NJ Stuff from The Skullers, Lowlight, and The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

Lowlight released a live album last week.

Catching Up

I've been trying to build a little bit of blog / life balance into my routine lately. The obsession with cycling that consumed me in my late teens / early twenties has returned, and I've been getting out there almost daily this summer. And I've been making an effort to spend a little more time with the coolfamily rather than out at so many shows. That's led to my posting a lot less around here and falling waaay behind on the email and release games. Oh well. There have been a few things recently that I've been meaning to call your attention to, so here are some of those.

The Skullers, "I'm Your Man"

Last month, NJ blues rockers The Skullers released a cover of Richard Hell's "I'm Your Man." All proceeds from the song go to benefit Career Gear. Career Gear provides "professional clothing, mentoring and life-skills to help men in poverty become stronger contributors to their families and communities."

The band had the opportunity to meet with the Career Gear team in their New York offices and donated some suits to help further the organization's mission.



The Skullers' take on the Richard Hell b-side combines singer / guitarist Jack Skuller's passion for the blues with bassist Luigi Sardi's punk leanings into a version that's become a fan favorite at the band's live shows. Check out the Skullers' cover of "I'm Your Man" below.

The band will play the Johnny Thunders Birthday Bash at The Bowery Electric on July 15th.



Lowlight, It's Later Than You Think

Two of my favorite live music moments from the last 18 months or so happened both times I saw Lowlight open for Pretenders. The first time, at Terminal 5, I got a little choked up watching friends of mine play the stage at a big venue in the big city as they opened for rock royalty. The second time, at Red Bank's Count Basie Theatre, it was wonderful to see the outpouring of support from all of the Jersey locals who turned out and helped sell out the show. In both cases, as always, Lowlight gave an honest and heartfelt performance. That's always been the appeal of the band to me. No matter how many times I see them live or hear their songs, the band deliver the set as if it were the first (or maybe the last) time.

Last week, Lowlight released a live album that was recorded during their last run with Pretenders. It's Later Than You Think includes live renditions of cuts from both the band's full-length (Where Do We Go From Here) and their recent EP (Born to Run).

The versions here of, say, "Motel Chronicles," "'86 Parisienne," or "Nights and Weekends" illustrate what I'm talking about. Even through a recording, Lowlight's live performance reaches into your chest and grabs you in a way that few other bands do.

The set also includes performances of some unreleased songs like "California Blue" and songwriter Renee Maskin's journalistic observations of life in Asbury Park, "Locals Only." Both of these tracks should, once and for all, get people to stop trying to pigeonhole Lowlight as a country / Americana act. And no Lowlight live recording would be complete without a bit of Maskin's trademark TV-MA ("My mom hates this.") banter.

It's Later Than You Think is out now.



The RockNRoll Hi-Fives, Re-Introducing The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

At the risk of fully transforming this site into CoolDadMusicRockNRollHiFives.com, I need to at least tell you about the band's debut full-length, which came out last week.

I've reviewed every one of The RockNRoll Hi-Fives' EPs: here, here, and here. I've booked the band for many, many shows (including the first show I ever threw in 2014). I freaking lived with the Centenos for two weeks as we toured Japan this past April. There's no possible way for me to be impartial about this record. With all that out of the way, I can tell you that this album is an absolute blast. Made up of most of the band's 2016 EP, the Beat the Sound the Dragon's Roar, four new tracks, and Hi-Fives' classic "Livin' the Lost Boy Life," Re-Introducing The RockNRoll Hi-Fives is a glam-infused, hook-filled, loud rock and roll party.

You can hear the increased confidence and skill that have come from doing this family project for the last four-or-so years. Relatively new musicians Gloree, Evren, and Eilee have grown into serious rockers; and veteran guitar hero, Joe, doesn't have to do anywhere near as much of the heavy lifting as before. Eilee has become a legitimate force as a frontperson. Moonlight Mile Recording's Mike Moebius has captured all of this perfectly.

