“Corvette Winter”, Archival fine art pigment print, ed. open (11x14in) signed on the front by Frank Stefanko. Silver Gelatin prints available.
ed. open (11x14in). ed. 25 (16x20in – 20x24in – 30x40in), signed and numbered on the front by Frank Stefanko. Silver Gelatin prints available.ed. open (11x14in). ed. 25 (16x20in – 20x24in – 30x40in), signed and numbered on the front by Frank Stefanko. Silver Gelatin prints available.
Frank Stefanko shot this iconic photograph of Bruce Springsteen in 1978 in Haddonfield, New Jersey. In Frank’s book Days of Hopes and Dreams he comments: “Bruce seemed to come to Haddonfield in a different vehicle each time. After his initial visit in that old Chevy pick-up truck, the next day, Sunday, he arrived in a slick ’60 Corvette. I think that car was his pride and joy. It was loaded, it was sleek, it ruled Route 9 and the New Jersey Turnpike. I imagined what it would be like to be Bruce, cruising in that Vette up the Pike under that giant Exxon sign in the wee, wee hours, thinking up song ideas while listening to his favorite tunes in that bad-ass Corvette.”
Hodera began as an outlet for Matthew Smith’s poetry to be put to folk music. At its core, the songwriter sentiment remains, but the final product contains tinges of 2000’s alternative, emo, and indie rock. Smith’s voice is deep, conversational, and kind, but communicates internal pain through teeth-gritting yells that match the explosive energy of a breaking crescendo. listen to Hodera perform their crunchy alt-rock tunes, and sing along with heartbreaking choruses boosted by a powerful low-end presence.
Band Members
Matthew Smith – Electric Guitar and Vocals
Doug Gallo – Electric Guitar and Backup Vocals
Alek Mager – Bass
Scott Tilley – Drums
Three or four years ago, New Jersey band Hodera didn’t have a place to play, But I fell in love with their music. I feel like you don’t get good Americana very often anymore. Everyone does a quirky screamo thing, or a pop-punk thing. It’s kind of fragmented. But it’s a very ballsy move to just do rock. Not alt-rock, not post-rock. Just rock. That’s what Hodera pulls off so well. Plus I love the title of this album. Great songwriting of very personal and relatable stories
Their album “United by Birdcalls” is just astonishingly well put together. I heard about the band after a SXSW report, The band have a great reputation for their live set. He always leaves it all out there. I respect that so much. You know when you first listen to a record and you have your immediate favorites? And then you sit on it for a little while and it changes. My first favorite was the single “Feel Better,” because I just love the line ‘Why can’t I feel better?’ That frustration of trying to be better for another person. He’s describing the exhaustion of trying to be better, and if I could find someone who’s haunted by the same things I am, then we could talk for hours until we both feel better. I love that one lyrically. When I saw them live, they played “Breathe Easy,” and it was so loud. It just rocked so hard. They have these big giant lights that they controlled. They didn’t have a lighting guy; he just put a switch next to his pedal board and controlled the lights with his feet. It was so cool. They do everything. If they want something done, they just do it themselves.
On this day (April. 1st) in 1980: nerdy, nervous & noisy New Jersey band The Feelies released their debut album ‘Crazy Rhythms’ on Stiff Records in the UK (SEEZ 20); its fusion of post-punk & jangle pop was influential on the forthcoming alternative rock genre, with R.E.M. among others citing the album as an influence; although not commercially successful, it has remained a critically lauded cult fave in the decades since its release…The Feelies – Outstanding Debut Album ‘Crazy Rhythms’ Came Out 40 Years Ago…
The Feelies are a rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 after having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008.
New Jersey’s post-punk misfits The Feelies released their debut longplayer ‘‘Crazy Rhythms’’ on April Fools’ Day 1980 via legendary label Stiff Records. It wasn’t a commercial success but praised for years by the music press.
