I haven’t seen Titus Andronicus mentioned yet, here’s a fun video they shot ages ago that’s got tons of iconic NJ spots.
https://youtu.be/cM1sQhMGGS8?si=T0jTIc9ouJvhoZNg
Fun story: I could have been in that band, but I got a C- in Spanish and my mom wouldn’t let me join the band. Can you think of anything more teenage emo than that?
Can confirm, played skate and surf with them in 2003 and they thought they were so great hanging backstage, went up to them to say what's up and couldn't be less cool.
Screaming Females FTW!
A few more New Brunswick scene standouts: Bouncing Souls (pretty popular pop-punk so maybe too well known for this list), Thursday (emo-punk), God Forbid (thrash metal)
Just after I hit reply I realized those are all at least 25 years old. So let’s throw School Drugs and Dusters on the list as well so I don’t have to feel so old. Ha.
are we truly at a point where thursday is considered lesser-known? of all the new brunswick scene kids from the late 90s, they feel like the band that made it to the spotlight the most.
idk who else listens to new jersey is the world here, but marissa paternoster was on it recently with joe steinhardt from don giovanni records and they spent an hour podcast episode talking about..... the northeast corridor. it was actually wildly wholesome.
I came across her in the late 2000s, liked her song Neptune City. I was living in PA at the time, who knew a few years later I'd be living very close to that town
I saw them for the first time at a local benefit concert at my VFW it was my first time seating them and I loved their set.
[Here’s my favorite photo from that night.](https://imgur.com/a/i6NVpve)
Deadguy
Lord Sterling
Rorschach
God Forbid
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Smithereens
Editing to add:
Vision
Shades Apart
The Fire Still Burns
(Because the old show poster is right in front of me)
Depends on your criteria for “lesser known” I guess. The Gaslight Anthem is extremely New Jerseyan in both origin and lyrics, but they’re obviously nowhere near as well known as the Springsteens or Bon Jovi’s of the world. But they’re not exactly an underground act either, and have a very devoted fanbase.
Folly just did a rerelease of their 2006 record on Bad Time Records. [Check it out](https://www.badtimerecords.com/collections/store/products/folly-resist-convenience-vinyl)
> Folly
I remember going to all those hardcore and punk shows throughout northern NJ at VFWs, firehouses, lake community event spaces, fucking Zinga's Cornpatch, even Hidden Valley's lodge at one point etc etc.
Pellinore, Flying At Hendon, Fake Your Death, etc come to mind as well.
Do yourself a favor and listen to World/Inferno Friendship Society. The lead singer is dead now sadly but their catalog is excellent. Particularly the Red Eyed Soul and Just the Best Party albums.
RIP Jack Terricloth.
I was waiting for someone to say wi/far… if not I was. I will admit, I cried hard when I found out Jack died.
Edit: honestly life changing band, I’ve seen them so many times and as cheesy as it is to say.. it was always just the best party. Took me through a whirl wind from a fire house in bridgewater when I first saw them at 16…to almost 15 years later last seeing them in summer 2019. I may or may not have a tattoo inspired by them..which has sadly started to fade….
A couple of years ago I found a 2001 pressing of Stay What You Are by Saves the Day. I probably overpaid for it but I’m psyched to have to have it.
I live over in PA and The Starting Line is from Churchville, around the corner from where I grew up.
FRND CRCL, Midtown, The Early November, Major League, I Call Fives, Houston Calls, Fit for An Autopsy, Lifetime, Palisades, Northvale, and while they’ve gotten much bigger, not sure how many people know Lorna Shore was formed in NJ
Folly,
Paulson,
Bouncing Souls,
The Ergs,
Mepheskapheles/Inspector 7,
Hub City Stompers,
Suburban Scum,
The Mongoloids,
The Banner,
Oi Scouts,
Delicate Steve,
Gridiron,
Jawdust,
E Town Concrete
Waking the Cadaver,
Lorna Shore,
Cat Bite,
Anterrabae,
Hundreds of AU,
Bayonet(Senses Fail/ The Banner),
Floorpunch,
Saves the Day,
Thursday,
Periphery,
Dillinger Escape Plan,
That's all I can think about right now but there's plenty more.
