Watermark Wednesday: March 30th Preview

bill bodkin previews the final Watermark Wednesday show in April …

This week’s Watermark Wednesday at Pop-Break.com will make a bit of left turn. The bill for the March 30 show is packed with five artists, and we feel it’d be a bit unfair to profile just one of these on-the-rise local musicians. So here’s a preview of each band, what they’re about, what you can expect — and who knows, maybe you’ll be discovering your favorite new band tonight on the shores of Asbury Park, N.J.

SEASIDE CAVES
The Players: Todd Gustav Wacha — guitar, bass vocals; Paul Scavuzzo — drums
Hails From: Seaside Heights, N.J., and New York City
Influences: The Cure, Joy Division, Jane’s Addiction, THe Velvet Underground, The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, Galaxie 500, Mazzy Star, and Mogwai
The Sound: soft/heavy-effected bass lines, synth loops, delayed vocals and intense drumming
Their Words, Not Ours: Together with lights, smoke machines … Seaside Caves invite you to come down to the laboratory and be a part of the frightful experiment.

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TAYLOR ALLEN
Hails From: Farmingdale, N.J.
The Sound: dirty acoustic rock — gravelly, soulful vocals and a driving acoustic guitar
His Words, Not Ours: I used to sing in a band called New Direxion. Then, I sang in a band called Skull Motion. Now, from time to time, I sing in Skull Motion. When I’m not doing that, I’m usually hammered at a bar somewhere with my guitar. I will then attempt to hit some sort of stage and get through some songs without stopping to throw up. What have I become?

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JESSE SKOKOS
(lead singer of the band Gimme Drugs!)
Hails From: New Jersey
Their Words, Not Ours: For the Jersey Shore’s alt-quartet Gimme Drugs — vocalist/ guitarist Jesse Skokos, backing vocalist/percussionist Dave DePalma, bassist Justin Cochrane and drummer Tim Churchman — it’s all about good songwriting. Like ready-made comparisons The Lemonheads, these guys have had their salad days in punk bands, with Churchman formerly of NJ-based Metallica and Cochrane of Virginia’s post-hardcore stalwarts Fairweather, but Gimme Drugs! is a different animal. Like a gnarled mixture of their former bands, plus a heavy dose of country and alt-rock, the infectious melodies are heart-rendering, dirty and slow-burning, the rhythms subtle and well-paced, and the storytelling-styled dark humor from main songwriter and lyricist Skokos (“I smoke cigarettes and write music, and I’m pretty good at ’em both”) are lighthearted, funny, honest and complex, making Gimme Drugs feel like a missing Sub-Pop band from the ‘90s and perfectly poised for indie fans today to latch on to.

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GREG WILKENS
(lead singer of the band Last Perfect Thing)
Hails From: Asbury Park, N.J.
Their Words, Not Ours: True music fans are on a constant search for the next big thing — and Asbury Park is a scene from which great bands emerge. Hold onto yourself as you take the ride with Greg, Mike, Jeff, and Kevin — the Last Perfect Thing to explode from this proving ground. Crafting their sound of rock/punk/pop with nuanced vocal harmonies showcasing universal themes in poetic lyrics, their impact is immediate and undeniable. Delivering this with tight, captivating live performances converts every audience member into an instant fan. With their trademark Asbury Park appeal, Last Perfect Thing remain connected to their fans on a personal level — carrying on the conversation started from the stage to the face-to-face time they devote afterwards for those that support their ever-growing touring schedule throughout the US. Their full-length release The Signal indeed signals the bands arrival on a larger stage — ever mindful that music may be the last perfect thing we have left in the world.

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DJ SLIM POLSKI
Hails From: Asbury Park, N.J.
His Words, Not Ours: Mixing the rare, obscure, important, and eminently danceable tunes that changed the history of music. Trust me, you’ll like it no matter who you are, how old you are, how drunk you are, or how confused you are.