Previously, I looked at how I got to love music and the circumstances that led me to start this blog in the first place. Then, I checked out the songs about summer over the past five years. Two weeks ago, I discussed the bands that I've come to love because of this blog; and last week, I listed my 100 favorites of the past five years.
This time, it's all about the unsung heroes--or perhaps we should call them unsigned heroes...those artists and bands who have yet to make a major Billboard chart, but due to some kind of relationship I have with their friends, or themselves, I gave them a listen, and liked what I heard. Some of them were simply because I went to a festival or an establishment where they were playing. Others were friends of mine that I know, and they saved enough money to record music. One of them I got to know simply because that person saw me mention him in a blog or on my top 100 list. And there were those who I worked with, related to, knew their mother 30-plus years ago, and those recommended by friends and classmates.
Most of these artists will probably never hit the big time. Many of them just do it for the love of performing, and perhaps they wanted to express themselves by writing their own personal statements. I know this blog won't be the impetus that would make them hit the big time, but the bottom line is, is that I love hearing what they have to offer, and am supporting them in ways that I am able to. Only one of these artists has made some kind of impact; having appeared on a Billboard up-and-coming chart. Others, I am simply hoping their music is heard.
Below are my twenty artists whose music I've heard, either introduced by a friend, heard at a gig, or by friends themselves. The only stipulation is that at least one of their songs has graced my SNS weekly top 100, and each of them has reached my top 30. Click on the links to their websites and Facebook pages, and learn what they are all about.
20. The Mungers
The Mungers are a band based in Cranford NJ (next door to Roselle Park, the town I grew up in), and I had seen them perform at the 2012 Maplewoodstock Festival in Maplewood NJ. The name had intrigued me, as I knew classmates named Munger growing up in Roselle Park. But alas, there was no connection. But they played some pretty good rock. Their song, "B School" graced my top 30 in the late summer of 2012. And then there was another song they played that intrigued me: "Facebook Friend". I haven't checked up on them for awhile, but the link above is to their Facebook page. If you want some good rock music by a Union County band, check these guys out.
19. Downtown Crossing
This was a band based in Springfield, MA, that featured my nephew, Jimmy Joyce, on bass. They had played throughout central Massachusetts and was responsible for some great sounds. Two of their demos, "Seventy 4" and "Translation", reached #26 and #23, respectively on my SNS 100 in early 2011, and I had looked forward to their planned first release. A tornado swept through the warehouse whether their instruments were storied. I don't remember if there was any damage, but the band called it quits soon thereafter. Nowadays, Jimmy has a steady relationship and is the father of a son, named "Trenton" after Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.
18. Dark Sacrament
Dark Sacrament is a self-described "Melodic, Black Metal" band, based in Northern New Jersey. It came to my attention as the guitarist, Phil Alessi, worked in my most recent company. In 2011, they had released an EP, which, to me, was pretty unlistenable. However, one of the tracks, "Realm of Unlight" was good enough and it made the #19 position in the Spring of 2011. I had lost touch with Phil as I am no longer with the company (and he unfriended me on Facebook), but I hear they had finished their first full-length album as of late last year. His sister, Christine Alessi, had also fronted a band, Hey Tiger, which we saw perform in Boonton. She now fronts The Toll Collectors, a band that draws on classic rock influences. This band is more my speed and I look forward to their first recordings.
17. Town Hall
This was a band based in New York City. My friend Merrill Kenny Butler knew one of the members, Phoebe Ryan from when she was a baby, and recommended the band to me. The track, "Good Boy" reached #16 in the early summer of 2011. I am not sure if the band is still together, however. I say that, because Ryan had gone solo, moved out west and has cut a key track. But more on that in a little bit.