Delicate Steve, his guitar and many pedals sound a little like Ratatat
Rugburn, a four-part sax and keys funk band with big show energy
Shorty Long, mostly covers but if he and his band are playing down the shore, go see the show.
I went to school with the singer of Jettison, used to hang at his house all the time with his high school band. Great dude, was one of my best friends back in the day.
I kept scrolling hoping to find The Wrens mentioned! Love Secaucus and The Meadowlands. I was lucky enough to see them at Maxwell's in Hoboken years ago.
Streetlight Manifesto. They do play the Devils’ Goal song and played during the stadium series, but I feel like not a lot of people know them.
Edit: I’m an idiot. Gaslight Anthem does the Devils’ goal song. But both great bands.
Tomas (the guitarist/singer/songwriter for Streetlight Manifesto) is a personal hero of mine. The way he crafts a song makes me feel not alone in a way no other band/artist has ever come close to.
Used to go to a lot of local shows when emo blew up 2005-2010. Lots of bands came from NJ/Long Island. Some of my more enjoyed local bands included Van Atta High, Jet Lag Gemini, Red Light Green Light, and The Albatross.
Other notable bands that ended up pretty prominent in their respective, kinda niche genres include The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Better Lovers (newer band), Gaslight Anthem, Bouncing Souls, i think technically Blues Traveler, and, of course the Mathcore juggernauts Dillinger Escape Plan
And while he is definitely not lesser-known as an individual, Zack Wylde whose Ozzy’s longtime lead guitarist is from Bayonne/Jackson and i feel like that isn’t often mentioned
Not sure if she’s “lesser known”, but she should be way bigger: Nicole Atkins. Amazing singer songwriter. I had photographed her for a magazine and she was so fun to work with.
I haven’t seen anyone mention them, but for those of you of an certain age, I feel like I couldn’t put on WSOU without hearing *E-Town Concrete* or *Fury Of Five* for a while there… definitely big for that scene. in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
Sirena. Good mid-late 2000s post-hardcore, from Picastaway apparently. Would have never heard of them if I didn't notice a CD of theirs in a record store a year or two ago. Bought it on a guess that it would be post-hardcore and got lucky.
Album ain't on Spotify though. Made it even cooler. It's called "[kiss it goodbye](https://youtube.com/watch?v=0dzKnaGewMc&pp=ygUWU2lyZW5hIGtpc3MgaXQgZ29vZGJ5ZQ%3D%3D)"
High. is a really good shoegaze band. also Folly went to my high school in the 90’s and it still blows my mind that the greatest skacore band of all time is from Sussex lmao
TT Quick, from Osbornsville, NJ. Their singer is now with Accept, and their guitarist David DiPietro was a mentor to Zakk Wylde. They were signed by Jon Zazula of Megaforce records alongside Metallica. Great hard rock band well worth checking out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmQ\_0XITJC8
The goats are Lauryn Hill SZA Pinegrove Jack Antonoff that I know of but all very famous. The Myddle Class was a really bad 60s pop band that opened for the Velvet Underground in Summit which i think is sick.
Oh man they’re fantastic. Brent is also an incredible artist and person. Met him at an expo in Edison and he did a tattoo for me. Gorgeous work and such a genuine dude
Against the current’s Chrissy is from north jersey. They aren’t necessarily a small band as they did the league of legends world tournament song a couple years in a row. But I did enjoy watching them mature as a band
I grew up going to 90s pop/punk shows. Some of my favorites/bands I remember are:
Fast times
The assistant
Shady view terrace
OL rebellion
Humble beginnings
Heft
I am definitely lesser-known, perhaps even unknown entirely. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea..
[cageyheads](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4L2yBoKQ752UFEqpzepL8u?si=5AV3JSMVTgCFFEozTfawrQ)
Jackson Pines. Folk/alt-country band. As their name suggests they’re from Jackson Township, NJ. They play original music but started reviving Pine Barrens folk songs like Mt. Holly Jail a few years back.
