The festival, taking place under a pavilion as well as a tent, and dotted with concession stands and two stages, started Friday night with one band and then a screening of a movie ("American Graffiti"), and continued with the main day Saturday (bands all afternoon, alternating between the main and café stages, with Willie Nile the headliner wrapping things up that evening, and finally an afternoon of bands Sunday afternoon.
Last year I went for the first time, and I believe it was on a Sunday. Much of the bands took on the folk-ish sounds that seemed to be prevalent. This time, my friends Steve Harris and Rene Marinich got weekend passes with the intention on seeing both Saturday and Sunday. I decided to go on Saturday, and to my surprise, my wife Barbara went as well. And although we didn't stay the entire time (got those considerations with feeding our pets and all that), for me at least, it was a pleasant surprise, as the four bands (out of six from the main stage), rocked a little more and gave out many good vibes compared to the ones I saw last year.
When we arrived around 12:45 on Saturday, the band Wig Party was already rocking, and would be one of my favorite performances of the afternoon. The band hails from Central Jersey and has put out a couple releases so far. Five members strong, their songs pretty much jammed and injected elements of psychedelic rock into the proceedings.
Five-piece band Acken Road followed. Their set was straight-forward, old-time rock and roll, plain and simple. Many of the elements, perhaps lost in more recent sub genres, such as blues and boogie variations, came out to the forefront and were very enjoyable. A lot of tapping feet to this one, including a guy who, during the length of their set (and beyond), was determined to give the audience something else to look at besides the band.
Up next were The Porchistas, and if that is an unusual name, well it really isn't...the band met literally on a porch, in Montclair. They were named Independent Rock band of 2012 by the NJ Acoustic Music Awards, and their sound was often a throwback to a lot of the British Invasion bands of the mid 1960's, but manage to inject more current sounds into the mix as well. If you want simply good times, just being out here listening to some great music, this band is the one to do it with.
Perhaps the best of the bands we saw on this Saturday afternoon were The Livesays. This band is actually from South Florida. These guys simply blew us away. Their recent release, Rose Colored Glasses, garnered much of the songs in their set. Their songs are mostly about relationships, and come us as cutesy, yet awesome at the same time. Despite their place or origin, they seem to know Jersey pretty well, as some of their songs echo Bruce Springsteen (who which, "Born To Run" was featured). Thrown in a little of the band Boston as well. Along with their originals and the aforementioned Bruce song, some nice covers of early Rod Stewart and The Byrds, and you have a nice music mix there.
Still to come were the folkish Grand Slambovians, and Willie Nile. But unfortunately we left and missed them (aside from the opening notes of the former. Still, if you're into new music that's rather obscure, this is the place to go every year. I am glad to see that rock music still has a venue, since it seems to be all but dried-up on the national, pop scene. A little disappointing in that most of the audience was middle aged (such as myself and my friends), and that the younger generation isn't able to appreciate these sounds. But as long as there are outlets like that, then there are more chances to check out new music as man (or at least I) can't live with classic rock alone.
CHARTS: It's a crowded, competitive chart this week, and although I added a song from all the aforementioned 'NTI bands, none of them were able to crack the SNS 100 this time around. No doubt there will need to be a shake-up quite soon. None of the new records out really got me going, which results in the Top Debut, not only down at #91 (the lowest "top debut" in the chart's three-year history, although "Royals" by Lorde, #1 on the alternative chart this week debuted higher but was on the Tremors list last week)), but a song from an album that I predominately featured two years ago. That would be "Spectrum (Say My Name)" by Florence + the Machine, from their two-year old album (has it been THAT long?) Ceremonials. I had featured many cuts from that album already to the point where they kind of burned out on me. "What the Water Gave" me (#1), plus "No Light, No Light" and "Shake It Out" all did well on my list, plus their song "Breath of Life" from Snow White and the Huntsman. However, another single, "Spectrum" was released also, in 2012 which hit #1 in Florence's native UK. I heard this song featured in a show, and decided to check it out. With the number 2 success of her song with Calvin Harris, thought it would be nice to listen to another case of good music. She also did a song "Over the Love" for the soundtrack to The Great Gatsby; I may add this as well as a follow-up to Lana Del Rey's " Young and Beautiful".
