Mid-Week Fun at The Asbury and House of Independents, 10/31 & 11/1

Titus Andronicus at House of Independents

Old Friends and New

This was a pretty quiet weekend at CDMHQ. CoolMom spent the middle of last week on a business trip to San Francisco, and the rest of us did our usual stuff -- swim practices, shows, trick or treating, that kind of thing. When CoolMom did get home, we decided to have some family time for a change. I did manage to get out to a couple of things while she was away, though.

On Wednesday, I hosted a Halloween show at The Asbury Hotel. That one featured The Rareflowers, Mike Chick, and our old friends Roy Orbitron. It seemed pretty laid back for a Halloween Night in Asbury Park, but I guess that's what happens when the big holiday falls smack dab in the middle of the week.

Mike Chick

We all had a good time. Mike Chick opened solo acoustic with some covers (including some Yawn Mower) and his original Halloween classic, "Ding Dong (Fill My Plastic Pumpkin)." The Rareflowers blew everyone away with their chimey dream pop. I encourage all of you to check out their self-titled EP on Good Eye Records. Finally, Roy Orbitron made a return to Asbury Park riding the high of the fantastic new 8 Million To One.

The Rareflowers

Roy Orbitron

Like I said, it was a weirdly quiet Halloween; but this was a fun show with some of my favorite people.

On Thursday night, Titus Andronicus played House of Independents for their first Asbury Park headlining date since, I think, their 2014 show at Asbury Lanes. This leg of their tour featured label mates Spider Bags; and, on Thursday, locals The Double Negatives started things.

The Double Negatives

The Double Negatives are difficult to classify. It's soulful and emotional rock. Lead singer, Rob Connolly, gives it his all; and the band put on a damn high-energy show.

This was my third or fourth time seeing Spider Bags; and their rambling, punk-tinged garage rock was on full display once again. Songs that start out as barroom-style, rootsy, punk veer off into extended jams and back again. My date for the evening, intrepid interviewer Matt Chrystal, remarked, "These guys rule."

Spider Bags

Patrick Stickles took the stage at about 10:20. After his usual instructions about keeping things peaceful and respecting one another's personal space, he did a solo rendition of The Monitor's "To Old Friends and New." From there, the rest of the band joined him for "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ;" and we were off.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

In the middle of the set, the band played several "covers" from a mysterious 1980 compilation album called Working Class Blokes that Stickles and guitarist Liam Betson had supposedly come across during their tour of the UK. Not only did they discover a treasure trove of second-wave Bristol punk rock; but they also made a killing on the record, having purchased it for a single pound only to discover later on Discogs that the comp was fetching 1,000 pounds.

Funny. But I haven't been able to find any trace of this record myself. Oh, well. That "TMLT Around the World" song -- from a later charity comp and written by the same folks who wrote the other songs -- is one I'd like to get my hands on eventually.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

The crowd was a bit smaller than I expected, but that's the uncertainty of Asbury Park in the cooler months for you. It gave the show a loose, interesting feel; and there was definitely a lot less of the bro-y nonsense that can happen at the more tightly-packed shows. Also, the "Cool! Dad! Cool! Dad!" chant started by Patrick Stickles from the stage was pretty awesome.

After Wednesday and Thursday, I was a little physically and psychologically spent; so, as I said, the rest of the weekend was relatively quiet. CoolMom and I even got to go out to dinner together which was a rare and welcome development.

I posted the pictures from both nights over at the Facebook page. Flickr is going through some changes that leave me wondering if they'll be a reliable picture host down the road, so I've stopped uploading there for the time being. If any bands want a non-squished version of anything, feel free to get in touch.

New EP from Roy Orbitron

Artwork by Tommaso Eppesteingher

8 Million to One

It's been a minute since we've heard from Bordentown's Roy Orbitron. In 2016, Conor Meara-led project released the excellent Girls' Boyfriends. Meara surprise released that album in the middle of a lazy Sunday afternoon; and, true to form, today -- without much run-up or fanfare -- we get the release of the three-song 8 Million to One.

SRG Studios' Sean Glonek recorded, mixed, and mastered the EP; and, in addition to Meara (guitar, bass, vocals), this Roy Orbitron line-up features Noah Baum on violin, Patrick Meyer on drums, and Ruby The Hatchet's Sean Hur on Farfisa / synth.