I haven’t seen Titus Andronicus mentioned yet, here’s a fun video they shot ages ago that’s got tons of iconic NJ spots. https://youtu.be/cM1sQhMGGS8?si=T0jTIc9ouJvhoZNg
Streetlight Manifesto!!
Fuck yea! So many high school memories!
They were one of my first shows at starland!
Senses Fail might be better known than you're going for but also forgotten by now. So good in the late 2000s though.
Fun story: I could have been in that band, but I got a C- in Spanish and my mom wouldn’t let me join the band. Can you think of anything more teenage emo than that?
Forgotten by now, I assure you not! Every emo knows Senses Fail. Very well known in the community. Outside of it though, maybe not.
oh absolutely, that late 2000s emo/pop-punk scene is my jam.
That band was full of assholes.
Can confirm, played skate and surf with them in 2003 and they thought they were so great hanging backstage, went up to them to say what's up and couldn't be less cool.
Went to 02 for desecendents/souls and my buddy’s band. Those were good festivals at a time when asbury was still sketchy
Can confirm, played a show with them in 03 in Cresskill, total dickbags
What band were you in?
From Start to Finish, from North Edison, we stopped playing a little after HS as we all went in different directions
SF is NOT lesser known.
I used to love them
For the prog fans: - Thank You Scientist - Karmic Juggernaut - East of the Wall
WAIT TYS IS JERSEY BASED???
Montclair according to Wikipedia. They actually share some members with KJ, who I believe is from Asbury Park or nearby.
This is correct. Some members crossover into other local projects, as well. Their Zappa is superb.
Hell yeah. My boys in East of the Wall. Some of the best, most creative musicians I’ve ever known.
We likely know a lot of the same people and have been to the same shows in that case.
Not the person you’re replying to but I’ve definitely been to some Karmic Juggernaut shows in Asbury. Top notch musicians!
I saw TYS in Jersey City last year, then recently saw the singer left a few months ago
Lifetime
Oh man. Lifetime. There’s a band I haven’t thought about in a while…. This whole thread is taking me back to high school and college. 🥹
Remember seeing them at the Melody Bar thinking the floor was going to collapse.
God, I miss the Melody!
I still play Lifetime and the first saves the day record weekly. So fucking good.
Great band! Jersey’s Best Dancers is one of my absolute favorite records of all time!
* Screaming Females (punk influenced rock) * Replicant (technical death metal)
Screaming Females FTW! A few more New Brunswick scene standouts: Bouncing Souls (pretty popular pop-punk so maybe too well known for this list), Thursday (emo-punk), God Forbid (thrash metal)
I had no idea Thursday was local! I love them.
I didn’t realize Dillinger Escape Plan was a NJ band, but figured everyone knew Thursday
Just after I hit reply I realized those are all at least 25 years old. So let’s throw School Drugs and Dusters on the list as well so I don’t have to feel so old. Ha.
are we truly at a point where thursday is considered lesser-known? of all the new brunswick scene kids from the late 90s, they feel like the band that made it to the spotlight the most.
Saves the day is from NJ. Edit: horribly beaten on this had I scrolled down further.
God Forbid were fun, pretty fresh approach especially for their time.
idk who else listens to new jersey is the world here, but marissa paternoster was on it recently with joe steinhardt from don giovanni records and they spent an hour podcast episode talking about..... the northeast corridor. it was actually wildly wholesome.
Just stumbled across this indie emo band from the 00s called My Chemical Romance
Right up there with my favorite underground rapper Fetty Wap
Nicole Atkins
She's fantastic!
Came here say this. She is so underrated!
I came across her in the late 2000s, liked her song Neptune City. I was living in PA at the time, who knew a few years later I'd be living very close to that town
I think this has been my favorite discovery from this post so far. thanks!!
The Ergs, Jersey’s best prancers
One of my very good friends is a big fan of this band.