Finally, Phoenix finally overthrows Paul Czekaj's "At the Beach", which drops to #3, but even though the summer is winding down, I still can't get this song out of my head.
Scenes'n'Soundwaves 100
August 18, 2013
|
This Week
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Last Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
2
|
NUMBER ONE:
PHOENIX
"Trying to Be Cool"
Album: Bankrupt!
|
11
|
|
2
|
3
|
Wild Belle - Keep You
|
24
|
|
3
|
1
|
Paul Czekaj - At the Beach
|
10
|
|
4
|
4
|
Cayucas - High School Lover
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12
|
|
5
|
5
|
Foxygen - San Francisco
|
18
|
|
6
|
6
|
The Thermals - I Go Alone
|
11
|
|
7
|
7
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Under the Earth
|
10
|
|
8
|
9
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Lana Del Rey - Summertime Sadness
|
6
|
|
9
|
21
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
RACHEL ALLYN
"Dear Prudence"
Album: Do It Yourself
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4
|
|
10
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8
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Omnia Hegazy - Aziza
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14
|
|
11
|
13
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Train - Bruises
|
8
|
|
12
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15
|
Paramore - Still Into You
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8
|
|
13
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16
|
I Am Dynamite - Hey Girl
|
10
|
|
14
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10
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New Politics - Harlem
|
25
|
|
15
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23
|
Robin Thicke f. T.I. and Pharrell Williams - Blurred Lines.
|
5
|
|
16
|
11
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Portugal. the Man - Evil Friends
|
14
|
|
17
|
12
|
Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful
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12
|
|
18
|
20
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Portugal. The Man - Purple Yellow Red & Blue
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8
|
|
19
|
60
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
"Come A Little Closer"
Album: Melophobia
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2
|
|
20
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19
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Pixies - Bagboy
|
5
|
|
21
|
24
|
Palma Violets - Best of Friends
|
9
|
|
22
|
22
|
Case Studies - Everything
|
10
|
|
23
|
14
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Kurt Vile - Waking on A Pretty Day
|
13
|
|
24
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17
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Neko Case - Man
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10
|
|
25
|
25
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Silversun Pickups - Dots and Dashes
|
7
|
|
26
|
28
|
Dan Croll - From Nowhere
|
19
|
|
27
|
27
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Bruno Mars - Treasure
|
6
|
|
28
|
30
|
Pink f. Lily Allen - True Love
|
5
|
|
29
|
29
|
Foxygen - No Destruction
|
6
|
|
30
|
18
|
Daft Punk f. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky
|
17
|
|
31
|
39
|
Blake Shelton - Boys 'Round Here
|
7
|
|
32
|
31
|
Fitz and the Tantrums - Out of My League
|
27
|
|
33
|
53
|
Terraplane Sun - Get Me Golden
|
4
|
|
34
|
34
|
Atlas Genius - If So
|
10
|
|
35
|
38
|
Foals - My Number
|
7
|
|
36
|
36
|
Maroon 5 - Love Somebody
|
12
|
|
37
|
37
|
Jay Arner - Don't Remind Me
|
17
|
|
38
|