I've seen The RockNRoll Hi-Fives perform almost more times than I can count. I can't hear "Hold On" without seeing Eilee's sneakers stomp around the stage in time with the chugging chorus. I can't hear "Same Mistakes" without seeing her throw her hair as she sings "Honey You. Make the Same! Mis! Takes! I! Do!" I can see Joe doing his "guitar jumping jacks" or running back and forth across the stage during "C'est La Vie." And, while you may not have the same images in your mind as I do, I think anyone listening to this can feel that same energy.

I think I've said some version of this in every one of the reviews I've written of a RockNRoll Hi-Fives' release, so I'll say it again: Music connects people. The RockNRoll Hi-Fives connect with each other as they make music and, in doing that, they bring us all into their orbit.

Re-Introducing The RockNRoll Hi-Fives is out now on Little Dickman Records.

Premiere: New Video from The Skullers

"Eyes Open"

At 21 years old, Jack Skuller is already a music industry veteran. Skuller released his first 7" at the age of 14 with venerable New Jersey label Bar / None. Since then, he's toured the country and been recognized by the Songwriters' Hall of Fame, receiving the institution's Holly Prize in 2014.

Skuller has begun a new chapter in his musical story with his band, The Skullers. Last month, they released their latest EP, Meet The Skullers, on Mint 400 Records. Produced and mixed by Joel Hamilton (The Black Keys, Highly Suspect, Pretty Lights, Tom Waits), the collection combines blues rock and rockabilly with a pop sensibility. Nowhere is that more evident than on the EP's third track "Eyes Open." The band are sharing the video for that track right here, right now.

Of the song, Jack Skuller says, "Legendary guitarist Carlos Alomar showed me a cool old blues tuning on the guitar that I had never heard before, and I immediately knew I had to write a song with it. I could play the intro to this song nonstop for days if I had to."

The clip was shot in the basement of Theta Xi Fraternity at Stevens Institute of Technology where Skuller is a Senior majoring in Music and Technology. It stars Will Copeland as an, initially anyway, introverted guest at a party down there.

"Will Copeland is an amazing actor and we were fortunate to have him be a part of the video," says Skuller.

Director (and Mint 400 label head) Neil Sabatino says, "The Skullers were easy to collaborate with and made coming up with a cohesive idea using the setting and actors we had available a great overall experience that I think yielded a great video. The band and actors all had an enthusiastic vibe even when we got to the tenth plus takes of the same track. Will was great as an actor because his facial expressions read really well on film and helped, in a short three minute space, to define the character."

Meet The Skullers is out now via Mint 400 Records. The Skullers play Fox & Crow in Jersey City this Saturday, 10/14.

New Stuff from Hodera, The Skullers, Mr. Payday, and Glazer

Hodera released a new single this week.

Beach Friday

CoolMom and CoolDaughter #1 are continuing their Southeast Asian adventure in Thailand and Cambodia. CoolDaugter #2 is getting ready to head to Maine with CoolGrandma. She had a big week of activities, but this was our one, free day. We headed down to the beach for a pretty glorious and cool early afternoon. I'll be on my own for a few days come Sunday, but I did want to send you into what is a huge weekend around here with a few new things from some of our New Jersey paisanos.

Hodera, "North Dakota"

There really isn't any artifice when it comes to Hodera. All you have to do is go to one of their live shows to see that they lay everything out there. Their sound features the lyricism and instrumentation of Americana with the energy of pop punk.

Hodera will be releasing First Things First on October 20th via Take This To Heart records; and, earlier this week, they shared the album's first single, "North Dakota." The song contrasts the freedom of lying, dreaming in a cornfield with those things in real life that drag us down.



The Skullers, "Meet Me in Memphis"

Jack Skuller released his first single at the age of 14. He followed that with a Radio Disney-sponsored, 15-city tour. In 2014, The Songwriters Hall of Fame gave him the [Buddy] Holly Prize, which recognizes "an exceptionally talented and inspired young musician /singer / songwriter whose work exhibits the qualities of Holly's music: true, great and original."

Skuller now fronts rock and roll three-piece, The Skullers. The band will be releasing Meet The Skullers with Mint 400 Records on September 22nd. This week, they gave us single "Meet Me in Memphis."

The Skullers worked with producer Joel Hamilton (The Black Keys, Highly Suspect, The Pretty Lights, Tom Waits) on the EP, and the collaboration results in a bluesy, high-energy introduction to the next chapter in Skuller's musical journey.