The opener and title track features Roy Orbitron's familiar blend of Americana and rock with touches of Springsteen (with its references to "New York girls" and "learning your facts"). The synth gives the track bit of spaciness and lends a totally new dimension to "Shit-taker" and "Wet Panther (for Jessi Zazu)." The latter is an ultimately raucous tribute to the late co-founder of Nashville's Those Darlins. "I'll root for my heroes / And I'll be singing their songs at the top of my lungs."

Roy Orbitron explore some new sounds on 8 Million to One while retaining those elements -- unconventional song structures, Meara's lyrical style -- that make them unique among New Jersey bands. It all works, and it's good to hear from Roy Orbitron again.

8 Million to One is available now at Roy Orbitron's Bandcamp page and RoyOrbitron.org. It should be showing up soon on streaming services. You can pre-order physical copies via Bandcamp or GoFundMe. Anything pledged above the $20 / record price will go to support City of Angels NJ.

Here Are Some Videos from 2016 for You to Watch While I Get Some Stuff Done

Kill Some Time This Morning with These Clips from 2016

I don't know. Just figured I'd give you something to do while I work on writing up a few things. Here are some videos that our friends put out in 2016.

YJY, "Amelia"



Roy Orbitron, "Swimmer's Ear"




Lowlight, "Bones"



American Trappist, "No Bibles"



American Trappist - No Bibles from Brian L. Tice Jr. on Vimeo.

dollys, "friendly"



Semiotics, "Cheers Me Proper"



Fortune Yeller, "White Flag (Halloween Edition)"



Paper Streets, "Freddy's Dead"



and hell...

YJY, "Past My Prime"

Little Dickman Records & CoolDad Music Present: Looms, Lowlight, Roy Orbitron at the Asbury Park Carousel House TONIGHT

The Last Carousel Waltz?

Never say never. Nobody has officially told us that tonight will be our last chance to host shows inside the iconic Asbury Park carousel house, but we have nothing else planned. I'm hearing that the pop up shops and retailers proposed for that space have been approved by the city. That's all very cool. A unique and beautiful space like the carousel house needs to be used, especially in the summer time. If this ends up being our final show there, I'm fine with it. Let's just make it a party.

As a kid in the 70s and 80s, I'd go to the boardwalks in Long Branch and Asbury Park with my family and our neighbors. Long Branch, as I remember it, had a midway complete with Skee Ball, a waterslide, and the Haunted Mansion. My brother cried like a baby in the Haunted Mansion. Asbury Park had Howard Johnson's, Palace Amusements, and a carousel. That stuff was all probably pretty run down even when I was a kid, but it all represents a different time -- when the beach and the boardwalk were a little more "honky tonk" than they are now -- to me.

Whenever I see the carousel building from the outside, I think about those times; and they run through my mind looking like an old VHS tape or something. I see myself in those really short polyester jogging shorts with the piping around the edges and tube socks pulled up to my knees. I see the dark interior of Palace Amusements, and I see everybody's 70s and 80s hair.

All three times we've hosted shows inside the carousel house so far have made me think about how lucky we all are to live in a place with so much natural beauty and so much history. It's just cool, you know?

And tonight will be really cool. We have three great bands coming to play inside the iconic structure. It's free and family-friendly and a great way to kick off your summer.

Lowlight are an Asbury Park band who are kind of country, but kind of not. Renee Maskin is a fantastic songwriter, and the rest of the band have some serious chops. They call on influences as varied as Bob Dylan and prog rock to tell stories of wandering and whiskey.



Conor Meara's Roy Orbitron put out a beautiful and heartfelt album, Girls' Boyfriends, earlier this year. The Bordentown group are hard to classify, bouncing among Americana, rock, folk, and whatever sounds happen to work for the story at hand. But what comes through is an honesty, coupled with a biting sense of humor, that draws you in.


Roy Orbitron - Swimmer's Ear from Kevin Kelly on Vimeo.

Brooklyn's Looms pull together rock, jazz, pop, electronic, country, you name it into a style that's just unpredictable in a live setting. Great musicians with a tendency to improvise, Looms never play the same set twice. It's their first time in Asbury Park, so let's give them a warm welcome.



