Album review: Jersey Interchange – “C1”

Sinking Ship Records – 05 May 2023

Don’t slag off on our scene

New Jersey kids will always have a chip on their shoulders. It’s inevitable, growing up adjacent to the number 1 (New York) and 4 (Philadelphia) major markets in the country. Forever on the outside looking in, forever being looked down on. This constant sense of inferiority and alienation, along with some super talented men and women created fantastically fertile fields for the pop-punk scene to grow and thrive in the late 90s – early 00s. It was a beautiful fucking time to be alive.  Every scene across the country holds a special place in the hearts of those who lived or witnessed it, but none compare to the talent sprouting up at each of the turnpike gates up and down the Garden State from 94-02.

That scene witnessed the birth, rise and explosion of bands like Armor For Sleep, Bigwig, The Ergs!, Folly, The Gaslight Anthem, Lifetime, Midtown, My Chemical Romance, Saves the Day and Thursday among countless others and for those of us lucky enough to experience it, that scene in New Jersey was our world.  We were all different, but on those firehouse floors, we were one. At least until careers, kids and expectations pulled us out of the New Brunswick basements and into the workforce, drowning. 

Then in 2020 the world stopped… what a shitty summer, spring, winter and fall, right?. Being free from some of those responsibilities thanks to lockdowns and quarantines, we stared at the mountain ranges in our living rooms.  When you can’t find comfort in yourself, you look back on what you had.  That’s when Christian Lesperance gave us the opportunity to revisit the music we loved when we were much younger and experience it again from a completely changed perspective with Jersey Interchange. The project, a collective of Garden State musicians coming together to create one-off covers from the local punk, ska and hardcore scene in NJ at the turn of the millennium.  The original 23 tracks (available here) released in early 2021, while Lesperance also went on to play lead guitar on the killer Skappository EP, Up Yours.  (Here) Now, with the help of Sinking Ship Records, Jersey Interchange is out in the wild with a physical vinyl release of C1, featuring 6 previously released tracks and five never-before-heard.

As any good vinyl collecting pretentious asshole will let you know, the aesthetics are just as important as the sound, and C1 nailed it.  The album art, created by Craig Cirinelli of (Damn) This Desert Air, is understated and unassuming, with a slip sleeve featuring an endearing foreword from Lesperance, track info and a litany of thank yous that serves as a road map of artists and chroniclers to the music of the time (somehow TGEFM slipped into that list between Jay 19 and Jay Pinball).  The slipsleeve flipside is adorned with  individual snapshots of the artists.  They are teachers, tradesman and active musicians but their personalities shine in the photos as they look like models, felons and Disney Channel villains.  Its exactly as it should be.  Then there is the record, the impeccably laid out vinyl is pressed half eggplant, half ectoplasm and god damn does it look great at 33 or so RPMs.

The music itself washes over the listener with nostalgia and newness. The record finds Heath Saraceno (Midtown, Senses Fail, Nowhere Fast) opening with Bigwig’s “Flavor Ice,” performing vocals and guitars, as well as programming the entire drum track himself.  In doing so, he somehow manages to make the Matt Gray lines more frenetic, channelling Tom Petta’s melodic growl and really kicks the record off strongly.  The energy remains high as Jersey Interchange plays tribute to Dave Franklin and Vision on “The Kids Still Have A Lot To Say” with Alf Bartone (Ex Number Five), Ed Brown & Kevin Lynch (Shades Apart), Dan Cav (Nine Lives) & Mike Wolff ((Damn) This Desert Air).  The previously unreleased track captures the heart and soul of Franklin and Vision, a dogpile of gang vocals guaranteed to smack you on the ass and convince you that you can do anything and certain to have some old vets at the Elk’s Lodge to consider tossing out everyone.

The ever-prolific Mikey Erg (The Ergs!, Early Riser, Dirtbike Annie) is joined by Paulson’s Alex Burton for a cleverly updated take on “Punk Rock Academy” from PA’s Atom and His Package, where Atom replaces Assuck as an ideal prom band.  The track shows off the adjacent territories of the Northeast that may not be Jersey in locale, but will always be Jersey in our hearts.  Speaking of being Jersey outside the state, Seattle transplant John Maiello (Dead Bars) leads the next charge, tackling the technical masterwork of Highstrung’s “My Best Friend’s Live Inside My Head.”  Accompanying Maiello on this one, you can find Joe Pulito (37 Slurp) along with Lesperance and Folly drummer Anthony Wille trading in his drumsticks for guitar picks.  With Wille on the lead, the virtuosic instrumentations take center stage, while Maiello’s fresh take breathed new life into the track creating something new along the way.

