Hobsnobbery Live! –“Tiny Giant Showcase/Dual Release Show”

The Tiny Giant Artist Collective came out in full force Friday night at Clash Bar in Clifton, NJ, celebrating a dual release show for two local bands Man On Fire and France.

The first opening act was Holy City Zoo from New Brunswick, NJ. Shortly before taking the stage we got the unfortunate news that the band’s guitarist/vocalist Joe Lanza was involved in a car accident en route to the Clash Bar and was unable to attend.

Holy City Zoo (and “Hoola-Hoop Girl”) played on, undeterred by setbacks.

Instead of a full set, the band played a shortened impromptu performance, complete with some nifty hoola-hooping.  Before launching into what would be their final song their drummer Brian DePhillis hopped on the mic to regale the audience with a few hilariously offensive and deliberately hacky jokes in the spirit of stand-up comedian Andrew Dice Clay.

Now, this is where things got really interesting. For their final song the band kicked into a raucous rendition of Nirvana’s “Molly’s Lips.” During the song bassist AJ Russo started up an awesome mash-up of Jawbreaker’s classic “Boxcar.” After that cover I was even more excited to hear what else they would play that night. I give them nothing but the utmost respect for pressing on and playing a great set regardless.

Ev and Paul of Cinema, Cinema

Cinema, Cinema. Holy crap. For a Brooklyn duo consisting only of a guitarist (Ev Gold) and a drummer (Paul Claro) these guys were heavy. From the first song to the last, Cinema, Cinema didn’t let up the intensity, incorporating elements of Punk, Metal, Prog and Post-Hardcore into their sound. Ev Gold’s guitar playing sound heavily influenced by Fugazi and late-era Black Flag. Paul Claro’s drumming is almost exhausting to watch, blasting out each beat with no signs of slowing down.

Man On Fire’s Brian Goglia

Experimental Punk/Melodic Hardcore outfit Man On Fire co-headlined the event to promote the release of their second EP Strange Days Have Found Us. The band proved to bring an intensity of a different sort, following in the the vein of acts like Shai-Hulud and Touché Amore. Frontman Brian Goglia is an eccentric yet engaging peformer, taking time in between songs to spout hilarious non-sequiturs like “Are all of guys friends?” He drove each song with shattering screams and dizzying movements onstage…and off.

Drummer Jared Saviano and Guitarist/Vocalist Ken De Poto of France (the band).

Clifton duo France hit the stage with the final performance of the night, celebrating their new EP Rainbow Crow. Though they weren’t the only rock duo of the night, France brought their own twist to the tried-and-true formula. What I appreciated the most about France is the ability to switch up musical styles while keeping their core sound intact.  Songs like “Alabama” call back to early-1960’s Rock & Roll ballads and “Fathers” sounds right at home in a small-town saloon. Vocalist/Guitarist Ken De Poto wins bonus points for liberal use of F-bombs during the profanity-laden comical banter between songs .

Thanks go out to all the bands involved and huge thanks to the Tiny Giant Artist Collective and Clash Bar for a spectacular night of local music.