So bring the family. Get some dinner or some ice cream in Asbury Park, and then head over to the carousel to see the show. Doors open at 7pm, and it's free.

This could be our last one. Unless it isn't. But let's pretend that it is and make this one a blowout. See you tonight.

New Video from Roy Orbitron

"Swimmer's Ear"

Back in February, Roy Orbitron surprise released the excellent Girls' Boyfriends. In my review of that record, I said:

Girls' Boyfriends is an honest record. It's a guy pouring everything out of his head that being a struggling musician and a single dad and lonely and full of regret and hopeful for something more has put in there. And what we hear is the final product. It's a product that mixes rock, Americana, folk, prog, Gaelic sounds and more into something that nobody else is doing. Even if you don't "get it" the first time, spend some more time with Girls' Boyfriends and I think you will.

"Swimmer's Ear" is one of the tracks that captures a lot of that honesty, and the Kevin Kelly-directed video that Roy Orbitron unsurprisingly surprise released this morning is an emotional and heartfelt realization of the song. It also looks absolutely fantastic.

In a world where every act who isn't Taylor Swift or Adele has to fight and claw and scratch for any little tiny bit of attention from the press or the public, Roy Orbitron stand out as a band putting their work out there to live or die on its own. I think Roy Orbitron are doing amazing things, and I'll do my best to make sure as many people as possible know about it. Check out the video for "Swimmer's Ear" below or over at RoyOrbitron.org; and, as they say on the interwebs: Share if you agree.

And stay tuned for some more Roy Orbitron-related news real soon.

Interview: UK's Alvarez Kings. They Play Wonder Bar on 3/25 w/ YJY, Roy Orbitron, and Deaf Rhino.

Photo: Duncan Stafford Photography

Sheffield on the Shore

Alvarez Kings are an indie rock / alt pop 4-piece from Sheffield, UK. They are Simon and Paul Thompson, Sean Parkin, and Richard Walker. From their beginnings in South Yorkshire, the band developed a devoted hometown following. They received a nod from BBC Radio, who named their song "No Resolve" Single of the Year, and hit the UK festival circuit with appearances at Isle of Wight and O2 Wireless.

Alvarez Kings then set their sights on North America with two consecutive appearances on Vans Warped Tour and their current tour with Melanie Martinez. They bring an epic alt pop sound to the stage, and there are likely big things in their future. This Friday, March 25th, the band headline Wonder Bar in Asbury Park. Also on that bill are our good friends YJY, Roy Orbitron, and Deaf Rhino.

The guys in Alvarez Kings were kind enough to answer a few questions for me. Check out what they (collectively) had to say below, and then check them and the other great bands out at Wonder Bar this Friday at 7:30pm

You started out by cultivating hometown crowds in Sheffield, UK, eventually parlaying that into a Single of the Year Award from the BBC (“No Resolve”) and slots on some big festivals like Isle of Wight and O2 Wireless. What was that ride like? Was it just a long slog or was there some moment when things just took off?

We haven’t found a moment so far when we haven’t been working as hard as we can to try and forward our careers in this band. We’ve yet to really see a single point where we feel like things have totally taken off, though the response to our shows on this current tour has been amazing. There certainly hasn’t been any shortage of hard work thus far.

You then came over to the US and did the 40-date Vans Warped Tour. Twice. What was that experience like? 

Warped Tour is truly an experience that anyone in music would do well with being a part of. Every day is nonstop. One minute you’re setting up the tent for your merch, the next you’re walking the line before doors to try and convince people to come to the set. It’s been hours and you haven’t even performed yet. Every city turns into a whirlwind of activity. We loved being a part of the tour though and the relationships we’ve made with people from the tour are still strong to this day.

Had you only ever toured the UK before Warped? Were you prepared for the vast distances covered by a North American tour?

Warped Tour was not our first introduction to North America. We had toured different parts of the country, doing SXSW, CMJ & a big Canadian tour with our friends in the band Hey Ocean. You can drive from one side of the UK to the other in less time than it took to drive between two shows on Warped Tour, so it was crazy to try and understand the sheer size of the United States.

