
band, pop band? Maybe the old labels just don't
work anymore.
Read
Jim Testa's interview here...
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK:
Jersey pop/punk, Omaha alt-country & Floridian
folk/punk
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The Measure (SA) - Another
Chapter In The Book (Kiss of Death) |
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McCarthy Trenching - Calamith
Drenching (Team Love) |
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imadethismistake - It's Okay
(The Cottage) |
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View
the complete Editor's Desk article...
DEAD MAN'S POP:
The Replacements Reissue Chronicles, Part Two
Jay Mazeffect takes a revisionist look at the legend
of the Replacements, touting what he considers the
criminally overlooked charms of the 'Mats final
two albums, Don't Tell A Soul and All
Shook Down, as well as discussing the historical
significance of Tim and Pleased To
Meet Me.
Read Jay's
article here...
Women & Pop-Punk:
Why don't more girls go whoa-oh-oh-oh?
Jim Testa talks to three of Jersey Beat's favorite
female rockers - Hallie from the Unlovables, Lauren
from The Measure (SA,) and Erin from Full of Fancy
- and asks about the role of women in pop punk.
Who are the role models, what are the obstacles,
and why don't more girls want to rock 'n' roll?
We also check in with Jenna Ali, co-owner of one
of our favorite pop-punk labels, It's Alive Records.
Read
Jim's article here...
PROJECT 27 Summer Tour Journal by Joey Mac
Drummer Joey Mac shares his journal of Project 27's
summer tour, a quintessential punk rock odyssey
of basement shows, broken-down vans, sleeping on
floors, and having the time of your life.
Read
Joey's journal here...
FEATURE REVIEWS:
 Palmyra
Delran - She Digs The Ride (Apex East Recordings)
The lead singer of the Friggs releases her first
solo album, which segues from sweet and sexy to
smart street punk, galloping rockabilly to sassy
punk rock.
Read
Phil Rainone's review here...
 The
New Duncan Imperials - End of Phase One (Pravda)
The New Duncan Imperials uncork some of the greasiest,
most soulful psychedelic rockabilly since back
in the days of Link Wray on their latest CD.
Read
Phil Rainone's review here...
 Toxic
Holocaust - An Overdose of Death (Relapse)
Our newest reviewer Mirza Gazic likes what he hears
from one-man thrash-metal act Toxic Holocaust, saying
that it lives up to the adage that all good metal
has a solid punk backbone.
Read Mirza's review
here...
 The
Goo Goo Dolls - Vol. 2 (Warner Bros.)
This CD/DVD combination offers a focused summation
of the Goo Goo Dolls' post-"Iris" career,
when the band emerged as top-of-the-chart balladeers
after years of making messy pop-rock as one of
America's great underrated garage bands. There
are 22 tracks including rarities, B-sides, and
covers, as well as a DVD with 24 of the band's
videos and a complete live concert.
Read
Phil Rainone's review here...
 The
Break Evens
Jay and Mel from the underrated and much overlooked
Mazeffect switch instruments, add a new member,
and give the punk rock wars another shot with the
Break Evens. Phil Rainone calls it melodic punk
with inspiration and imagination.
Read Phil's review here...
 Bottle
Up & Go - These Bones
Neanderthalic, barbaric, and down-right unrestrained
rock ‘n’ roll flows through every
groove on “These Bones!” They challenge
the mainstream with hot, nasty slide guitar work,
a bashing rhythm section that revolvers around
focused but aggressive vocals, and the whole thing
is played with ceaseless garage rock riffs
Read Phl Rainone's
here
 Matt
Madly - Checkered
As a member of the Fundamentala dn the Gefkens,
Matt Azzarto has been a vital member of the Hoboken
music scene for decades. Now under the new moniker
of Matt Madly, he returns with this post-rock, neo-folk
collection of original tunes that propels Matt squarely
into the 21st Century.
Read
Phil Rainone's review here...
THE VINYL PILE:
Reviews of Real Round Records
Mose Giganticus - Commander!
The Varsity Weirdos - "High School Teen Party"
Camp X Ray
Jonesin' / Shang-A-Lang Split EP
My So Called Life / Ryan Stills Split EP
Rich White Males - "We Ain't No Musicians"
Team Stray - "Three Songs About Girls And
One About Trevor"
Read
the vinyl reviews here...
 METAL
AS ALL HELL by Dan Siano
Dan Siano has nothing but praise for Hate, who "come
at you with a modern brutal death metal approach
with tinges of black metal." But he has less
than favorable words for the likes of Marionette
and Sonic Syndicate. Also: Sybreed, Suspyre, Textures,
Waylander, Bleeding Through, Brother Von Doom, Gama
Bomb, and the new DVD documentary of the hardcore
thrash scene, Get Thrashed.
Read
Dan's column here...
 THE
WORLD ACCORDING TO WAWZYRNIAK - by Joe Wawzyrniak
Joe loves the new album by Athens, GA's The
Visitions, calling it "a compellingly quirky
and engaging sonic oddity." Also: Michael
Chapman, Noah & The Whale, The Heligoats,
John Paul, Strange Day, The Morning Light, and
gives us the lowdown on new CDs from Pillow Queens,
Viking Moses,Threk Michaels, and Alex Statan.
