LOCAL MUSIC NEWS
The Finals Announce New Singer For Spring Tour
For the New Jersey based rock band The Finals, 2006 proved to be a pivotal
year. With the release of their first full-length album, “Plan Your
Getaway,” on Immortal Records, the band was in full swing.
The press raved:
“This is a band with a ton of promise to make an impact on a few different
scenes."-All Ages Zine
“There's an occasional twangy guitar or country-fried riff (particularly
on "Plague Escapade") that suggest The Finals have a few unexpected tricks
up their sleeves for albums to come.”-Spin Magazine
“Once ‘Plan Your Getaway’ makes its way onto your stereo, you’ll have a
very hard time wanting to switch it off. -Black Velvet (UK)”
"Difficult to put this CD down once you hit the play button... Reminds me
of The Living End and Alkaline Trio." -Euro Punk
But while the band extensively toured the U.S. in support of the album,
singer/bassist Matt Reilly faced a life changing decision. After a few
months on the road, Reilly decided to leave the band.
Left without a singer, the remaining members (Jason Sazer - Guitar/Vocals,
Lou Bottone - guitar, Joshua Sazer - drums, Christian Kisala - keyboards)
were unsure of their future. Bottone reveals, “I was relieved and worried
at the same time. I knew we would continue to be a band, but with a new
record out and no singer I wasn’t sure how we’d recover.” After meeting
with management, the band made the decision to move forward by posting
anonymous ads online in search of a replacement.
Andrew Seagle, a musician from North Carolina whose band had just broken
up, saw one of the posts. Coaxed by his girlfriend, Seagle responded to
the ad. With nothing holding him back, Seagle hopped on a plane and headed
to New Jersey. Well armed with the four tunes the band requested, he
immediately impressed the group, and was offered the position after just a
few hours. “He was more than we could have hoped for,” states Kisala.
“He's the total package, musician wise, and more importantly...
personality wise.”
“Upon the first song, first note, even first greeting, it's felt like I'm
finally doing the right thing,” says Seagle. “I'm dealing with
professionals with the same goals. I've received nothing but respect and
courtesy. It's a unit in which I’m proud to be a part. Even outside of
the music, I couldn't ask for more genuine guys to be around.”
The band is currently writing new material for their follow-up to the
Heath Saraceno (Midtown) produced and John Naclerio (Brand New, My
Chemical Romance, Senses Fail) engineered “Plan You Getaway.”
Collectively inspired by a diverse array of artists such as The Beatles
and The Cars, to Metallica and Alkaline Trio, The Finals draw from their
influences, while making solid and distinct records.
The formula has been successful thus far: The Finals have been featured
as Band of The Day on Spin.com and in November 2006, “Plan Your Getaway”
was released in Japan via Kick Rock Music. The band has fine tuned their
live show into a “powerful and explosive experience,” as Sazer likes to
put it, and has been chosen to play with The Ataris, Koufax, The Matches,
Midtown and more.
Continuing to tour in support of “Plan Your Getaway,” Seagle reveals, “I
know we're heading out to do something important, something meaningful,
and I honestly can't wait to see things through.” Sazer explains, “We're
all confident and comfortable with the fact that Andrew joining the band
is going to help take us to the ‘next level.’ We're all excited to write
new songs, and tour as a wiser, more unified band.”
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Hi Everyone,
So just when I thought I was over my illness the other week, my cold turned to a sinus infection.
So once again I must apologize for the lack of updates to the website last week.
But I'm starting to feel better, so the updates should become more regular to the site again...
...and I plan to be ready to rock this Saturday at Buddie's Tavern for another BlowUpRadio.com Free Concert Series show!
Tony Tedesco & Damaged
Goods
You will not find any apologies here. We play becuase we breathe. Until we get in the studio,
we'll be posting cuts from live shows. our first show as a band was at the Saint on 11-29-06.
Will there be tracks put up here with occassional missed notes, fucked up intros, flat vocals,out
of tune guitars? fuck yeah there will be, but dont expect any apologies. Life's too short. No
matter how good a band is, life always has the potential to get in the way. There ain't no
waiting on perfection when you are grabing life by the balls. Besides, if you aint fuckin up, you
aint pushing the envelope, and if thats the case you might as well pack it in as an artist...buy
a black velvet elvis paint-by-numbers, throw on the tv and wait for sleep to come so maybe you
can dream what it was like to take a chance. So take a listen and enjoy. If it dont sound good,
you aint had enough to drink. ****For the record: While you hear me say "Ladies and Gentelmen,
Rick Barry' as we are starting "Roll with the pages", please do not be confused. Rick is not
playing with us on that one (yet)..If you listen real closely, while Homer's busting my nuts
about 'Having to wait for the lead guitar player', you can hear rick say "Yeah dick Hurry up!'...
