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Shoreworld: Dada’s 20-Year Puzzle; Bands On A Budget

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Dada Celebrate The 20th Anniversary Of Puzzle At The Wonder Bar Tomorrow, Feb. 14

Who can forget the opening D drone of “Dizz Knee Land?” That was the hit from Dada’s debut disc, Puzzle. Like other classic songs that withstand the test of time, “Dizz Knee Land,” along with other well-known hits such as “Dim,” “Surround” and “Dorina,” have propelled this band into a new year’s worth of touring and product alignment.

Dada are a band that has come full circle and are eager to get back to basics and have some fun along the way. Singer/guitarist Michael Gurley…


Shoreworld: Aqueous At The Urban Nest Tonight; Musicians On A Mission; Kristen Driscoll At Gallery 13

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Buffalo’s Aqueous Settle Into The Urban Nest – Tonight! Feb. 20

Drew Wajnert is a familiar face in the central New Jersey music scene. In a climate where most local promoters pounce on the mainstream Huckleberry schmaltz of the Jersey Shore sound, Wajnert prefers to take the less traveled road of the underground jam scene.

Since 2002, Wajnert has been doing his part in conjuring up community spirit with his Phanphest brand of arabesque bands and unique events. And while Phanphest has struggled with economic and political shifts, nothing has derailed Wajnert when it comes to knowing what…

Shoreworld: Lance Larson At The Wonder Bar March 2; Boob-A-Palooza March 16

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Lance Larson – The “Soul” Survivor Turns 60 – The Wonder Bar – March 2

Lance Larson has always been on the verge of greatness. His association with music was not some flash in the pan. From his devilish early days with his grade school band, the Spartans, Larson knew that music was his calling. Influenced by Brit rockers The Dave Clark 5 and the Beatles, Larson jumped head first into learning all he could. Along the way, he taught himself saxophone, organ, and even the drums. This was also the time when another friend and youngster had a…

Shoreworld: Lili Roquelin – Beautiful Sun

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Lili Roquelin doesn’t take restrictions and limitations well. After realizing that Parisian industry fat cats favored local DJs over live performance, this Toulon, France musician left her homeland for the United States and pastures of unlimited possibility. It blows my mind to hear that a mere teenager had the personal insight to pack up and move thousands of miles to set up shop in the U.S.A., but Roquelin is a deity that flies far above the confines of impossibilities, and she has the talent to back it up.

Roquelin first caught my attention with the 2010 release of Will

Shoreworld: Asbury Park – Where Music Lives; Nick Offerman At The MAC At Monmouth University

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Asbury Park – Where Music Lives – Rocktography And The Asbury Park Music Storyteller Series

Asbury Park has always been a city of bizarre surprises. The good, the bad and the ugly have all happened here. Like the uncontrollable ebb of the ocean’s tide, Asbury Park momentum has expanded and receded over the past several decades. But recently, it looks as if the expansion has begun to dominate, gaining ground with each surge of activity, and restoring this “city by the sea” to its former colorful glory.

I remember this town in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It…

Shoreworld: Mark Lindsay Records New Album In NJ; The Strand Theater Presents The Backstage Pass Series March 22

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Mark Lindsay – Paul Revere & The Raiders Frontman Records New Album In NJ

Mark Lindsay is one of the original founding members of Paul Revere & The Raiders. His rock and roll journey has taken him from worldwide stages and studios to tv and the silver screen over the last five decades. Lindsay is an accomplished writer, producer, vocalist and frontman, and he was considered to be one of rock and roll’s premiere scene stealers during the 1960s heyday of pop music.

