What comes to your mind when you think of the, “New Jersey Music Scene,” and where it is currently? I’ll tell you the first thing that comes to mine… Almost instantaneously, I think of Asbury Park. Did anyone else have the same thought? I’m sure at least 80% of you reading this did.
Well, it is no question Asbury Park has truly come back to life over the past few years. Some may even say music saved Asbury Park. With newer venues like the, House of Independents and Asbury Music Foundation, as well as the remodeling of the Asbury Lanes and the more music venues that are to come (let’s not forget about Asbury’s classic venues like The Saint, The Stone Pony, and Wonder Bar too), I think it is safe to say music has saved Asbury Park and has allowed for it to thrive all over again for the past few years. Naturally, this has caused me to believe this is what people tend to think of when they think of music coming from New Jersey (you know… the state where Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi came from because those are the only two musicians people ever seem to think of when they think of New Jersey).
However, I am not writing this to discuss the rebirth of Asbury Park (at least not this time), or Springsteen. I am writing this because recently I talked to a guy named, Michael Baglio, who was frustrated with the music scene specifically in South Jersey and has made it a point to try and create opportunities for musicians in South Jersey. Personally, I have seen North Jersey’s music scene thrive from playing shows up there myself, but no one ever talks about the music coming from South Jersey until the innovative, Michael Baglio, decided it was time for a change with a vision in mind.
His vision begins on July 18, 2018 at the Barnegat Firehouse in Barnegat, New Jersey with a DIY show he planned from the ground up. Tickets are only going to be $10 and the doors are at 6:30 pm, staying the whole time is greatly encouraged. With bands like Tomorrow Sun, Mikita, Jank Foot, DogParc, Beach Bully, and This Year’s Comeback, Michael Baglio is making it his mission to start rebuilding the South Jersey local music scene. As this show is coming right around the corner, I was able to discuss the inspiration behind this movement and how it has been putting it together, as well as the potential future if it succeeds, with Michael Baglio himself:
1.) What inspired you to put together this show and why is it so important to you?
What inspired me to put together this show was mainly my frustration with a total lack of any type of music scene in South Jersey. There seems to be a decent amount of bands here, as I know from playing in many different groups based in South Jersey myself, but unfortunately there are very few venues that allow musicians to play original material. The only places that do seem to host music events consistently down here are bars and restaurants that only want cover music. I am totally in support of cover music 100%… but being involved in that scene as well, most of those venues simply don’t care enough to bring in any new acts and most certainly do not want to pay musicians to play at all! If they do, they are very picky and particular about the type of music they want. Since there isn’t much opportunity down here for musicians in general, I figured I would put together a team of people and try to bring something down here ourselves!
2.) How has music made an impact on your life?
All of the friends that I have made, as well as all of the professional life skills that I have personally developed come from being involved with music my entire life. Music has made such an impact on me that I decided to pursue music as a career. I’m currently studying music education and music technology at Rutgers University: Mason Gross School of the Arts. I hope to make a career in education, performance, and music business. If that doesn’t work out, well I hope Taco Bell will still be hiring!
3.) What are you looking the most forward to about this show?
Just an awesome night of people hanging out and enjoying the music of 6 awesome bands! Everyone that I have mentioned this show to seems to be really interested in coming out and very much in support of the cause. Unlike a lot of DIY shows, we’ve got food, games, media, an official MC/Host, a full staff including professional sound and security, and most importantly of course, a great variety of music and bands. We have a group playing their first show ever, to bands that have albums and music videos already released! I am excited to see what is going to happen and interested in seeing what these guys are going to bring to the table on the 18th!
4.) How did you go about picking bands to play this show?
I obviously tried to focus on finding bands from South Jersey (specifically Ocean County) but was happy to throw on anyone who wanted to take the ride down. I wasn’t specifically looking for the best or most established bands, just anyone who was interested in coming out and playing! I ended up stumbling across 2 bands called Tomorrow Sun and Mikita on a Facebook group called, “NJ DIY.” They mentioned they were from the area, I hit them up, and from there was given the names of a few other local bands which I then contacted as well. The only band I had been familiar with prior to this whole thing was Beach Bully, who I ended up meeting through a former band that I was in. Long story short, we’ve got Tomorrow Sun, Mikita, JankFoot, DogParc, Beach Bully, and This Year’s Comeback and they are all awesome!!
5.) If this show is successful, do you think you will start putting more shows together in the future? What does success mean to you in this specific case?
I am very excited about this show as I truly believe that this event could help inspire the rebirth of the South Jersey music scene! If this event works out, I’d love to keep putting together more shows at different locations throughout South Jersey with different bands and different styles of music. As of right now, the most important goal in my mind is just to have everyone involved satisfied and interested in coming out to another one of these events, hopefully with a larger turnout. The show staff and I are just trying to put together a professional, DIY event showcasing some great local talent. Yes I mentioned staff… I am extremely grateful that there have been other people, not just myself, involved in the preparation process. They have helped me come up with ideas, helped promote the show, and have invested their own personal money to make this show happen! Without those guys, and of course the contributions and support of the bands, this event would not be happening! If other people who come out to this show, or even just hear about it are inspired to put together their own show in the area, that would be awesome! We need to bring back a music scene and it can’t just be the responsibility of a few people!