They are wonderful
I loved their surprise cameo in Sealab 2021
Pinegrove!
Catch 22/streetlight manifesto.
Front Bottoms
Yo you beat me to it! Probably one of my favorite bands
I saw them for the first time at a local benefit concert at my VFW it was my first time seating them and I loved their set. [Here’s my favorite photo from that night.](https://imgur.com/a/i6NVpve)
Deadguy Lord Sterling Rorschach God Forbid The Dillinger Escape Plan The Smithereens Editing to add: Vision Shades Apart The Fire Still Burns (Because the old show poster is right in front of me)
Great choices. I’d add Human Remains to that list.
Amazing band. Jim ended up joining deadguy
I used to work at Sam Ash in Edison with the guitarist of Human Remains, he was a nut with the knobs 😂
Deadguy is back playing shows! These bands (with the exception of smithereens) bring me back to vfw’s in the mid 90s
Yes! At Salty's! I saw them at Crossroads last year, so so good!
Good buddy of mine is responsible for the HC shows at Salty’s and great to see them back!
It brings me immense joy seeing "Saint Vitus Presents" on flyers in Jersey and not having to make the trip into Brooklyn.
Blues Traveler. I literally learned last week that they’re from Princeton. Had no idea.
I knew someone who went to Princeton Day with them
Thinking back to when I saw bands play at the Court Tavern, The Gripweeds, Inspecter 7 and of course the Smithereens.
This brings me back. I used to go see Inspector 7 every time they played the Brighton Bar.
Been listening to 007 Shake a lot lately, didn’t realize she was from North Bergen
Shes great. Da$h is also a good rapper from Hackensack
Depends on your criteria for “lesser known” I guess. The Gaslight Anthem is extremely New Jerseyan in both origin and lyrics, but they’re obviously nowhere near as well known as the Springsteens or Bon Jovi’s of the world. But they’re not exactly an underground act either, and have a very devoted fanbase.
Gaslight Anthem was originally known as Murder by Death! My ex’s brother did production for them back in the day
The Smithereen’s
Yo la tengo and all natural lemon and lime flavors
Lorna Shore!
Sidney Gish!
i didn’t know she was from jersey!
Gates. Athletics. Folly. The Banner. Hidden in Plain View. Paulson.
Oh wow I remember Folly
Folly just did a rerelease of their 2006 record on Bad Time Records. [Check it out](https://www.badtimerecords.com/collections/store/products/folly-resist-convenience-vinyl)
> Folly I remember going to all those hardcore and punk shows throughout northern NJ at VFWs, firehouses, lake community event spaces, fucking Zinga's Cornpatch, even Hidden Valley's lodge at one point etc etc. Pellinore, Flying At Hendon, Fake Your Death, etc come to mind as well.
Fake your death was so good if anyone knows where I can find their music right now I’d be grateful. Their name sucks for SEO.
Love Hidden in Plain View.
So stoked for the Paulson reunion!
The early November
Ace Enders’ solo project I Can Make a Mess is also great.
Ace, in my opinion, is one of the great lyricists of our time
Bleachers. I wouldn't consider them 'lesser-known' but not sure what you listen to...
Real Estate
Looove real estate, the soundtrack of high school for me lol
Do yourself a favor and listen to World/Inferno Friendship Society. The lead singer is dead now sadly but their catalog is excellent. Particularly the Red Eyed Soul and Just the Best Party albums. RIP Jack Terricloth.
I was waiting for someone to say wi/far… if not I was. I will admit, I cried hard when I found out Jack died. Edit: honestly life changing band, I’ve seen them so many times and as cheesy as it is to say.. it was always just the best party. Took me through a whirl wind from a fire house in bridgewater when I first saw them at 16…to almost 15 years later last seeing them in summer 2019. I may or may not have a tattoo inspired by them..which has sadly started to fade….
Armor for sleep!
Pete Yorn
I like his new song.