Thats right, rick was right at the edge of the stage like a glassy eyed, wet pantied, knee sock
wearing catholic school girl for some of our set...enough to almost make me feel like a rock
star..or at least as much as an old short fat guy can feel like a rock star
Wiser Time
Wiser Time originated in the small town of Millington, NJ by singer/songwriter/guitarist, Carmen
Sclafani in the spring of 2002. Sclafani had been a fixture in the local music scene, performing
in bars and clubs during the evenings, while working as a commercial artist during the days. He
had been performing with various incarnations under the Wiser Time moniker when he came across
music veteran/producer/guitarist, Anthony Krizan (Spin Doctors, Lenny Kravitz, John Waite),
performing at a local club.
The two had shared a similar interest in the classic Rock and Roll sounds of 60s and 70s bands
like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith, and shortly after meeting began recording songs from Sclafani's
catalog and writing material that would eventually become the self-produced 5-song EP titled,
Introducing Wiser Time. The EP was received well by audiences, and local radio stations began
playing it. Sclafani continued performing regularly in NY and NJ during this time while he and
Krizan continued to record and write more material, while also bringing in various other studio
musicians and friends for certain recordings.
Sclafani eventually brought in John Hummel, a seasoned studio drummer who was a member of several
local bands including The John Ginty Band, featuring John Ginty (Robert Randolph, Santana,
Citizen Cope). His powerful style, combined with the Keith Richards/Jimmy Page stylings that both
Krizan and Sclafani had both been heavily influenced by, produced a vintage style and sound that
hadn't been heard or seen in mainstream music in years.
The trio would eventually be rounded out as a 4-piece with the addition of Todd Lanka on bass.
Lanka had also been a well known and highly regarded musician in the local scene, and had
performed with a number of acts including Todd Wolfe (Sheryl Crow, Leslie West).
Wiser Time began playing select shows, adding various organ players for live performances, while
completing the final few recordings of the debut album, There And Back Again, in the fall of
2006. The response by audiences was immediate, and word began spreading quickly about the bands
vintage rock and roll swagger and charismatic frontman.
While preparing for a 2007 push for There And Back Again, Sclafani met drummer Steve Decker, who
had been a close friend of Lanka. Decker was an incredibly versatile drummer, combining both
power and finesse to create a very musical groove. His soulful and steady groove had been behind
such recordings and performances from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame keyboardist Bernie Worrell
(P-Funk, The Talking Heads), and Grammy Award-winning and Blues Hall of Fame's James Cotton
(Muddy Waters), to name a few.
The trio of Sclafani, Decker and Lanka began playing and writing regularly, and connected on all
levels, even going so far as to create and jam new songs right on the spot at live gigs, to the
amazement of audiences. With the three being so connected to the music, Sclafani decided to make
it the core of Wiser Time in place of the hired studio musicians that he'd been using to that
point. The trio would continue to bring in Krizan and various other musicians on certain gigs and
recording sessions.
With the line-up and the album complete and local buzz spreading quickly, the band is attracting
a great deal of attention and is focused on touring in 2007 to promote the debut album.
- by Rachel Irimescu
The Wag
An upbeat four piece based in Middletown, New Jersey, The Wag feature vocal harmonies at the
forefront of their sound. Their unique style varies from blues to pop to rock. With three
alternating lead singers, there is a different feel to every song.
The evolution of The Wag's songwriting is evident on their brand new CD, Soundtrack to a Silent
Movie. This full length release shows emotional maturity from a band that has been together for
over eight years.
After years of performing at clubs, theaters and festivals, The Wag are seasoned professionals.
This hard-working band has enjoyed local success on radio and television, as well as opening for
national acts. The Wag has recently added an acoustic set to their repertoire, further
diversifying their sound and allowing them to reach a larger audience.
So come out for a good night of FREE rock and roll!
Peace,
Lazlo
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Here are the final standings for this month's Jukebox poll:
Check back later this week for new songs on the jukebox, along with our three winners from this
month, Kerry, Six To Eight Mathematics, and Kosmic Daydream.
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