RECOMMENDED
This New Jersey-based rock band certainly has a sense of humor, and self-deprecation is a quality that many appreciate ever since The Beatles called themselves “the ones with the big fat hairy heads” on a British TV program. That is, however, not the only thing that they are about. Clearly inspired by sixties guitar bands like The Rolling Stones and The Kinks with a touch of Springsteen (an influence most Garden State bands can’t seem to shake), they keep things simple with catchy three-chord rock tunes without sounding outdated. Among the highlights of their debut release, “Ripe For The Burning” (FDR), is “All I Can Take,” an uptempo number on the inevitable demise of a love affair, which contrasts with “Carolina I’m In Love,” a number that quickly gets audiences moving. The band’s lyrics do not scream about social consciousness or politics—they are about letting go and enjoying the music as a release from the more serious issues of everyday life. (Ernest Barteldes) Friday, April 18 at Cal’s Liquors, 400 S. Wells, 9pm. $10