Now, this next track is one my memory is fuzzy on. “Drinking Alone” featuring Dave Flores (Taxicab Samurais) & Dan Pence (NJ Joystick) originally by Douglas.  Here’s the thing, I’m positive I saw Douglas only once, they opened for Bigwig circa 1999 possibly at the Garfield Elks Lodge. I’m also positive that Douglas was on GFY Records from Clifton, NJ.  What I’m not sure of is if they are an actual Jersey band, because I was certain they were from the UK.  In other words, I don’t know much of the band or the song.  That being said, Flores and Pence knocked this one out of the park, I enjoy the hell out of these oohs and ahhs mixed with the highs and lows of the vocals.  The next track a triumphant alt-rock masterpiece as Shades Apart gets an updated cover of “Fearless” from Craig Cirinelli ((Damn) This Desert Air), Justin Carter (The Holy Terror), Ti Kreck (Errortype:11) & John Stanley (For The Love Of).  Old Bridge, NJ’s Shawn McGovern (The Youth Ahead, Twilight City Projects) took the lead role on a cover of fellow Old Bridge native Mikey Erg, performing The Ergs!’s “Everything Falls Apart (And More).”  McGovern, brings his quintessential pop-punk voice to an already perfect pop-punk track, while Saraceno returns to Jersey Interchange to demonstrate his mastery as he brings a technical flair to the classic from The Ergs!.  

In one of the most surprising turns of the record, comedian, podcast host and Taylor Ham advocate Chris Gethard shows his range on Weston’s “Just Like Kurt” with accompaniment by an unnamed stereotypical Jersey bro who may or may not be internet pre-troll Somekid (who also sounds near identical to Gethard himself). Yes Weston is from Pennsylvania, yes Gethard knows, no it doesn’t matter.  The comedian, joined by the returning Joe Pulito, may not be known for his musical chops, but what he lacks in experience in the role he more than makes up for with the light-hearted and heartfelt homage.

Sticks and Stones get the tribute treatment next, as Shannon Perez and Kevin Poznanski (Erotic Novels)  join forces with Kevin Tabbot of Paulson to pay tribute to another gone-too-soon friend of the scene, Jack Terricloth (Peter Ventantonio) of Sticks and Stones and also, World/Inferno Friendship Society.  The trio bring the fun and energy to the raucous track.  Winding down we get the most ambitious track as Folly frontman, Jon Tumillo performs lead vocals, with bandmate Agim Colaku in the background to cover Mohawk Barbie’s “Pink” mashed up with a North Jersey-centric take on LA’s FEAR and their “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones” thanks to former Right Turn Eddie saxophonist, Jon’s talented brother Patrick Tumillo.  Pulito and Lesperance return to fill in instrumentation, while the family of affair of actual brothers and Folly’s brothers-in-arms make the intentionally standoffish, aggressiveness and humor of the track fresh and fun without fucking with the already fantastic source materials.  We come to the close with another band, most outside of NJ may not know, but should, Taxicab Samurais and the aptly-titled “Taxicab Samurais.”  The individual anthem features Bigwig’s John Castaldo on vocals and bass with the One Cool Guy duo of Nick Afflitto and Mark Rendeiro providing brass.  The rarely used punk rock French Horn pairs perfectly with the tongue-in-cheek shout out to Youth of Today and closes the record out on the strongest notes possible.

I’ve already gushed too long and gotten far too wordy in expressing my affinity for this scene and Lesperance’s love letter to it, but I’ve got to say this record will keep a smile on your face if you were lucky enough to witness even a sliver of the talent involved.  If you didn’t have the chance, there are plenty of resources out there to help: you can listen to the scene-specific podcast This Was The Scene, where former Lanemeyer bassist/vocalist Mike Doyle interviews and chronicles the hearts of the scene and touring bands who came through it.  You can out the original recordings covered on this record and hear the rest of the Jersey Interchange releases and see some of the amazing shows that came through the state on the holy grail that Joe Pulito has put together, NJPP Archives, and you can get a sense of the Jersey spirit on Chris Gethard’s brilliant and hilarious, Jersey-centric podcast, New Jersey Is The World.  Finally you can check out some of the best of the state on May 13 at Twin Elephant Brewing in Chatham, NJ at the Jersey Interchange release show featuring members of Day At The Fair, NJ Joystick, Catch 22 and Avery along with many artists mentioned throughout the review and hosted by Chris Gethard.