Mr. Payday, Welcome to the Modern World

Mr. Payday singer / guitarist, Doug Vizthum, turns 56 today. What better way to celebrate than by releasing his band's third album? Welcome to the Modern World is loud, tight power pop that draws influences from as far back as The Rolling Stones all the way to Bob Mould.

The album opens with "Club Test" which asks, appropriately, "Are you ready for some rock and roll?" "Now and Forever" is simultaneously crushingly loud -- Nick D'Amore's drumming is relentless -- and catchy, the vocal harmonies contrasting with some huge guitar sounds. "Set to Automatic" has a new-wave feel; while "Written in Stone" is more melodic and wide-open as it features keyboardist, Caroline Feinman, on lead vocals. "Sun Shine Down" is a countrified garage-rocker, and "Double Barrel" is careening hard rock / punk.

The title track closes things out in winding, driving-down-the-highway style. The song feels like it could have been written and recorded in the last week or so as it goes through some of the features of our modern world: climate change, hatred, Donald Trump.

Welcome to the Modern World weaves its way in and out of many of the sub-genres of rock music over the course of its 10 tracks. It's all rock and roll, though, so things hang together well.

Mr. Payday celebrate the release of Welcome to the Modern World tomorrow, 8/26, at Pino's in Highland Park. Joining them for that are Dentist, Atom Driver, and Sux. You can pick up a copy of the album there or via Mr. Payday's Bandcamp page.



Glazer, On a Prairie, Live in the Dirt

New Brunswick's Glazer are a band who have been on my radar since the first time I saw them a couple of years ago at one of only two New Brunswick Basement shows I've ever been to as a middle-aged dad. Guitarist / singer Phil Connor engineered the band's latest release, On a Prairie, Live in the Dirt, at his In The West Studio in New Brunswick; and he managed to capture one of the most interesting guitar-based rock records I've heard in a while.

On a Prairie, Live in the Dirt is that kind of off-kilter guitar rock I always love. Songs like "Disaster Footage" and "People's Monument" feature elements of both the slackery indie rock of the mid-90s and the metal-inspired grunge that came before that. "Amplified Mind" does as well; but, rather than blending those sounds throughout the song, it breaks them up into a few distinct parts.

"Trim Yr Limbs" transitions from an epic, noisy intro into angular noise pop. "Pollution" goes from plodding to racing over the course if its 5 minutes. Similarly, album-closer "Will You Be Here Tomorrow?" moves through stages of quiet twang and buzzsaw noise.

All of this is to say that there is tons of weird and interesting stuff happening here -- more than I can really cover in a capsule-type review -- but there's always something, some structure for a listener to grab onto. I love it when things work out that way.

On a Prairie, Live in the Dirt is out now on State Champion Records.

Sink Tapes Played Brighton Bar with The Skullers, 1/2/17. New Year, Same Me.

Sink Tapes

First!

Here's just a quick note to commemorate the first show I attended in 2017. Sink Tapes kicked off their latest tour with an early show at Brighton Bar in Long Branch last night. Joining them were the new power trio, The Skullers, fronted by former solo artist, Jack Skuller.

Jack Skuller

The Skullers played some blues-y rock. The songs that stood out most to me were a couple in the middle of the set that had a kind of surfy / spaghetti western vibe. This was one of the first sets for the band in its current form, and I think they'll have an eventful 2017.

The Skullers

Sink Tapes aren't the most talkative or interactive live band in the world, but they get up there and do their thing extremely well. I've said before that the band are so prolific, with a huge catalog of existing songs and new ones always in the pipeline, that they never play the same set twice. Last night was no exception, and the band have definitely evolved by spreading out the lead vocal responsibilities and exploring some more twangy, even countrified, sounds.

Sink Tapes

Sink Tapes

Sink Tapes

One of the best parts of last night? I was in my car headed home by about 9:45. Two good bands and in bed at a normal hour on a school night. Nice way to ease into what is going to be a big 2017.

All the pics from both sets are in the Flickr galleries.

Here are the dates for Sink Tapes' current tour.