Unlike most musical celebrities, Lindsay has never disappeared or taken drastic lengths of time to “rediscover”…

Shoreworld: Aaron Lee Tasjan’s ‘The Thinking Man’s Filth’; Vextion Live At The Saint

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Aaron Lee Tasjan – The Thinking Man’s Filth

Part Ben Bridwell soprano, part Jack White warble, Aaron Lee Tasjan is seeing his hard work and perseverance pay off. Co-writer of the world’s first “three-sided” single—how does that even work?—“I Believe In Elvis Presley” was co-written with BP Fallon, and was produced by the rebel king himself, Jack White. It was also released on White’s Third Man label.

Aaron hails from Ohio and spent time in Albany, New York, before doing his penance in the hipster-laden city of Brooklyn. Home to just about every art form, Brooklyn has been instrumental…

Shoreworld: EdTang – Goodbye, Zen5, Sushi Dinner

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Ed Windas is a self-described sponge. Not in the way that many of our friends are when it comes to picking up their share of a bar tab, but in a good way of absorbing as much life knowledge as he possibly can.

Windas got his start as a fledgling rapper. Heavily influenced by the Wu-Tang Clan, Ed proceeded to delve into satirical rap humor under the witty guise of EdTang. Ed describes this continued moniker on his website: “I noticed that if I flipped the iconic Wu ‘W’ a quarter-turn clockwise, it made the perfect ‘E’ for my…


Shoreworld: Glen Burtnik’s Summer Of Love LIVE! – Count Basie Theatre – March 15

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It’s been a long, cruel winter. Ever since Hurricane Sandy knocked us for a loop, the weather has been unforgiving in its constant bombardment of our coast. Flood-related repairs have been breathing at our neck for months and it’s driving people to the edge of sanity. But with the arrival of brighter, longer days comes the realization that the sunny season of summer will be upon us soon. With a sigh of relief, we know that things will be returning to some semblance of normalcy.

For many music lovers, that signal came in a unique call from the sounds…

Shoreworld: Helping Hands Joins Jersey Calling; The Live Debate! At The Saint April 19

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Many people now understand that politics alone will never solve the woes of the community. The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is a perfect example of the bureaucratic “slow hand” reactions that people are incensed about when it comes to the big, rusty wheel of our federal, state and local government. But throughout these trying times, others have decided to abandon the waiting room policies and make their own difference as fast as they possibly can.

New Jersey residents Greg and Karen Dixon started Helping Hands Of New Jersey as a way to assist NJ families in rebuilding their homes.…

Shoreworld: Moon Motel – The Lonely Romantic

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I couldn’t count the number of late night drives I’ve taken in my life. From New Jersey’s backwoods, Jersey Devil single lanes, to the interstate monstrosities on the road to Los Angeles, the strange and lonely late night drive has always been a time spent deep in reflective thought.

Thoughts of the past, the present and our unseen future crowd the head. Illuminated by dashboard instrumentation and the constant sound of the tires click-clacking on the pavement. It’s when we witness the sights and sounds that are genuinely alive after the witching hour.

And the music, thematic and syncopated…

Shoreworld: Keith Kenny’s ‘And The Light Came Blaring In’; Mike Montrey Pays It Forward

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Keith Kenny has never relied on the promptness of strangers and musicians. And while has used a band for several previous releases, on And The Light Came Blaring In, Kenny relies more on his lone power of compositional grit than his usual fret board grandeur.

On the creation of this disc, Kenny says, “The album was recorded a bit differently than my older ones that were done with a full band. For this one I wanted to capture what the live solo show sounds like so it’s basically just me playing guitar and singing while playing a kick-drum and…

Shoreworld: Chris Barry – Remembering One Of Our Own Through The Asbury Angels

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If there is one main thing that anyone here at The Aquarian could say about the late Chris Barry, it would be that he was extremely passionate. Chris was adamant about the music scene, civil rights issues and freedom of speech. And he never had a “slow down” button, even when he could have hit the brakes. More than once he sent readers into a tailspin over his defense of someone or something that didn’t cater to popular opinion. But Chris also knew the value of positive praise, and went out of his way to nurture many budding bands…

Shoreworld: The Jersey Shore Festival; Leslie West At McLoone’s

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The Jersey Shore Festival Breathes New Life Into Seaside Heights THIS WEEKEND!

