by Lazlo
02/26/2024

Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by Fear of Falling, The Random Hubiak, Beekeeper, Surfing For Daisy, Night Windows, Various Artists - "Songs on Site 2023", and Alpha Rabbit. Plus a look back at "Full Fathom 5" by Tony Tedesco & Full Fathom 5.

Let us begin this week with a quick promotion for a huge benefit webathon airing this weekend on BlowUpRadio.com. Saturday March 2nd & Sunday March 3rd we have 23 artists performing live sets on the Third Annual Giving a Second Chance: Benefit for National Foundation for Transplants.

If you donate $10 or more to the National Foundation for Transplants (a national, non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals who are in need of organ or tissue transplants through financial assistance, advocacy, and emotional support), to the link that will be on BlowUpRadio.com during the webathon, you will be sent a download of a compilation featuring 32 previously unreleased songs, many of which come from New Jersey based artists. More information can be found on BlowUpRadio.com and you can donate and download the compilation here.

Fear of Falling - "Hands On Me (feat. HOLDN)". The return of 90's band Fear of Falling last year was quite a happy surprise, and that they are putting out such incredible new singles today makes me so happy. Their latest, "Hands On Me", may well be my favorite release of theirs so far. Check it out.

The Random Hubiak - "The Recession Rag". "The Recession Rag" could be a darkly cynical, but on point, Schoolhouse Rock track from way back when, or a song in a cutting off-Broadway musical. What it actually is, is a great track from The Random Hubiak's long in progress album, "A Capital Idea: Gilding the Age".

Beekeeper - "What's Her Name / Take A Break". Hoboken based Beekeeper serves up two new indie-pop-rock songs, "What's Her Name" and "Take A Break". The former has an electric sound, while the latter is more acoustic based. Both spotlight soulful vocals, and are lovely songs.

Surfing For Daisy - "Flannel". Surfing For Daisy's single, "Flannel", just blew me away! An epic Americana rock track. 'Nuff said.

Night Windows - "In Memories". I have always enjoyed Night Windows music, but "In Memories" hits even more than previous releases. Their explanation of the album may be why:

"Where do I go from here? Everyone is getting older. I’m losing people both to death and life. I’ve written about the sadness that comes with the gift of life, but never like this. This time, I leaned as hard into the sadness as necessary in order to feel better."

Various Artists - "Songs on Site 2023". I have been raving about Songs on Site since it debuted in May of 2023. The podcast "explores the music and environmental soundscapes of the Garden State". The compilation includes all 12 songs performed live on the first season, 2 songs from each artist (Jackson Pines, The Bass Chica, The Cucumbers, Modern Crybaby, Ali de León, and Renee Maskin).

Alpha Rabbit - "Let It Grow". Alpha Rabbit is such a fascinating band. Joseph Wolstenholme, Jaime Parker, and Jake Foy, are multi-instrumentalists that alternate depending on the song. This also makes their albums rather diverse sounding, infusing different types of rock. As their bio states, "the music evokes influences spanning from 60s psychedelic through 90s alternative".

Not New, But Memorable Corner

Tony Tedesco & Full Fathom 5 - "Full Fathom 5". I first met Tony Tedesco shortly after starting BlowUpRadio.com, and I quickly became a fan of his songwriting, guitar playing, and singing. While he has recorded many songs over the years (some appearing on various benefit albums BlowUpRadio.com has put out), to my knowledge he has only ever put out one album, but that one album, "Full Fathom 5", is a masterpiece of Americana. Assembling a lot of musicians from the local music scene, this album is a powerful showcase for Tony Tedesco's talent. Hopefully some day he will put out another album. In the meantime you can hear him perform on this weekend's Third Annual Giving a Second Chance: Benefit for National Foundation for Transplants on BlowUpRadio.com, and get a new song from him, "Glow", on the compilation you can download by making a donation.

That's all for this week.

Remember BlowUpRadio.com, plays these and many other New Jersey based artists on our internet radio station, so please check us out. #SupportGoodMusic - If you like any of the above artists, please purchase their music from their site. And if you would like to be part of BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable, please send downloads or contact Lazlo at Lazlo-at-BlowUpRadio-dot-com. We're also on Mastodon at https://gardenstate.social/@BlowUpRadio