View
the complete article....
 THE
QUINLAN CHRONICLES
The latest from A Static Lullaby, new releases
from Don The Reader and Takka Takka, the latest
from indie rock legend Steve Wynn, and an eye-opening
release by These Arms Are Snakes are Rich Quinlan's
latest targets. With reviews of: Ceremony, Jesu,
Zozobra, and Suicide Note ... Helms Alee, Jumpercable,
and US Christmas. Also, Humanifesto takes on NO
FX, The Maine are like the Jonas Brothers only
they admit they want to have sex, The Walkmen
get good, and Telescreen and Damn This Desert
Air share a split  EP.
Read
Rich's column here...
 THE
QUIET CORNER
by Robert Barry Francos
In the latest installment of The Quiet Corner, Robert
Francos reviews the latest slew of CD's from singer/songwriters,
folksingers, troubadours, and acoustic bands, but
also some electronic music as well as releases from
Jethro Tull, Kings X, Miles Anthony Benjamin Robinson,
and Holler Wild Rose.
Read Robert's column here...
 PUNK
OR NOTHING by Dick Nothing
UK Bureau Chief Dick Nothing reviews the new
7-inch EP from Plastic Stars, and the Art Of The
Underground single from The Closet Fairies. He
also checks in with his take on The Anxieties
ode to the 70's version of Pop Punk on their new
album The Next Mutual. Dick also reviews the latest
release from The Serious Geniuses and Off With
Their Heads, and the self-titled 7-inch EP from
the NYC band Cheeky.
Read Dick's column
here...
 POP
PUNK!
By All Ages Dave Dillon
Dave Dillon finds "Collected Sounds" by
the Dustheads the most tortured release of the year,
a mashup of classic Black Flag hardcore and heavy
stoner riffage. He also reviews new releases by
Heavy Heavy Low Low and pop/punk from Italy's The
Veterans.
Read
Dave's review here...
 ROCK
N ROLL ADDICTION:
Chapter 8 - The Boro
A Column By Daniel McDermott
What was it about his hometown
of Hillsborough that produced so many rock 'n'
rollers in the 90's, wonders Dan McDermott in
this installment of his ongoing memoir. From Flinch
to Loose to Mars Needs Women to True Love, some
of the best Jersey bands of a generation came
from this sleepy little suburb.
View
Rock N Roll Addiction -Chapter 8...
 Your
Friends & Neighbors by Tris McCall
Tris looks at the new pop-prog release by NJ's Spiraling.
"So far, I’ve probably heard about a
hundred albums released this year. I can’t
say that any of them is better than Time Travel
Made Easy. The new Spiraling album is cogent,
entertaining, well-written, and well-played; on
top of that, it sounds terrific."
Read
Tris' full review here...
JERSEY BEAT GOES TO THE WARPED TOUR:
 Click
on the following stories & interviews
INTERVIEWS
More Jersey Beat Columns
- It's
Time To Party With Noah WK
Noah reviews two new pop-punk releases from
Rally Records - the Jetty Boys and All-Star
Assassins - as well as new releases from Orion
Experience, Faraquet, Hammerlock, and Labor
Party.
- Dave
Run It
The Wacky Hi-Jinks of Adrenalin OD, Co Co B's,
The Pagans, Teachers' Pet, Swallow
- Savage
Slices: Reviews by Eric Savage
Streetdogs; Jim Boggia; Nurse With Wound, Windmill
Tammany Hally NYC, Monkey Paw, The Deacons,
Model/Actress, The Ike Reilly Assassination,
Sons Of Cyrus, Irving, Landlord, and more.
- Mike
Ramek's HardCore Report:
Shai Halud; Sworn Enemy; Purpose, Madball, Agnostic
Front/Discipline, Born/Dead, Hopesfall, Monster
Squad. Another Breath, The Break In, The Burning
Paris, Capital, Count The Hours
- The
Silver Lining: Reviews By Paul Silver
City And Skyway, Ghost Buffalo, National Rifle,
PonytaleThe Morning Benders, The Chapin Sisters,
The Handcuffs, Dive Index, Sky Cries Mary; Trolleyvox,
Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Black Swans, Cheyenne,
Hit & Mrs.
-
Acoustic & Then Some By Brook Pridemore
Folk, anti-folk, singer/songwriters, and other
stuff that won't bust your eardrums.
- Wowie
Zowie: Psychedelic & Beyond by Rick Kutner
- Updated January 23
Snowden, Black Mountain, Eddie Vedder, Goon
Moon, Blaqk Audio; Queens Of The Stone Age,
Coheed & Cambria, This Holiday Life;
Gasoline Heart; Be Bop Deluxe, Daft Punk, Deadsy,
The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, New York Dolls,
Placebo, The Raspberries, Samiam, Snatches of
Pink, T Rex, VHS Or Beta, Valient Thorr, VanDer
Graaf Generator
- Book
and Zine Reviews
Redeemed by Heather King (Penguin)
Jersey Beat CD Reviews:
THE JERSEY BEAT T-SHIRT!
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