Rolling Stone wrote: The Feelies formed in 1976 in their small hometown of Haledon, New Jersey, as a lark. Tripping on acid one day, Million passed guitarist Glenn Mercer’s garage and was impressed to hear the band playing the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” The like-minded guitarists formed a band that eventually included bassist Keith Clayton and drummer Anton Fier. The music is jittery, thumping and volatile, complementing titles like “The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness” and “Loveless Love.” There are long silences, repeated notes, wavering tones, pickups flipped on and off. Any gaps are filled with strange, found percussion instruments, including cans, shoe boxes and coat racks. After recording a four-song demo, the Feelies signed with England’s Stiff Records, the only label that would let the fledgling band produce itself.
“Crazy Rhythms is aptly titled,” says Bill Million of the Feelies. “There are a lot of weird things going on. We didn’t practice much, so we were kind of disjointed when we made the album.” Today, Crazy Rhythms is a landmark of jangly, guitar-driven avant-pop, and its shimmering sound can still be heard in bands like R.E.M.
The Feelies rarely worked with outside producers and created shimmering soundscapes with multiple guitar layers that set them apart from most of the punk/new wave bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s. They frequently played at Maxwell’s, a live music venue and bar restaurant in Hoboken during the 1980s, often on national holidays.
Although the Feelies never sold a great number of records, their influence was felt on the indie rock scene. Their first album, Crazy Rhythms (Stiff Records, 1980) was cited by R.E.M. as a major influence. The novelist Rick Moody has also cited the band as one of his influences (and allegedly based the punk band in his first book Garden State on them).
This is the debut album by the dreamy cuddle punk trio from New Brunswick, New Jersey. They’re fronted by Leslie Bear, and that’s really who we talk about when we’re talking about Long Beard. She mentions Bowery Electric, Labradford, Lush, and Pale Saints as influences, but I hear something more like a toned-down Lois.
Performed By: Leslie Bear– guitar, vocals Stefan Koekemoer– drums Tom Christie– bass, lead guitar (track 3), vocals (tracks 5 & 7)
Jack Antonoff released his first album as Bleachers titled “Strange Desire”, back in July of 2014, but today you can her it like you haven’t before with a new mix available through Google Play. Following up on a long since abandoned series of companion albums called Terrible Thrills (the first volume of which accompanied his band Steel Train 2010 release, Antonoff has shared his Terrible Thrills Vol. 2, a collection of remixes, reworks, covers of songs from Strange Desire.
He’s enlisted a pretty substantial cast of guests here including, Sia, Suzanna Hoffs former tourmate Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, and a whole lot more.
Terrible Thrills Vol. 2 track list:
1. “Wild Heart” (feat. Sara Bareilles)
2. “Rollercoaster” (feat. Charli XCX)
3. “Shadow” (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen)
4. “I Wanna Get Better” (feat. Tinashe)
5. “Wake Me” (feat. Lucius)
6. “Reckless Love” (feat. Elle King)
7. “Take Me Away” (feat. Brooke Candy & Rachel Antonoff)
8. “Like A River Runs” (feat. Sia)
9. “You’re Still A Mystery (feat. MØ)
10. “I’m Ready To Move On/Wild Heart Reprise” (feat. Susanna Hoffs)
11. “Who I Want You To Love” (feat. Natalie Maines)
Stolen Jars is an indie folk band from Montclair, New Jersey. Although there is a full touring band, we’re really talking about the duo of multi-instrumentalist Cody Fitzgerald and singer Molly Grund. They formed the band in 2009 and self-released their eponymous debut in 2011. They got some positive press, and one of those songs ended up in an Apple commercial.
The singles that have been released in advance of the August 28th release of their new album. and because of its slightly electro-synth folk sound, I was reminded a bit of Freelance Whales. Except that Freelance Whales uses a lot of glockenspiel, and although they have lots of coed vocal harmonies, most of the singing is done by Judah Dadone. In the case of Stolen Jars, most of the vocals are handled by Grund. Her silky sweet vocals are like red velvet cheesecake. Elegant, but not overblown. On most songs, Fitzgerald and Grund harmonize some, but on this one, it’s all Grund. There’s a second vocal track, but that’s also her.