Didn’t a film crew for Warped Roadies follow you around on one of those? Do people recognize you from the show now? Did it help to get your music out to a wider audience?

We did have the film crew for Warped Roadies follow us around on the 2013 tour. After Simon got stuck in Canada following the show date up there, they asked us if they could be a part of the journey in getting him back to Warped. Someone told us that the show has been added to Netflix just recently and we have actually had people stop us in different places because they recognize us from the show.

In June of 2015, you released your Fear to Feel EP on Sire / Warner Brothers. Compared to “No Resolve,” the sound on Fear to Feel is what I’d call more epic. Bigger. With lots of almost orchestral elements. What drove that change in your sound?

Our sound has certainly changed from the inception of the group all those years ago. We’ve been lucky to be able to add more production and things like those orchestral elements to our songs as we gain more opportunities as a band. Adding these elements really rounds out the songs and brings out more of the sound that we want to express with our music.

How has your experience been working with a major? Do you feel like you’re in as much control of your sound as you were before?

We love working with Warner. They’ve been so receptive to our music and encouraging us to keep doing what we’re doing.

You’re currently in the midst of a 27-date North American tour with Melanie Martinez. How does it compare to your experience on Warped Tour?

The tour with Melanie Martinez right now is massively different than our experience on Warped Tour. The first major difference being of course that we’re playing indoors instead of the typical fairgrounds that we’d be playing on Warped. The architecture in most of these theatres is absolutely gorgeous and being centrally located in the cities allows us to take in a lot more of the sights.

You’ll be headlining your show in Asbury Park on March 25th at Wonder Bar. Are there any plans for a full headlining tour of the US in the future?

We’ve done a couple other headlining shows on off days throughout this tour with Melanie and they’ve been great so far. It would be incredible for us to have a full headlining tour of the United States and we’d love to do it. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds!

When can we expect a full-length from Alvarez Kings?

We can’t tell you that just yet, but know that it is coming and that it won’t be too far off. We’re working everyday on gathering together the tracks for our debut album and can’t wait to release it to all the fans.

Alvarez Kings play Wonder Bar in Asbury Park on Friday, 3/25, at 7:30pm with YJY, Roy Orbitron, and Deaf Rhino.

Roy Orbitron, Girls' Boyfriends, 2016

Album Review

Early last year, I was at a show at Asbury Lanes. I saw something like this go by in my timeline after a little back and forth with @royorbitron: "I hope @cooldadmusic pans my album." And so I did.

Just to be clear, I really enjoyed Elston Allen Gunnn. I thought my pseudo-pan was a pretty clever angle / joke, but someone still offered to punch my face on Roy Orbitron's behalf. So I'll play this one straight.

Girls' Boyfriends is the first full-length from Bordentown's Roy Orbitron. Recorded at Red Bank's Retromedia Sound Studios as well as at mastermind Conor Meara's home among other places and mixed and mastered by Christopher Colbert in Oregon, Girls Boyfriends' is also Roy Orbitron's best sounding collection to date. The songs here -- with their complex arrangements and off-kilter structures -- benefit greatly from the extra attention.

"Your one-in-a-million will still break your heart," sing Meara and Cynthia Rittenbach on opener "Love Die Hard." It sets things up for what's to follow -- bitterness, regret, playing the hand you're dealt, dreaming. Noah Baum's violin slices through everything and makes me think of what must be bouncing around in Meara's (who I know pretty well) brain.

Speaking of Conor Meara's brain: sometimes I listen to a record, and I stop to think for a minute. What I'm hearing, this final product, all started as an idea in someone's head. It was all in there, and this crazy, complex work is now out here. Obviously, right. It still amazes me.

Anyway...

"Never Seen Central Park" features Meara's baritone sailing over a melodic meander. The last verse switches things up, though, going out on a bit of Poguesian riotousness (even including the phrase "with a pair of brown eyes").

One of the album's standouts, "Domestic Use (Oh, Nettie!)," speaks to Meara's fantasy of packing himself down to New Orleans. "If my actions met my mouth. It'd be on that train in my heart runnin' south." Responsibilities (adulthood, single fatherhood), maybe fears, keep that from happening. "Won't you come up and meet me in New Jersey? Lord knows, I'll never leave." Guitars swirl in a frenzy all around the final verse before the song goes out on a quiet coda that makes reference to fellow NJ musician, Francie Moon.

