Archive for the ‘Anyday Parade’ Category
JCI: Live in JC: Any Day Parade, The Embracers and Black Wine at IM Automata Chino
New Post in the Jersey City Independent! Enjoy!
Anyday Parade and Roadside Graves invade the Trash Bar in Brooklyn
Note: I’m not the Lorax, I don’t speak for the trees, but I like to think of myself as the voice of the common man here in Jersey City. A sort of Greek Chorus, if you will, cluing folks into the the comedy and tragedy of the local rock scene. I try to bridge the gap between the bands and the people in search of rock. And sure pride is my hubris, but I don’t let that stop me from doing the greater good: bringing the rock to you so you know who to see when they come around again. Here is one such story.
Saturday July 25th 8:37pm. Rushing from work directly to the PATH after work isn’t much of a problem. But making sure you get to Brooklyn in time for a show at 10pm could be a bit of a time trial. I wasn’t worried though. Why, you ask? Well I consider Anyday Parade to be personal friends of mine. I doubt highly they’d start a show without me there, to get those ever important photos and video. Well that and the fact that I was taking the train with one of their lead singers and guitarist, Tree. I mean in all fairness they have two other lead singers/ guitarist. They probably could wing it if they tried, though I’m sure Larry Brinkman and Joe Daly would have had a bit of a discussion as to who would sing the female parts. Joking aside, Tree and I made it to the Trash Bar in time to assure that we’d be able to get a few beers before ADP began marching.
We entered the Brooklyn rock club and were greeted by the band’s new drummer Pat Byrne, who is never seen at the same place and time as Lucha DJ. Pat joined ADP a little over a month back. He appeared relaxed despite this being his first live show with the band. After a few beverages it was time for APD parade to take the stage. I spied in the crowd former drummer Chuck Richards out to support his former band mates. Joe, Larry, Tree, Chuck and Pat rocked out for the duration of their set. They have a seven inch that is due out Sept 5th. They played a few of the new track off of it. And We even got to hear a rare Waylon Jennings cover! After the set I congratulated the gang with Chuck Richards. Pat’s first show was a success. Afterwards he told me had he known Chuck was there he would have been way more nervous. That’s the kind of humility that breeds a solid drummer!
I hit the bar for a sweet tea vodka and water. Which is pretty much the most delicious drink known to man that doesn’t make you look like a tool drinking cranberry juice in a bar. After ogling the uber hot bartender for a little too long, I turned back to the stage. Roadside Graves were just starting up. Last time I caught these fellas out, I pretty much found a new favorite local band. Their country blues/ rock and roll style has something that you just don’t hear in music these days. If country rock had as many genres as heavy metal did I call these cats an epic country band. All the classic country themes are touched upon: Jail, Trains, Rain, God and DRINKING. Damn! I must be slipping! I can’t believe I almost forgot drinking. After their set RG bounded into the crowd for a song! I mean I’m right up next to the band a lot of times but I was right there with the band, I might as well of been singing too! Rich Zilg(acoustic guitar, vocals) Dave Jones (bass) John Gleason(vocals) Mike DeBlasio (piano, organ) Colin Ryan (drums, percussion) Jeremy Benson (electric guitar, vocals, percussion) are doing it, and by all accounts doing it well!
I congratulated Roadside Graves on another great performance and Tree informed me there was room in the Anyday Mobile for one more! So I took a ride back to JC with Anyday Parade.
Tree and I have been friends since before my time at Lucky 7 Tavern when I was a bartender at Pop Merrigans. Chuck Daly is my tattoo artist, Joe Daly is his brother. Larry Brinkman and I constantly recant our Midwestern upbringing and mutual love of music. Pat Byrne and I were neighbors for about a year before we realized we were neighbors, and we hang out at my bar all the time. I say all that to say this, my family is spread out all over the place, my dad is the closest about 140 miles away. Anyday Parade isn’t just a bunch of folks I know, they’re kind of like four brothers and a sister in town. Folks I’m constantly in contact with. That’s the kind of thing you just won’t be able to get out of some big city rock outfit. They’re out for me as much as I’m for them. Chuck Daly said it best, “You came out to Brooklyn, you’re out at all our shows! It’s fucking rad!” As we drove back with the Isley Brothers playing in the background, I though to myself, “All in a day’s work for a Rocker Tycoon, yea buddy!”
Redheaded Strangeness or On the Road Again
This article is a continuation of my last post. When we last left our hero (me), he was dreaming about peaches, dune buggys, and the Mach 5. Ok, enough with the second person stuff, it’s mildly weird. I woke after 4 hours of sleep knowing I’d need to get up early to get back up to work at 1pm. I rose from my 10 year old futon, which was not a comfortable place to sleep. Years of tossing and turning and several moves with that contraption had turned it into more of a pit trap than bed. But I was at my dad’s place in south Jersey, you can’t really put a price on a free night’s rest. Well you can, hotels charge around $130 for four hours….and the kind of hotels that charge hourly aren’t exactly the sort of place a man gets any rest.
The commute from South Jersey to Jersey City is a long one, filled with it’s own sort of adventure. Public Transit south of Trenton isn’t the same as north. Managing the bus system is like surveying the Amazon to someone who’s not quite familiar with the area. Thankfully, almost every bus hits Walter Rand Transit Center in Camden on it’s way to Philadelphia. Yup, Camden, THAT CAMDEN! The one Chris Rock warned you about! Now, as an avid traveler and a man knowledgeable to the various situations of danger on the public transportation system, I follow a few well manufactured rules.