16. Matt Weiss
The story (at least for me) of this artists goes back to Fourth of July weekend in 1983, when myself and a few friends spent the weekend at a resort in Downington, PA. We met a pair of 19-year old twins, Annette and Lori who were there with their family. I stayed in touch with Annette for a year. It wasn't until 2010 when I found her on Facebook. By then she was married with four kids, including Matt, the oldest. I just happened to be checking out some FB friends timelines who I hadn't seen in awhile. When I got to Annette's, I saw her post about a record that Matt had cut, "Black Magic". Upon listening to it, it was indeed, "magic". A great singer/songwriter vibe. This week, that song is at #17 and rising. He is generating some buzz in his native central Long Island. He has some other music to offer as well. Be on the lookout for him.
15. Kjband
Kjband is the ongoing musical project of Ken Johnston, who currently lives in Livingston NJ with his wife Carolyn. I was friends with him in the late 1980's when he worked with me at Prudential, and at the time played on many demos. It wasn't until 1998, however, when he released his album, All I Want. His makeshift band played mostly private functions and was mostly a studio effort with a revolving set of musicians. I last saw him in 2001, just before the release of his second set, Pretending. I fell out of touch after that, and his website was abandoned for ten years. Upon checking it earlier this year, I saw that it is up to date and he released several more albums. A stand-alone single, "Man of Few Words", a tribute to his father who recently passed, brought him back on the SNS 100 to #23. It was followed by "Our Art" from his 2014 studio effort Real Life; that peaked at #15.
14. After the Reign
This is a country outfit hailing from Monmouth County, New Jersey, which has been around since 2006. They have released two albums thus far. The first one actually yielded a single which landed on the Music Row charts in 2009, but otherwise are still unsigned and have yet to reach any Billboard chart. Still, they are very visible in the state and usually play down the Shore area. It was their single, "Jersey Strong", a song about Superstorm Sandy, that got my attention (as well as the states, as it won the official state song about recovering from that devastating storm). It reached #17 on my list in early 2013.
13. Phoebe Ryan
Phoebe was a member of Town Hall, which I discussed back at #17, a band which came to my attention via my friend Merrill Kenny Butler, and whose "Good Boy" reached my top 20. But she got somewhat of a break when one of her compositions was featured on the TV show "Glee". Perhaps it was that success which inspired her to leave the band for a solo career. While I had lost track of Town Hall, it was Merrill again who pointed out that Ryan was generating buzz on the West Coast with a new song. I didn't realize at the time that was the same person from Town Hall. Anyway, Ryan is thus far the only artist who has appeared on a Billboard chart, albeit one of an up-and-coming one. She has a likeable pop stance to her, and her next release could put her over the top. Still, "Mine" reached #6 on my chart earlier this year.
12. E'lissa Jones
E'lissa Jones is an aspiring singer/songwriter from Warwick, NY. In fact, it was in February of 2012 that we joined up with our friends Steve and Rene to catch her perform at the Warwick Valley Winery. I was blown away by her sound, and others did as well. We actually got a bonus as her boyfriend proposed to her right up on stage. I immediately added two of her songs, "Best I Ever Had" reached #13, and "Sweet Surrender" topped at #19 in the spring of 2012. She is still touring the tri-state area and I believe she has more new music to offer. A talent to be reckoned with.
11. The Wizards of Winter
This is a prog-rock outfit based in Frenchtown NJ. Their name comes from a song by the famous Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and in fact, the band includes a few members of that world-renowned band. Like the TSO, they specialize in mostly holiday-themed numbers. The band is one of four in this list that is produced by my friend Tom Corea, engineered in his Babyfishmouth studio at his home in East Hanover, NJ. Their last release provided the song "Gales of December", which peaked at my #12 in March of this year. It appears a new album is on the way for this holiday season, and there are rumors that they may be picked up by a major record label. If so, it is well deserved. And you'll hear about Corea a few more times on this countdown.
10. Taylor Centers
Taylor is a budding singer/songwriter based in Charlotte, NC. Like Phoebe Ryan, she came to my attention via another friend from Roselle Park, Mary Anne Reed Nolan, when she and her husband Jim lived in the Charlotte area, and was someone they knew since infancy. She was originally a straight-ahead pop artist, and placed two songs up my chart in that genre: Alibi hit #22 in late 2013, and "Wild" got up to #18 this spring. She has switched to country, and has made some inroads there. She got the go-ahead for funding for her new album, and she is the featured artist on Reverbnation.com this week.