"Brimstone Suckers" (about a certain college town in New Jersey) and "Fuck College" each appear on earlier, separate Roy Orbitron EPs. They belong together. On "Fuck College," Meara went to school and got a good, hard dose of real life. On "Brimstone Suckers," he's looking at a college community through the eyes of someone with that experience. Both new versions are expansions and improvements on the originals.

"Swimmer's Ear" is a beautiful and depressing and beautifully depressing waltz about giving up. Baum's wailing violin and the "sha la la las." "There's no hope for me. But we're on the same ship to the sea. You can go down slow. But in the end we all go."

"Condoms in My Leather Jacket" opens Side 2 (or the post-"Roy Orbitron Interview (Interlude)" section on digital versions). It's a rock song at the beginning, kind of a march singalong in the chorus, and it goes out on kind of a jazzy vibe. I think it gets back to that life experience idea and not wanting to repeat mistakes.

Things get kind of dark and bitter on "Rain Jawn" and "Swallow," the former being kind of a proggy sonic outlier when compared to the rest of the record, before brightening up (mostly) on the Springsteenian "Diddley Tree." "Diddley Tree" even has Meara offering to "put down my songs and give my nights to you" after becoming a success.

Like Elston Allen Gunnn, things close out with "Pastoral." This version sticks pretty closely to the original, complete with -- once again -- Baum's violin and Rittenbach's forlorn harmonies. It's not a hopeful and uplifting ending -- "This life's a disease and it's eating clean through me" -- But I would've been surprised if Meara went for that.

Girls' Boyfriends is an honest record. It's a guy pouring everything out of his head that being a struggling musician and a single dad and lonely and full of regret and hopeful for something more has put in there. And what we hear is the final product. It's a product that mixes rock, Americana, folk, prog, Gaelic sounds and more into something that nobody else is doing. Even if you don't "get it" the first time, spend some more time with Girls' Boyfriends and I think you will.

You can stream Girls' Boyfriends at RoyOrbitron.org and you can get it at your favorite online music retailer.

Click for Carriage House TV

CLICK IT!!!

Documenting NJ Music

I've posted here several times about Carriage House TV, the Bordentown-based web series produced by our friends from YJY and Roy Orbitron. They are doing a fantastic job of documenting some of the great New Jersey-based and New Jersey-connected music that I spend lots of time covering here.

The latest episode, their 7th, features Little Dickman Records artist Sharkmuffin. The team release new episodes every month, and I have it on good authority that they have some great ones on tap for us.

I'm a lazy person; so, rather than writing up a brand new post every time one of these comes out, I've decided to give Carriage House TV their own tab across the top of this page. You can click there; and, through the magic of the Internet, you'll have immediate access to every episode of Carriage House TV ever!

You can also subscribe to their YouTube channel or like their Facebook page if that's your thing.

Here's an embed of the Sharkmuffin episode. Everything else is just behind that little tab up top.

Watch Roy Orbitron Perform with Cynthia Rittenbach (Glycerine Queens) at Asbury Lanes

"Pastoral"

Bordentown's Roy Orbitron were at Asbury Lanes last Wednesday, May 6th, opening for White Reaper. The warm weather and the sea air have exerted an eastward pull on the band, and this was just the first of several upcoming area appearances for them.

Also on that Wednesday night bill were Glycerine Queens. Singer / guitarist Cynthia Rittenbach appears on Roy Orbitron's Elston Allen Gunnn, so I was pretty sure we'd get to see her on stage with the band. Sure enough, Cynthia joined Roy Orbitron for their final song of the evening, "Pastoral." The waltz is, by far, the slowest and most low-key part of Roy Orbitron's set; and it works nicely as a closer.

Check out video of the performance below. You can catch Roy Orbitron next Monday, May 18th, when they play Happy Mondays with Lowlight and Des & The Swagmatics.

Photo Highlights of White Reaper, The Villanelles, Roy Orbitron, and Glycerine Queens at Asbury Lanes, 5/6/15

White Reaper at Asbury Lanes

Wednesday War Zone

You can take away their street, their parking, their sidewalk, even their porch; but Asbury Lanes will not give up. Even in the midst of what looks like a war zone right now, they'll keep bringing shows, love, happiness, and warmth to our area as long as they're able. Wednesday was no different.