Rule 1. Keep your mouth shut and your head down!
You are the mark! Talking to people for prolonged amounts of time serves only to distract you attention from the pair Raptor in the bushes adjacent to you!
Rule 2. If asked for change, shrug, if they give you shit tell them you need what you got to get home.
Rule 3. Don’t be an asshole! This is Eagle’s Country. 
If asked your team affiliation respond in kind, (they call him the Philly Fanatic for a reason)I’d rather be sick to my stomach later on, than punched in it right now.
Rule 4. When in doubt, pretend your kind of insane! Note this doesn’t work on other people with mental deficiency. Use this on the wrong person and you’ll be talking like furbies on acid.
Ok, those bases are covered. I just missed the 410 at 9:54. So I had to wait for the 410 at 11:00. Once the bus came I took my spot in the middle and put on my MP3 player. Not long into the trip a woman turned around and demanded my cell phone. “I’m gonna use your cell phone, I gotta call my work.” It was something along those lines, most importantly this was not a request! I almost laughed audibly. I had to applaud the fact that the woman was a crafty social engineer at the very least, but her simple Jedi mind tricks were no match for one trained by Dave Minick. I feigned poverty, “I got no phone, I’m late for work too, missed the bus before.” She wasn’t interested in my story. Oddly enough she didn’t ask anyone else.
From Walter Rand to Trenton, from Trenton to Newark, from Newark to Jersey City. It only took 5 hours! I got to work and waited out the day for A Saturday Night event at Kilkenny Alehouse. A tribute night to Willie Nelson in honour of his recent birthday. Time ticked by pretty quickly and before I knew it I was at home getting changed and ready to make the scene in Brick City.
I got in just at the end of Bern and the Bright’s set. I was highly disappointed because they are long over due for a once over! Another of the Montclair Crew. These girls are really making waves on the local scene and even getting a little radio time here and there. No worries though, they’ll be playing At Lucky 7 Tavern on my Birthday with Honah Lee, Deivito, and Kagero. If you happen to be in the mood to rock out come May 16, I invite you to stop on by! Tonight B&tBs were playing with the McMickle Bros. as well. I told you, those boys get around!
Deivito hopped up on stage with, Wes of Tip Canary and Sam of McMickle Bros. They played the entire Red-headed Stranger Album. These fellas were wailing away on their guitars, I was swilling beer and stomping shoe! The Highwayman would have been proud…. Of All three of us I’d wager!
The Crosstown Country All-Stars got on stage with two members that were previously unsung on the last post about them. Ace Case and Ken Trotta still round out the Guitar and Vocals, but tonight Bill Henry(key) and Rodney Azagra(drums) took the stage is this ragtag group too! Rastabouts as always Ace and Ken tried to start up a rivalry with Anyday Parade. I think they said something to the effect of Anyday Payday. You gotta understand Ace’s sense of humour. I saw him play a week for Election night. And he was pretending to support McCain’s Country First Slogan, as a joke. I think I was the only person in the crowd laughing, for a town full of Liberals you’d think they’d laugh a little less conservatively. Anyhow the set was crafted with comedy and good old fashioned joshing around, plenty of country favourites and some originals as well.
Tree, The Chucks, Larry, and JD took the stage as the Voltron that is Anyday Parade.
They joked back about All-stars’ comment. They quickly turned the nob, from Defrost to Simmer as they worked into their songs. Tree’s classic voice melded in a stew with Larry and JD trading off leads and answering her musings. Chuck D. worked the bass in a mesmeric fashion, but this time he looked like he was immune to his own magic, moving around the stage like a snake tail inbetween the vox/guitar Cerberus of the band. If the rest of the band was a mythological three-headed hellhound, then I guess Chuck R. was Zues himself, bringing down the thunder!
I sat out in the crowd singing along to every song and dancing with the rest of the crowd at the alehouse. You better make sure you come to the next show they have! You’re missing out on one hell of a good time in Newark.
Anyday Parade Jersey City EP release party
I’ll be frank! I’m not really sure if it was an E.P. release party or not. But there was a new E.P. for sale and the place was packed to capacity. As so far as I’m conerned it was an E.P. Release Party. Anyday Parade, Jersey City’s own country rock quintet, recently put out four new songs in an E.P. named Where We Fall! I was keen to hear it since I’d heard they where working on it a bit before my previous article involving.
“We can’t decide whether we’re a rock band or a country band, so we’re just doing both.” JD (vox, guitar) explained to me in a tête à tête after the show. Well they seem to be doing “two hells” of a job. The album itself sounds wonderful, quality and musically speaking. JD and Larry move forward a bit more on vocals, though Tree still takes center stage. 
The Chucks round out the background on bass and drums. Chuck Daly on bass falls into a hypnosis during a live performance. “You caught me making love to the bass!” He chuckles when I tell him I wasn’t sure if he opened his eyes during the set. Chuck Richard ended the night with a drum solo worthy of Rush’s Neil Peart! There was dancing and singing and general carrying on. I think all the best looking people in Jersey City must have come out that night!
If you’re looking to get your hands on a copy of the E.P. contact them via Myspace. I’m sure they’ll set something up with you! You can hear most of it there too! If you’re looking for the Next Big Thing in town, keep your eye on these cats. They have something going on that’s unique and thoroughly rockin’! Here’s video of their title track from the EP!
Zac Clark, Rocker Tycoon 