9. Bad Attitude
Bad Attitude is your quintessential bar band, having been together for 29 years, playing blues-oriented and classic rock. Their drummer? None other than my friend Tom Corea. Their territory has been Central New Jersey and you can check their schedule for their latest gig. I finally had the pleasure of seeing them last spring at a festival in Rahway, and all I can say is that they are awesome. Although essentially a cover band, Corea did take them into the studio a couple times, to cut a holiday album in 2013, and an album of Irish music earlier this year. "Merry Christmas Anyway" was their holiday entry in 2013 and it peaked at #2, as well as making my all-time holiday top 100 in 2014. Now, if they can just confirm my request to join their Facebook page.
8. Sarah Jean
Another protégé from Tom Corea, this singer/songwriter hails from Metuchen, NJ and has released two albums. She is also part of Corea's studio ensemble, The Hounds of Winter which we have yet to hear from. She has graced my top 20 twice, with her #3 "Hometown" in late 2011, and "At Last", #12 in early 2012. I had asked Tom if there will be any new music from Sarah, and it appears she will have some solo numbers on the next Hounds of Winter holiday album to be released this year.
7. The Big Takeover
This band, hailing from the mid-Hudson Valley region of New York State, plays a hybrid of Reggae and Calypso, among other styles. And with good reason. The outfit it headed by Jamaican-born DeeDee Rushie. It was the summer of 2014 when we had gone to the Rosendale Street Festival. Another artist was supposed to appear, but instead we got this jammin' band who stole the show. I subsequently bought their album Children of the Rhythm. The title track reached #5 earlier this year; that was followed by "Dolphins", which had its own music video, that climbed to #18. You'll find them playing a lot in the vicinity of New Paltz.
6. Shannon Marsyada Trio
Another band discovered at a festival, this one at the annual fall festival in Jim Thorpe, PA. The trio, led by Shannon Marsyada of Hazelton PA who is a singer-songwriter in the vein of Amy Winehouse and Adele. They do cover tunes, but it was the originals that blew me away, as well as covers by the above named artists as well as Florence + the Machine. "What You Do To Me" topped my chart for two weeks in early 2013. I am not certain about any recent material; Marsyada changed her Facebook page to drop the "Trio"; hence she may be a strictly solo artist now. Still, I will be on the lookout for any new material out there.
5. The Hounds of Winter
Tom Corea strikes again. The fourth and final entry of his in my list is Tom's studio project, based at this Babyfishmouth studio in East Hanover. Not to be confused with The Wizards of Winter, the Hounds take their name from a Sting song, and have recorded countless albums of Christmas and holiday songs. You name it, it is probably on an album, even the more obscure offerings. Two of them reached my chart in 2012: Tom Petty's "Christmas All Over Again" at #35, and the original "Come on Christmas" at #21. But it was a non-holiday effort, Sebastian, released in mid-2014 that hit the mark. The album was a tribute to Thom Sebastian, a musician who has played in various bands since the early 1980's, and the song "Amy's World", written by Sebastian, reached #2 last summer. A song by him with the Hounds, "Not Broken" reached #14 in late 2011. Sadly, we lost him last year.
4. Paul Czekaj
I've always wondered who actually reads my blog. This is a classic example of me being introduced to an artist who I subsequently became friends with as a result of my writings. Back in 2011, a video "My Home New Jersey" went viral among my Facebook friends, most notably Sue Briggs Baker. The video showcased many sights and sounds around the Garden State. I was so taken by it that I added it to my blog list. It rose steadily to the #20 position in late 2011, and it made my year end top 100. Apparently Paul noticed it, and started following my blog and contacted me. He'd let me know of any new music he would put out out, and most certainly he did keep me up to date as to what was new. His songs and videos about Jersey makes him, in my opinion, the poet laureate of the state. 2013 was a banner year for him. A second "My Home New Jersey" made #30 in early 2013, then his tribute to the rebuilding after Sandy, "Even Better Than Before" made #3 and in my opinion, a much better song than After the Reign's song mentioned above. The joys of summer at the Jersey Shore gave us "At the Beach" which enjoyed a six week reign at #1 and was my song of the summer that year. He also had "Wheels on Fire" a tribute to the motorcyclists in the state, and finally "Elvis in Heaven", both also hitting the top 20, the latter in 2014. I had the pleasure of meeting him twice when he performed at Bell's Mansion in Stanhope, where he regularly plays a mix of oldies and rock standards.