After navigating the "No Thru Traffic" signs and unpaved, sidewalkless roads, those of us who came out on a Wednesday night got an eclectic show headlined by the all-out, full-on rock band from Louisville known as White Reaper. Glycerine Queens opened with their combination of classic rock and dreamy surf pop. Roy Orbitron, who are beginning a summer conquest of points east of their Bordentown home, brought their hard to classify urban outlaw Americana. The Villanelles did a set of gritty rock that's a stark and energetic contrast to frontman Chris LeCompte's singer / songwriter style solo work.

White Reaper just simply brought it. They didn't slow down for a single second of their short set, blasting through tracks from their high-octane, self-titled EP. Think the breakneck pace of The Ramones with the attitude of The Black Lips. There was blood on the stage and vomit in the parking lot after the show.

Here are some photo highlights of all the sets. The rest are in the galleries.

If you approach Asbury Lanes this weekend; and it seems like too much to navigate to make your way inside, tough it out. Inside it's still the happiest place on earth.

Carriage House TV Premiere Episode: Spotlight on NJ Music and Bordentown

Roy Orbitron at Bordentown Guitar Rescue

The very first installment of the new monthly music and interview series, Carriage House TV, arrived on May 1st. Produced by Conor Meara and Ricky Lorenzo of Roy Orbitron and hosted by Steve Sachs of YJY (a band I need to write more about here), Carriage House TV brings artists in to perform a couple of songs and to chat at various hang outs around Bordentown, NJ.

The premiere episode features, appropriately, Conor Meara and Noah Baum of Roy Orbitron. The duo perform Elston Allen Gunnn track "Brimstone Suckers" plus "Swimmer's Ear" on which they get some help from The Sha La Las. Conor and Noah also join Steve Sachs for an interview at Bordentown Guitar Rescue.

A new episode of Carriage House TV will premiere on the first of each month with upcoming episodes featuring Secret Mountain, Fond Han, Francie Moon, and more.

Check out the premiere below, and head to Asbury Lanes on Wednesday to catch Roy Orbitron when they open for White Reaper along with The Glycerine Queens (featuring Sha La La Cynthia Rittenbach) and The Villanelles.

Wreaths, gods, Silverbird, and Roy Orbitron Played the Wonder Bar, 3/28/15

Wreaths headlined a solid bill at Wonder Bar on Saturday.

Saturday

It was another practice for the band with no name on Saturday. After I was done rocking, CoolMom, the cooldaughters, and I headed to Asbury Park for some dinner. As we ate, the temperature dropped precipitously as the wind kicked into high gear. It made for a raw evening.

After dinner, we went our separate ways. The coolwomen headed out for some cupcakes, and I made my way over to Wonder Bar. Saturday featured a diverse but really well put together bill with Wreaths, gods, Brooklyn's Silverbird, and Trenton's Roy Orbitron.

I was particularly excited to see Roy Orbitron and to meet frontman Conor Meara, with whom I've corresponded electronically for a while, face to face. Their set was short but impressive. Roy Orbitron combine familiar elements of rock and Americana into a unique sound that's actually kind of hard to explain. It works, though -- especially in a live setting. Don't even listen to what this guy says.

I'd heard good things about Silverbird, and they were the only band from whom I'd never heard a note. They alternated between heavier bluesy jams and more poppy indie rock. They did it all really well. If you've read this blog for any length of time, then you'll know the poppier stuff appealed to me right away; but the whole package was something I want to get into a little more deeply.

gods brought free copies of their new EP along, and I saw a lot of people sticking them into their backpacks, purses, and coat pockets. The band's psychedelic garage rock sounds like it's gotten a little heavier since I first saw them back in January of 2014. The crowd had gotten pretty large by this point, and the music had gotten pretty loud as gods rocked the house.

Wreaths closed things out. This would be the first time I'd seen Wreaths in a while, and the fog machine was pumping. Two people used overhead projectors to send swirls of color across the band and a sheet at the rear of the stage. The light show complemented Wreaths' extended Krautrocky jams. The crowd had swelled, and it wasn't that easy maneuvering for a spot to get pictures. As I wove through the crowd, I saw lots of people dancing or swaying, sometimes with their eyes closed, as the music droned over them.