26
|
Matchbox Twenty - Our Song
|
14
|
|
39
|
47
|
Franz Ferdinand - Right Action
|
5
|
|
40
|
41
|
Tame Impala - Elephant
|
9
|
|
41
|
33
|
ZZ Ward - 365 Days
|
9
|
|
42
|
46
|
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
|
37
|
|
43
|
65
|
Leila Hegazy - The Reason Why
|
3
|
|
44
|
32
|
KT Tunstall- Feel It All
|
11
|
|
45
|
35
|
Sara Bareilles - Brave
|
11
|
|
46
|
40
|
fun. - Why Am I The One
|
7
|
|
47
|
52
|
Grouplove - Ways to Go
|
8
|
|
48
|
45
|
Swedish House Mafia f. John Martin - Don't You Worry Child
|
14
|
|
49
|
58
|
The Neighborhood - Afraid
|
9
|
|
50
|
59
|
Civil Wars - The One That Got Away
|
6
|
|
51
|
50
|
Waaves - Demon to Lean On
|
13
|
|
52
|
77
|
Golden Void - Rise to the Out of Reach
|
2
|
|
53
|
44
|
Golden Void - Shady Grove
|
23
|
|
54
|
67
|
Pearl Jam - Mind Your Manners
|
5
|
|
55
|
70
|
Field Mouse - How Do You Know
|
3
|
|
56
|
68
|
Volbeat - The Hangman's Body Count
|
6
|
|
57
|
71
|
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros - Better Days
|
3
|
|
58
|
85
|
Man Man - Head On
|
3
|
|
59
|
80
|
Kings of Leon - Supersoaker
|
4
|
|
60
|
49
|
Calvin Harris f. Florence Welch - Sweet Nothing
|
20
|
|
61
|
42
|
Candice Glover - I Am Beautiful
|
12
|
|
62
|
57
|
Smallpools - Dreaming
|
7
|
|
63
|
69
|
Darius Rucker - Wagon Wheel
|
7
|
|
64
|
48
|
Little Green Cars - Harper Lee
|
11
|
|
65
|
51
|
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
|
26
|
|
66
|
56
|
The Veils - Through the Deep Dark Wood
|
20
|
|
67
|
66
|
Calvin Harris f. Ellie Goulding - I Need Your Love
|
6
|
|
68
|
89
|
Matthew Koma - One Night
|
2
|
|
69
|
43
|
Matthew Koma - Parachute
|
18
|
|
70
|
55
|
Michael Franti and Spearhead - I'm Alive
|
14
|
|
71
|
64
|
Pepper - Fkarnd
|
10
|
|
72
|
93
|
Katy Perry - Roar
|
2
|
|
73
|
54
|
Rihanna - Stay
|
17
|
|
74
|
62
|
Lana Del Rey - Ride
|
28
|
|
75
|
61
|
Dirty Beaches - I Dream In Neon
|
13
|
|
76
|
63
|
Hanson - Get the Girl Back
|
20
|
|
77
|
74
|
The Black Angels - Don't Play With Guns
|
14
|
|
78
|
79
|
Anna Kendrick - Cups
|
7
|
|
79
|
83
|
Delta Rae - If I Loved You
|
11
|
|
80
|
84
|
Alt-J - Breezblocks
|
5
|
|
81
|
72
|
Mumford and Sons - Babel
|
11
|
|
82
|
75
|
Serena Ryder - Stompa
|
23
|
|
83
|
88
|
The Unlikely Candidates - Follow My Feet
|
4
|
|
84
|
95
|
OneRepublic - Counting Stars
|
3
|
|
85
|
87
|
The Lumineers - Submaries
|
5
|
|
86
|
76
|
Florida Georgia Line - Cruise
|
7
|
|
87
|
73
|
Rachel Allyn -October
|
17
|
|
88
|
78
|
Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire
|
21
|
|
89
|
92
|
Ellie Goulding - Burn
|
3
|
|
90
|
----
|
TOP DEBUT:
LORDE
"Royals"
Album: Pure Heroine
|
1
|
|
91
|
----
|
Florence + the Machine - Spectrum (Say My Name)
|
1
|
|
92
|
91
|
Passenger - Let Her Go
|
5
|
|
93
|
90
|
Ariana Grande - The Way
|
6
|
|
94
|
----
|
The Mowglis - Great Divide
|
1
|
|
95
|
----
|
Mikal Cronin- Change
|
1
|
|
96
|
----
|
The 1975 - Chocolate
|
1
|
|
97
|
86
|
Phillip Phillips - Gone Gone Gone
|
27
|
|
98
|
98
|
Mona - Goons (Baby I Need It All)
|
4
|
|
99
|
100
|
Vampire Weekend -Unbelievers
|
2
|
|
100
|
----
|
Nonono - Pumpin Blod
|
1
|
TREMORS:
101. Gentleman Hall, Sail Into the Sun
102. Phosphorescent, Ride On/Right On
103. Parade of Light - We're the Kids
104. The Natural, Demons
105. The Porchistas - Johnny Miner
106. Acken Road - Busted
107. The Livesays - Until You Kissed Me Like That
108. On and On - The Hunter
109. Miley Cyrus, We Can't Stop
110. Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran - Everything Has Changed
111. Avicii - Wake Me Up
112. Wig Party, She Figured It Out
113. J. Roddy Wilson and the Business - Heavy Bills
114. Jack Johnson - I Got You