3. Leila Hegazy
I wasn't sure which Hegazy sister to put first, but for me it's pretty even as they are both talented. But I have Leila a bit lower only because her sister Omnia put something out recently. But it was Leila that I first discovered, thanks to my dear friend and classmate Diane Tarantino Hegazy, their aunt. She has made my top 10 three times: "Hush Little Baby" (#1 in late 2010), "Mirror Mirror", (#6 in late 2012) and "Monday", (#5 in the Spring of 2013). Her sound is a jazzy, soulful one along the lines of a Rebecca Ferguson or Corinne Bailey Rae. She is working on a new album which she hopes to be released by the end of the year.
2. Omnia Hegazy
And then there's Omnia. Like her sister, she hails from Staten Island and you can find her performing, sometimes with her sister at clubs in Manhattan. Unlike her sister, however, her songs have had more of a worldly, exotic feel to them, as contrasted to the more poppish sound of her sister's. "What's Become of Us", a song about the revolution in Egypt (the sisters are half-Egyptian), reached #1 in 2011 and she followed it with another song about that issue, "Change This Place" at #3. "Aziza" hit #3 in the summer of 2013. She shifted gears into the rock mode in 2015 with her most recent "Dust", which became her second chart-topper early this year.
1. Rachel Allyn
Well, what can you say? I recently did a blog on her, so I won't repeat it here. All I need to say is that this gal from Ogdensburg NJ has the talent to be a star. She's been going at it since she's been a teenager, writing songs as well as performing rock and country classics. She went to college in Nashville and has opened up locally for legendary acts like Kenny Rogers and Lonestar as well as newer ones like Thompson Square. She won a shore radio station "House Band" contest a few years back and played many of the shore bars. As for her impact on my blog: Four number ones, including "Stand Still" (2010), "Getting By" (2011) , 'Say Hello to Goodbye" (2011) and "Ain't No Fun" (2012). She has had 12 top 20 songs on my list. She recently got funded for her new upcoming EP, Next Years' Girl, which she is excited about. It's a pivotal album for her, now 26 years of age. I still believe in her and hoping she finally finds the success she deserves.
And there you have my list. Will any of these artists strike gold? I guess it's up to us to sit back and listen, and support any of your local artists or bands, whether they are cover bands, or those doing original material. This is where it starts.
FITZ BLITZ: Well, it's back to the current chart, and like the 5th anniversary chart I produced last week, it's Fitz & the Tantrums time. In spite of it being two and a half years since More Than Just a Dream came out, its fifth chart topper takes place as "Last Raindrop" knocks Beck out of the top spot. But that's not the whole story. The final official single "Fool's Gold", released a year ago this week, is still hanging in there at #91 in its 39th chart week (that does not include the 13-week "hiatus" that the blog took last fall). This past week saw me attend a Roselle Park reunion with many of my High School friends; two of the songs that were played on the jukebox were "6 AM" and "Money Grabber". "6 A.M." as a result takes a jump back up the chart from #67 to #46 in its 48th week. Even "Money Grabber" which hit the top of my list at the beginning of 2011, reappears on the Tremors up-and-coming list. It's just a testament to how good the band is, and how much my friends like it as well.
The soulful Leon Bridges' "Coming Home" takes a giant leap into my top 10, and all four of the summer songs that I talked about a few weeks ago are all now into the top 20, spearheaded by Maroon 5 at #10, just in time for Labor Day.