I headed back to the car in the sub-freezing temperatures, cold but impressed at how four such different bands could blend together so well. I've definitely seen my share of shows that seemed thrown together, but this one obviously had some thought behind it. It's nice when everything works like that.

Here are some highlights. Check out the rest in the galleries.

Roy Orbitron Start PledgeMusic Campaign to Fund Upcoming LP

Girls' Boyfriends

Lots of bands turn to crowd-funding to help them with the costs of making their records these days. I kind of view these things as pre-order campaigns; and, if it's for a record that I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy anyway, I have no problem placing my order up front.

That's definitely the case for me with the upcoming Girls' Boyfriends from Trenton's Roy Orbitron. I did a "pan" of Roy Orbitron's latest EP, Elston Allen Gunnn, a little while back; and most people got the joke. For those who didn't, I really enjoy they way Roy Orbitron and frontman / mastermind Conor Meara take some of the familiar sounds of rock and roll and twist or tweak them into something a little more interesting. The band have done that through four EPs already, and they seem primed for a full-length.

Roy Orbitron's campaign runs for the next two months or so, and funders can do things like pre-order digital downloads or CD copies of the album, submit 20 questions to Conor Meara, or get an acoustic house show or producer credit. Once the campaign reaches its goal amount, 75% of the proceeds above the target will fund City of Angels NJ, which offers a multitude of services to individuals and families dealing with the effects of addiction.

You can get all of the details and /or pre-order your copy of the record at Roy Orbitron's campaign page.

Roy Orbitron, Elston Allen Gunnn, 2015

EP Review

I am going to pan this release.

Elston Allen Gunnn is the fourth EP in a series of releases from NJ's Roy Orbitron. All are named for members of the Traveling Wilburys. Robert Zimmerman, before he was Bob Dylan and before he ever became Lucky Wilbury, performed under the name Elston Gunnn. So there's that.

Ugh.

The collection opens with "Doctor, Take My #." It starts off with some nicely... ...I mean super annoyingly... ...juxtaposed guitar sounds and layers on violins and drums before Conor Meara comes in with his heartfelt bellow. It sets the stage for the rest of the record by creating its own version of that kind of urban Americana sound I associate with early Springsteen.

We all know, of course, that early Springsteen, from Greetings... all the way up through The River, is the worst Springsteen. Mr. Meara and company would have been better served by alluding to Springsteen's masterpiece, Working on a Dream.

But I digress. Back to the pan.

On "Copacetic," Meara sings, "Caught your fist in my southern mouth." Sounds like he deserved it, too -- living with someone while still pining for someone else. The organ and strings, along with the song's overall build, give things an epic, melodramatic feel; but Meara's sense of humor as a songwriter keeps things grounded and makes you smirk right along with him... ...I mean ruins everything.

Glycerine Queens' Cynthia Rittenbach contributes vocals on the set's final two tracks. "Navajo Juggalos" includes the suggestion to "hit the trail with a canteen of Faygo [The Original Party Pop!]" and closes with a clever... ...I mean trite, clichéd... ...instrumental reference to "Happy Together." It may be a little overly optimistic. "Pastoral" is a pretty... ...Damn it! Disgustingly saccharine... ...waltz containing some dark sentiments like, "this life's a disease and it's eating clean through me."

Elston Allen Gunnn is a collection of (confusing and annoying) contrasts. Sometimes Roy Orbitron take familiar sounds -- the blues, Americana, Mr. Springsteen -- and twist and turn them in new directions. They pair sweet melodies with dark lyrics, epic instrumentation with sarcasm and humor. Some people would find these things, along with Roy Orbitron's unconventional song structures, interesting, absorbing, engaging.

Those same people would probably say that Elston Allen Gunnn displays an impressive attention to detail, like the little, out of tune, off-kilter guitar strum that closes the EP and sums up the whole feel of the record. They'd tell you that you should go to Roy Orbitron's Bandcamp page, where Elston Allen Gunnn is available as a Name Your Price download, and grab the EP. They'd say it's worth your time.

They'd be wrong.

Zero stars.