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| The Components by Rose Lamela |
A North Jersey Kid
By Rose Lamela
Everyone who is from Jersey is familiar with the whole "What part of Jersey are you from?" question. A lot of Jersey folks answer by saying their Turnpike or Parkway exits as others divide the state into three slices. I, for one, have always pridefully claimed that I was from North Jersey.
I grew up outside of Elizabeth and have had full-blown arguments with people about whether that is considered "Central" or "North" Jersey. No matter what anyone says, I will be steadfast in my proclamation of having North Jersey CRED; and, now that I live further up the state, you can't mess with me. I have the attitude and the latitude to prove it.
That being said, I sadly never heard of the The North Jersey Indie Rock Festival. It's an embarrassing admission, and I hope to be forgiven for my ignorance. I was introduced to the indie local flavor only about two years ago. That is my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.
I was lucky to get a photo pass to this 18 band event courtesy of a super "Cool Dad." At first, I wasn't sure I would be able to keep up the momentum for all 18 bands, but I was in for what was an amazing show. The stage was split into two sets, and every band played for about 15 mins.
The best part of the event for me was to get to hear a few bands play live for the first time. Getting to hear Dentist, Yawn Mower, Glazer, and Exmaid in one event was a very quick way to check off some "must-see bands live" from my never-ending list. They did not disappoint, and I really got to hear what Jim likes to write about when he covers the music scene in Asbury. I am, of course, super cool with the Central Jersey sound trailing up North to enjoy our traffic and polite hand gestures that complement our symphonic car horns. Viva Jersey City and all its wonderful parking!!
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| Dentist |
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| Glazer |
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| Exmaid |
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| Yawn Mower |
A few of the new bands that really gave my feet a good reason to jive that I never heard of before were The Components, The Vaughns, and Black Wail. The Components were one of the best live duos I have ever seen. Ronnie Sena jammed out to the hard beats of Zoe Ekonomidis. At one point Ronnie commented on his approval of some of the "Cool Hipsters" in the crowd who were dancing. It was hard to not want to dance even if you are not a "Hipster," which I secretly want to be. The next band to get me to turn around and tell a stranger "These guys rock!!"were The Vaughns. Anna Lies's original vocals sprinkling over the distortion of guitars was a delightful wake up call to look up their music on Spotify. Black Wail also caught my attention. I loved their mix of blues and heavy rock. I was reminded a bit of my love for Black Sabbath and Metallica, as the lead vocals of Michael Tarlazzi had a James Hetfield vibe to them.
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| The Components |
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| The Vaughns |
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| Black Wail |
The night ended with a much needed super late dinner as both Jim and I were starving. We geeked out about our love for music, cameras, and the trip to SXSW next year. We are lucky despite how tiring it can be to cover long shows like this. There are some amazing "Jerzey" bands out there, and we are bringing the forces of all three slices together. We will always keep you covered. Don't forget to support your local artists!!
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Jim, Jersey Shore (via Brooklyn) kid here. This was an extremely long but, as Rosi says, ultimately rewarding day. Could my old bones maybe have used a 10- or 15-minute break about halfway through? Sure. But the non-stop barrage of great music, much of it delivered by bands I'd never heard live before, was just more evidence of how lucky we are to live in an area brimming with so much talent.
The organizers of the event -- Mint 400 Records and Sniffling Indie Kids -- and the staff at White Eagle Hall had everything running smoothly. The sound and the temperature were both infinitely better than past years. And there were no stairs to climb between every set.
Rosi and I both spent the whole day shooting. It was great to spend so much in-person time with Rosi and geek out about music and cameras and big plans for SXSW 2019. Check out our full photosets in our respective Flickr galleries (Rosi, CoolDad). Together, we captured shots of every single set of the day.
Also, make sure to check out all the bands that played. If you hear something you enjoy, buy some music or merch and help keep New Jersey (North, Central, and South) music going.
Bands who played the North Jersey Indie Rock Fest this year:
Exmaid
Professor Caveman
Guilty Giraffe
Glenn Morrow's Cry For Help
Ultra Major
The Royal Arctic Institute
The Vaughns
Tony Saxon
Secretary Legs
LKFFCT
Shithead's Rainbow
The Components
Glazer
Smock
Yawn Mower
Dentist
Black Wail
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