a look at the latest installment of Pop-Break’s ongoing music festival …
Words and Photos by Bill Bodkin
It was a great night of music at The Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, N.J., on July 9 as Modern Chemistry, From Ghosts and The Clydes performed as a part of Pop-Break’s ongoing music festival, the Shipwrecked At The Shore Showcase. The night was really cool because three of Pop-Break’s staff, senior editor Joe Zorzi, new writer Brendan Hourican (both of Modern Chemistry), and managing editor Brent Johnson (of The Clydes) brought their bands out to perform. As the host of the event, I was filled with great pride to present both these bands. As for the third band — From Ghosts — it was great to discover such an excellent group.
MODERN CHEMISTRY
To the surprise of many, this was Modern Chemistry’s first show as a band, and for 3/4ths of the groupm it was their first live performance ever. What was so surprising was just how tight they sounded as a unit. Their sound was a nice throwback to the early 2000s pop-punk sound, but less annoying and whiny. Think Taking Back Sunday was a little bit more bite. Their closing cover of The Outfield’s “Your Love” was both epic and excellent. Look for them back in Asbury and to debut in New Brunswick, their homebase, this fall.
FROM GHOSTS
A tight band that is criminally overlooked in the original scene. If you’re a promoter, club owner or someone looking to discover a new band, you need to check out From Ghosts. These guys are super tight, delivering a gritty, intense and bad ass sound. The dudes are also some of the most genuinely nice people you’re ever going to run into. They deserve the scene’s support.
THE CLYDES
I’ve seen The Clydes perform a number of times, but this time around, they really took me by surprise. The alt-rockers from New Brunswick — who have quickly made a name for themselves across the Garden State over the last year — added a number of new songs to their set, all performed with their usual fiery and fun approach. If you get a chance to catch these guys live, I recommend you do.