Getting to Know the Bands on the Bill:
After discussing the show on July 18, 2018 with Michael Baglio, I was given the opportunity to reach out to a few of the bands including Tomorrow Sun, Jank Foot, Mikita, and This Year’s Comeback, who are participating in the show. I got to ask them each a few questions about the show itself, how they were offered to play it, why people should come see their set, and MORE:
Tomorrow Sun
1.) Rumor has it that this will be your first show together EVER as a band. What is that like for you guys?
It’s amazing!! We’ve all done shows as separate acts before, but this will be the first time that we as a group will ever hit the stage and I’m beyond excited. Tom and Brendan were in a band previously, and so was Jack, and I have my own solo act, and it’s just a fun experience to get up on a stage and play music! We all love performing so this is a big step for all of us, I think.
2.) As a new and upcoming band, what can people expect to hear at your first show?
What we are planning on trying to bring to the table is a blend of pop-punk, ska, grunge, 80’s and 90’s influences, with raw vocals and screams and guttural death growls, we have lovingly coined the term “mutt-punk” because of this mix. We are planning to have a lot of crowd interaction and a lot of ripping faces off, so be prepared to have your world rocked!
3.) How did you guys come across this show? What made you decide this would be the best show to make your live debut?
Well, it all started a couple weeks after we first got together, the guy in charge of the show, Michael, reached out to me after discovering the band’s page through one of my comments on the Facebook group, NJ DIY. We started talking and I told him this would be our first show as a band and he loved the idea, and that’s why he made us the opener. I soon mentioned This Year’s Comeback since the show was originally gonna be at the Lacey Firehouse and he needed one more band for the bill, so we’re stoked to be playing with good friends. As for why we decided to make this one our live debut, we figured we’ll be playing with a great crowd, get a bunch of our friends to come see us who know this community, and also because we had formed a month or so before the announcement was made anyway haha. Plus, firehouse shows are a fun way to get a kick-start into the music scene so that was something we could all definitely agree on.
Jank Foot
1.) Who is Jank Foot and what are you guys most excited for about this show?
Jank foot is a band formed in Toms River, NJ. Jank Foot is Kyle Teufel -vocals and lead guitarist, Connor Eccles -drummer, and Doug Pombo -bassist, vocals. We are most excited to help bring back this music scene. There’s a lack of motivation for kids to start things like this so we are excited to be apart of it!
2.) What unique aspect do you think Jank Foot is going to bring to the show on July 18th? Why do you think people should come to see your set?
We always try our best to make the crowd part of the show, considering we want everyone to have a great time! We bring a lot of energy to the table and our music is very moshable/danceable, our set always leaves much sweat on the foreheads of many so music lovers should be excited to come dance it up with Jank Foot.
Mikita
1.) Mikita JUST recently released a brand new EP titled, ‘Locusts Are People,’ CONGRATS! Can people expect to hear songs off of that new EP if they come to this show on July 18th?
THANKS SO MUCH MAN! Yeah we are going to playing through the whole EP! Plus some new tracks of the next release which we are really really excited to start playing out!
2.) How did you guys get added to this show? What are you most looking forward to about it?
Our friend Mike reached out to us saying he wanted to get a southern NJ DIY scene kicking and we were all about it! We are most stoked to be playing with ALLLLL our homies on this one!
3.) How has the local scene made an impact on Mikita so far?
The local scene has given us both the best outlet a guy could ask for! And introduced us to some of the coolest and supportive people we’ve ever met.
This Year’s Comeback
1.) I feel like on this bill, This Year’s Comeback has definitely started to make a name for themselves in the local scene. With a new album on the way, what are you guys most looking forward to about this show probably being the most developed band on the bill?
In all honesty, the best part of this show so far, is just how close it’ll be to home. The worst part of being in a South Jersey band is that the only way you’re going to get a chance to perform is by driving up to North Jersey or at the very least, Asbury Park, and that’s really not an easy task when you’re first starting out. But yeah, that’s what’s great about this show, we won’t have to go all too far for once and what’s even more important, is that the people who want to see us won’t have to either.
2.) How were you guys asked to play the show? How is it different from the other shows you have played?
Luckily for us, one of the bands dropped, and then some of the bands who were already on the bill recommended us. You guys know who you are, we love you and appreciate that, thank you. Anyway, the biggest difference for this one is the location. This’ll give some great South Jersey bands the chance to really go nuts and y’know, hopefully open up the door for even more opportunities, shows and stuff like that down this way for once.
3.) Why should people come see This Year’s Comeback and what can be expected from the band at this show specifically?
We’re going to try and make it an all around great time for everyone, we’ll try to hit the audience right in the feels but at the same time, keep the party vibe strong (bruh). Familiar cover songs, gang vocals, easy to sing along to choruses, that’s the stuff that’s important because it really makes the audience have a much better time and at the end of it all, it’s all about the people in the crowd, not the people on the stage.
With all of that being said, the show again, is on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in Barnegat, New Jersey at 11 Birdsall St (Main Station). Tickets are $10 and the doors open at 6:30 pm and music starts at 7:00 pm. It is highly encouraged you stay for ALL of the bands. You can find the show’s Facebook event page link HERE for more updates and information as the show get closer:
Remember, always be sure to support your local scene!
Myze Music 