Six months after Hurricane Sandy, many areas are still decimated. The whispers of possible failed summer seasons are rampant, and tales of hustling construction to prevent that event are neck and neck right now. I recently spoke with my editor about doing some updates about how the musicians and venues were doing in the town, and that’s when I got an email about the best thing that could happen to a town looking to tell everyone, “We’re still here and it’s business as usual!”

The Jersey Shore…

Shoreworld: Full Fathom 5 – Tony Tedesco Talks Music, Mollycoddling And The Results Of Never Taking No For An Answer

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Tony Tedesco will never win any citations for shoegazer protocol. When it comes to fashion and fitting in, he’s about as far outside the ring as one can get. However, that isolated location has the advantage in spades. It has allowed him to focus on music that naturally focuses on the needs of listeners tired of following playlists or blog requirements, and it has given him more newly born access to fans than any other attempt at the brass ring to date. Funny thing is, when you refuse to follow a formula that’s never able to be caught in…


Hurricane Sandy Update: Six Months After The Storm – Is It Really Over Yet?

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New Jersey Musicians Tell The Real Story Of Hurricane Sandy – Six Months Later

I have to be honest, when I first started this article, I had a whole section leading up to the stories. A section that sounded like every other knuckleheaded journalist trying to paint themselves as a spokesperson of rational summation of a disaster that can never be properly described unless you’ve literally been deep in the middle of it. But as the stories rolled in, I knew that I could never wrap this up in one cute, human interest fluff piece, and I realized that…

Hurricane Sandy Update: Six Months Later Through The Eyes Of The Musical Community

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Ocean County residents are still going through a litany of insurance red tape and a myriad of local government ordinances just to be able to get back in their homes. Truth is in many areas, there are still largely abandoned neighborhoods. And it’s that type of scenario right in my proverbial backyard.

As individuals climb out of aggravation and the despair of being displaced and left adrift, I thought I would continue to ask some of our own musicians about their stories dealing with the storm. I wanted to know how they’ve been dealing with getting back on top…

Shoreworld: Recovery Along The River – June 1; Linda Chorney Comes To Watermark – June 5

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Nicole Atkins And Steve Forbert To Headline “Recovery Along The River,” A New Beginning In Neptune Township – June 1

It’s hard to believe that Hurricane Sandy happened seven months ago. For most in New Jersey, it’s an ongoing tragedy that keeps it much closer to the surface of things from our past. And part of the reminder is the people that aren’t getting what they need to get back to the life they once had. Federal reaction is always in arrears, insurance is deep in a game of Three-Card Monte, and the sea of new terminology and regulations…

Hurricane Sandy Update: Belmar – Will Things Ever Be The Same?

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We’ve been moving up the coast, speaking to musicians that have lived through one of the worst storms of recent times. Some have come through minus cherished items, memories and instruments, while some have been fortunate enough to dodge that bullet. Stories of limited help from government agencies and insurance companies abound. Belmar was a town hit hard, and I took a story from local musician David Fagan, a member of Snowball 37, who gave a personal and jaw-dropping view on his experience:

 

“On October 29, 2012, our house was flooded during Hurricane Sandy. My girlfriend Connie and…

Shoreworld: This Postdiluvian World – Rick Barry

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Symbolism has always been an aptly wielded tool in the hands of Rick Barry. His research into the world’s history of human customs and tireless compositional forays into empathetic personal territories have resulted in the adoration and rebuke from more than a few converts on their journey to a melancholy redemption.

The valley-wide imagery that seizes the mind on Rick’s latest CD, This Postdiluvian World, is that of a stark and solitary outcry. The isolated lyrical gnashing of teeth as ghosts from the past brand the present with inspirational solace is achieved in spades here.

While researching past work,…

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