RockEyez Live review by Mark Balogh

On August 15, 2018 two of New York’s most promising young rock acts along with another more veteran act were all billed together at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City and it made for one seriously rocking evening

Kicking the evening off was TEMPT, one of those young rock acts who have been making some serious headway on the indie rock scene lately. The band has been recording new original songs which have been digitally released, covering songs by the likes of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi and oh yeah, they just opened for said Bon Jovi at Madison Square Garden… yes, that Madison Square Garden (as if there was any other) back in April. Tempt, who is comprised of Harrison Marcello on guitar, Zach Allen on vocals, Nick Burrows on drums and Chris Gooden on bass, while not opening shows in arenas have been making videos and playing in and around NYC after dropping their debut album on the UK-based Rock Candy Records back in 2016. It seems like a lifetime ago since that debut came out because the band has accomplished so much as of late. Keep an eye on these guys at www.temptband.com as they have a few shows scheduled in August and September including their first live appearances on Long Island and in Pennsylvania. They are branching out and it appears there is no stopping the momentum they are creating. Singer Zach Allen recently said the band will continue to record new songs with an eye on doing something, either and EP or full-length album in the not too distant future.

The second band to take the Gramercy stage that night was another young NYC band named STATION. The band has just released its 2nd full length album back in April and followed that up with the first leg of a US tour that took them to places like IL, WI, MD, NC, TN, OH, PA, CT, MA, NJ, NY and points in between. Station are a totally independent band doing it all themselves, from making albums and top-notch videos to touring all over the country. The band is made up of Chris Lane on guitar, Patrick Kearney on vocals, Emi Asta on bass and Tony Baptist on drums and these guys are making some serious noise and gaining new fans with their relentless touring schedule. Their new record, titled “More Than The Moon” made it on the Billboard Heatseekers chart right out of the gate in the first week of release back in April. That’s quite an accomplishment for an indie band these days especially when everyone is saying that rock is dead. Station will make people think twice before muttering that statement again. It’s a total joy to see young rock acts go out there and make things happen these days. Check the band out at www.stationband.com as they have some more NY/NJ area shows coming up and will most likely be taking the show back out on the road for rest of 2018 and into next year as they continue to promote the new record.

Also hitting the stage at Gramercy was veteran rocker BOB DEE WITH PETRO. Dee has been making records for more than ten years now and he has a serious resume of people he has worked with along the way while now being signed to the AMG/Sony label for his last two releases. The band has a throwback sound reminiscent of a hard rocking Cheap Trick with some classic rock influences and a dose of punk edge thrown in for good measure. They tour relentlessly around not only the US but world and if you aren’t familiar with Dee then check him out www.bobdeewithpetro.com to read up on his latest doings and check out his newly released video for the single “Fight”. It rocks with an attitude as big as they come. Dee says they are working on something big tour-wise for around October of this year but can’t announce it just yet so stay tuned and while you wait take look at the plethora of videos he has posted on his website. Dee is a talented song writer and genuine artist.

Much thanks to all the bands that played Gramercy on the night and especially to Mr. Dee himself for the tickets to the show. Also thanks to 7 Crown for putting on these shows at Gramercy and supporting rock because it most definitely is not dead!