New Jersey Release Roundup: Pioneer The Eel, Readymade Breakup, Ian Bamberger Trio, John Rafferty

New and Noteworthy

I get and listen to a lot of submissions, many of them from bands hailing from the musically fertile state of New Jersey. In my mix of reviews, listings, photos, current musical events reporting, and "oooooooh, SHINY!" here at the blog, I often don't find the time to call your attention to what's going on right in our backyard in terms of new releases. Every once in a while, I try to remedy that by collecting some stuff all in one place for you.

Here's another one of those.

Pioneer The Eel, Pioneer The Eel

Classifying themselves as "indie / art rock," Bloomfield trio, Pioneer The Eel, made some interesting choices on their self-titled debut. The set contains no cymbals, no bass, and very few barre chords. The result is a swirling and ethereal set of songs combining intertwining guitar lines and vocals.

Opener "Nerve" had me thinking of the opening strains of Interpol's "All the Rage Back Home" (especially before the post-punk bass kicks in on that one), the deliberate and up-front vocals mixing with some delicate guitar work. There's a subtle beauty in tracks like "Last Breath" and "Kaleidoscope" that I think slots nicely into a particular strain of indie rock -- that space populated by bands like The Dodos, Fleet Foxes, The Antlers. It's not quite pop. There aren't really any hooks, but the attention to musicality and arrangement that shows up in the final product engages and draws in the listener just the same.

Pioneer The Eel will have physical copies of the album at their upcoming shows, including tomorrow's Pushing Up The Daisies Fest at the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery. A digital release is planned for summer.

Readymade Breakup, Live With It

Three cooldads from Asbury Park, Readymade Breakup released a short sharp shock of straight-ahead rock n roll earlier this month.

Over the course of its approximately 10-minute running time, Live With It, deals with the past, present, and future with humor (and, yes, cymbals and power chords) -- looking back at being young, accepting adulthood, being resigned to getting old. Living with all of it, basically. There's some thoughtful sequencing -- following "Low Life Creep" with "I Love Myself" and its repeated, affirmative mantra. And there are lyrics that probably hit pretty close to home for *cough* some people: "My song's been sung / My show's been done / My feet hurt bad" on "Everything Is Crumbling."

Live With It is a low-commitment listen that delivers some smiles and some insights over its short running time. It fits right in during those breaks you have between dropping off one kid and picking up the other. It's available over at Readymade Breakup's Bandcamp page.

Ian Bamberger Trio, Satisfied

Another rock trio, Allenhurst's Ian Bamberger Trio combine blues, classic rock, and a definite New Jersey sound on Satisfied.

Bamberger's gravelly vocals combine with some punk-inspired guitar to give a Gaslight Anthem-esque spin to opener "Viral." The band changes gears a bit, going significantly more bluesy on "Love Roulette." Bamberger's guitar and Adam Gerver's bass play off of one another and drive things on the funky "LA 2 DC." There's even a cover of Sam Cooke's "Cupid."

Satisfied is a varied trip through many of the influences that inform the sound of the Ian Bamberger Trio as well as rock music in general. These guys are definitely students of rock music and it shows here.

The band released Satisfied on April 22nd, and you can stream it from wherever you like to do that sort of thing.

John Rafferty, The King Of New York

John Rafferty relocated from Brooklyn to Red Bank about a year ago. On The King of New York, Rafferty employs acoustic instruments like guitar, harmonica, and piano, to tell his stories in the tradition of many New York and New Jersey songwriters.

Opener "Drink Like Religion" is a waltz that, I'm sure, has them swaying right along with the music when Rafferty plays this live. The characters and street scenes on "In The Year of the Dragon" recall Greetings... era Springsteen. Rafferty trades the guitar for piano on "A Drinker's Life" and "Hurry Don't Rush." The title track is an ode to Rafferty's late father, a New York City police officer.

Rafferty mixes the urban storytelling style of Bruce Springsteen with some hints of the traditionalist tendencies of Steve Earle into a style that's both personal and relatable.

You can stream The King of New York from your favorite service. Rafferty's New Jersey release show is next Friday, May 20th, at Val's Tavern in Rumson where you can hit him up for a CD.

Wreckless Eric Played The Saint w/ Ron Santee (The Battery Electric) and Paul Rosevear, 6/24/14 (PHOTOS)

Wreckless Eric at The Saint

Songs and Stories

A singer and a guitar. Sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric. That was last night's show at The Saint, and it made for an intimate evening of songs and storytelling.

Readymade Breakup's Paul Rosevear got things started and played his songs about family and fatherhood for many of his own friends and family members who were among the crowd for his set. Rosevear charmed, peppering his set with some of the stories behind his songs. The Battery Electric's Ron Santee did songs ranging in style from rock to rocksteady to soul and also had several friends in the crowd. He lamented not being an expert storyteller like so many other singer-songwriters, but his story of the inspiration behind the song "Maybe" -- seeing a best friend for, perhaps, the last time -- gave some weight to the intimate number.

Wreckless Eric took the stage just after 9:30 and played, what he called, the songs he's written that nobody likes. His set drew from his mid-80s work with the Len Bright Combo and his 1993 LP, The Donovan of Trash, as well as some of his earlier work. Everyone in the small crowd sang along when he played his very first, and most well-known, song "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World."

He spoke of how Asbury Park always reminded him of his home back in Newhaven, England and warned how success and development could end up changing it. He talked -- and sang -- of how the records produced by Joe Meek changed his life as a boy. There were observations about traversing the US late at night by car and seeing 5-mile long, chemically-laden freight trains and SYSCO trucks. The crowd laughed and shouted back at the stage. Mostly, though, there were songs -- many of them darker, wittier, more experimental than the simple two-chord pop of his classic hit.

When it was done, Eric came down from the stage to a few cries for an encore. Never a fan of the music business and its conventions, Eric told us he wouldn't be leaving the stage just to come back for one more. He did sign records and chat with the remaining crowd, though. Then, I guess it was back to the car for another late-night drive to the next stop.

Here are some pics. More at Flickr.

Show Preview: Wreckless Eric, Ron Santee (The Battery Electric), and Paul Rosevear (Readymade Breakup) TONIGHT at The Saint

Photo: Ted Barron

...You Only Have to Go to Asbury Park

Stiff Records. In the late 70s, the label's roster included Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, and Nick Lowe. Also part of that group, signed in 1977, was Eric Goulden -- better known as Wreckless Eric. Eric's first song for the label, "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World" didn't make much noise at the time; but it has since been recognized continually as one of the best singles of early alt / punk rock. In the years since its release, "(I'd Go) The Whole Wide World" has been covered by The Monkees, Elvis Costello, Paul Westerberg, The Proclaimers, The Wedding Present, and Mikal Cronin along with many others.

Goulden has continued to release songs and albums over the last 35 plus years -- as Wreckless Eric, with The Captains of Industry (which included members of The Blockheads) and other bands, under his own name, and with wife and current co-performer Amy Rigby. Tonight he brings his show to The Saint in Asbury Park.

Joining Eric for the show will be The Battery Electric's Ron Santee doing a solo performance and Paul Rosevear of Readymade Breakup. Make sure you arrive early so that you can catch a couple of great local performers along with a living legend.

Doors for the show open at 7:30, and 12 bucks gets you inside.