The album has been in the works for a long time. The first single “Folded Out” launched in July of 2014, then “Kept” was released early in July of this year. Today’s song was released on July 27th as the final single to be released ahead of the album. You can grab a digital download of “Bright Red” via bandcamp by naming your own price here. You can also get the other two singles for the new album. Their debut album is also available at “name your price”.
Delicate Steve is the brainchild of New Jersey-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Marion. SPIN has called his music “a kaleidoscope of bouncy pan-African polyrhythms and swooping six-string melodies, like the Dirty Projectors with guitars instead of singers.” In November 2014, Delicate Steve was asked by Tame Impala to be the special guest on their North American tour. Delicate Steve fuses many styles and sounds to give his music an undefinable sound from one song to the next.
This is a brilliant video from Music Vault, an almost two and a half hour with The Patti Smith Group right after the release of the album “Easter”. What a band and what a great time for the band and Patti Smith. They tear through the songs, the band is as tight as they get and the power is immense. I can understand Bob Dylan’s admiration of this force of nature.
Patti Smith could not have been met with a more enthusiastic home-crowd, and it’s a really great performance. This is from the year I discovered this wonderful artist (from Rockpalast 1979) But it is here in New Jersey that Patti Smith is at home and the performance really feels like she is with a familiar bunch of people.
Patti Smith – vocals, Lenny Kaye – guitar, vocals, Richard Sohl – keyboards, Ivan Kral – bass, Jay Dee Daugherty – drums
Set list:
1 – Privilege (Set Me Free)
2 – So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
3 – Dancing Barefoot
4 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (a bit)
5 – Redondo Beach
6 – Revenge (aborted)
7 – 5-4-3-2-1
8 – Citizen Ship
9 – Ask The Angels
10 – Poppies
11 – Lenny Kaye Intro
12 – Secret Agent Man
13 – Wave (incomplete)
14 – Revenge (take 2)
15 – Pumping (My Heart)
16 – Mr. Tambourine Man
17 – Broken Flag
18 – Till Victory
19 – Ain’t It Strange
20 – Cold Turkey
21 – Because The Night
22 – Frederick
23 – Seven Ways Of Going
24 – Gloria
25 – Pledge of Allegiance / Star Spangled Banner / My Generation
New Jersey trio, Screaming Females return with their new, sixth record“Rose Mountain”, out 24th February viaDon Giovanni Records and we’re psyched to premiere their video for“Hopeless.”Kicking off with a teetering piano line“Hopeless”hangs on singer/guitaristMarissa Paternoster’sfull-bodied vocals. It starts off pared back and pristine before the scuzz-rock kicks in just before the three minute mark, a wave Paternoster rides it till the song’s succinct conclusion.
For filmmaker Lance Bangs (Sonic Youth, Odd Future, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), “Hopeless” was the album’s immediate standout track. The video itself was lit with flashlights and shot over the course of several freezing winter nights out in central New Jersey. Those blood splatters on the pickguard were 100 percent real: Paternoster apparently played in the chilly conditions till her fingers split open. And the setting? Those are definitely decommissioned McDonald’s playground structures in the background.
As for the crazy wiggles and scrawls that vibrate across the screen, Bangs had this to say about the after effect: “We did this bonkers approach of editing everything, then getting it turned into an actual 35mm negative, then we had movie prints made, then Marissa spent days obsessively scratching, bleaching, and hand animating the 5400 individual frames. After that we rescanned it all, and synched it up to the audio. To our knowledge I don’t think anyone has bothered to go through all of that hassle for a video before.”
Talk about dedication to awesome. Bangs has also been on the road with the band so keep your eyes peeled for that tour documentary coming out next week.
The Fat Angel Sings 