As for new entries, MS MR's follow up to the top 10 "Painted", "Criminals" leads the way at #76; Meg Myers' follow to her top 20 "Sorry", "Lemon Eyes" is next. Both of these songs are similar in style and appeal to their prior songs; if you like them, you'll like the new ones. After that is the new one by Palma Violets, "Danger In the Club", from their second album of the same name. Their first effort, 2013's 180 did well for me, landing two SNS top 20 singles, 'Best of Friends" and "Last of the Summer Wine". To be honest, I had forgotten all about them, but I came across an old blog and wondered what they're up to these days. That's when I realized this London band had their new album out. The title track is a very palatable vintage rock song with hints of the Doors, and some psychedelic garage rock thrown in for good measure. These guys sound like they're having a good time. I'm not sure if this song is getting any airplay, but it definitely should. Another top 20 appearance is in short order.
The other debut of note is the new one by the band The Neighbourhood, "R.I.P. 2 My Youth". I remember a "sunshine pop" band called The Neighborhood, around 1970 that had a minor hit with a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi". This is not them, of course...I just wanted to throw that reference in there. This band is from Newbury, California and they have had much success already. Their debut set, I Love You, yielded some hit singles, both on the pop and alternative charts; including "Sweater Weather", which topped that chart. Over on SNS, I haven't really gotten into them as much. "Afraid" and "Sweater Weather" topped out at #49 and #58, respectively. As for the new one, it'll probably be a hit because of its hip-hop beat, but it's presented in such a surreal way that it become a palatable song anyway. It is definitely worth some listening points, and it is #2 on Billboard's Alternative chart as well.
Before I go, I just wanted to thank the people who have introduced me to the artists that I've listed above. I will acknowledge them by name when I post this on Facebook, but sharing and introducing each other to new music and/or by artists they deem important is crucial to the music business. Even the most successful artists started out with perhaps a recommendation by a friend. So, I say "Thanks".
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100
August 30,
2015
| This Week | Last Week | ARTIST-Title | Weeks on List |
| 1 | 2 | NUMBER ONE:
"Last Raindrop"
Album: More Than Just A Dream
|
9 |
| 2 | 1 | Beck - Dreams | 11 |
| 3 | 5 | Phases - I'm In Love With My Life | 8 |
| 4 | 3 | Elle King - Ex's and Oh's● | 16 |
| 5 | 6 | The Arcs - Outta My Mind | 10 |
| 6 | 4 | Courtney Barnett - Dead Fox | 10 |
| 7 | 26 | TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
"Coming Home"
Album: Coming Home
|
3 |
| 8 | 7 | Coin - Run | 14 |
| 9 | 12 | Foals - Mountain At My Gates | 5 |
| 10 | 11 | Maroon 5 - This Summer's Gonna Hurt | 11 |
| 11 | 8 | Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud● | 26 |
| 12 | 10 | Borns - Electric Love | 10 |
| 13 | 13 | Mumford & Sons - The Wolf | 8 |
| 14 | 9 | Circa Waves - T-Shirt Weather | 12 |
| 15 | 15 | Alabama Shakes - Future People | 6 |
| 16 | 18 | I Am Dynamite - In the Summer | 8 |
| 17 | 19 | Matt Weiss - Black Magic | 7 |
| 18 | 31 | Lana Del Rey - High By The Beach | 4 |
| 19 | 24 | Hozier - Someone New | 6 |
| 20 | 33 | Demi Lovato - Cool for the Summer | 4 |
Tremors:
| 101 | ---- | The Oh Hello's - Hello My Old Heart |
| 102 | 102 | Halsey - New Americana |
| 103 | 103 | Chvrches - Leave A Trace |
| 104 | ---- | Fitz and the Tantrums - Money Grabber▲ |
|
|
Songs
with the greatest increase in favorite points over the prior week.
● Songs
with 25 or more plays on my iPod.
▲ Songs with 50 or more plays on my iPod. 
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