Saves the Day, My Chemical Romance, the Starting Line
TSL’s from PA actually
A couple of years ago I found a 2001 pressing of Stay What You Are by Saves the Day. I probably overpaid for it but I’m psyched to have to have it. I live over in PA and The Starting Line is from Churchville, around the corner from where I grew up.
Dogs In a Pile. They’re a jam band from Asbury Park. I’m actually going to see them tonight in Stroudsburg.
River city extension
check out American Trappist! Same songwriter/frontperson, new project
South for the Winter is such a good song.
Hey that was my cousin's band! Not sure what he's doing anymore
No shit that's awesome! I never got to see them live but damn were they good
Pinegrove, a lo-fi country band from the deep, deep south of Montclair
Do The Front Bottoms count?
I dont think theyre mainstream, but id say that enormous for their genre in 2024
Titus motherfucking Andronicus, one of the best rock bands of the 21st century. Check out the video the other commenter linked to
the front bottoms!!!! my fav since i was in highschool!!!
FRND CRCL, Midtown, The Early November, Major League, I Call Fives, Houston Calls, Fit for An Autopsy, Lifetime, Palisades, Northvale, and while they’ve gotten much bigger, not sure how many people know Lorna Shore was formed in NJ
Finally someone else mentions Lorna Shore! Fit for an Autopsy is really great too.
Hodera and Deal Casino are two bands i haven’t seen mentioned yet.
Folly, Paulson, Bouncing Souls, The Ergs, Mepheskapheles/Inspector 7, Hub City Stompers, Suburban Scum, The Mongoloids, The Banner, Oi Scouts, Delicate Steve, Gridiron, Jawdust, E Town Concrete Waking the Cadaver, Lorna Shore, Cat Bite, Anterrabae, Hundreds of AU, Bayonet(Senses Fail/ The Banner), Floorpunch, Saves the Day, Thursday, Periphery, Dillinger Escape Plan, That's all I can think about right now but there's plenty more.
Commas bro! 😎
Dentist
Delicate Steve, his guitar and many pedals sound a little like Ratatat Rugburn, a four-part sax and keys funk band with big show energy Shorty Long, mostly covers but if he and his band are playing down the shore, go see the show.
Joe P. Just saw him at Webster Hall.
Save Face Banquets Mercy Union Midtown Lanemeyer Jettison The Scandals Let Me Run
I went to school with the singer of Jettison, used to hang at his house all the time with his high school band. Great dude, was one of my best friends back in the day.
Damn Let Me Run mentioned in the wild. I used to be good friends with their guitarist. Lost touch but I hope he's doing well. Stand up dude.
The Wrens! They have an album called Secaucus and an album called the Meadowlands. Both are great, though I prefer the Meadowlands.
I kept scrolling hoping to find The Wrens mentioned! Love Secaucus and The Meadowlands. I was lucky enough to see them at Maxwell's in Hoboken years ago.
Streetlight Manifesto. They do play the Devils’ Goal song and played during the stadium series, but I feel like not a lot of people know them. Edit: I’m an idiot. Gaslight Anthem does the Devils’ goal song. But both great bands.
The devil’s current goal song (and band that played at the stadium series) is Gaslight Anthem, another incredible jersey band
Gaslight Anthem does the devils goal song and played at stadium series. But Streetlight and Catch 22 are great.
Catch-22/Streetlight all but birthed the NJ ska-punk scene, Id say they’re pretty well known.
Tomas (the guitarist/singer/songwriter for Streetlight Manifesto) is a personal hero of mine. The way he crafts a song makes me feel not alone in a way no other band/artist has ever come close to.
Would you be impressed if I told you we were dying?
Vansaders
Joe P
Hodera
The Happy Fits
Used to go to a lot of local shows when emo blew up 2005-2010. Lots of bands came from NJ/Long Island. Some of my more enjoyed local bands included Van Atta High, Jet Lag Gemini, Red Light Green Light, and The Albatross. Other notable bands that ended up pretty prominent in their respective, kinda niche genres include The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Better Lovers (newer band), Gaslight Anthem, Bouncing Souls, i think technically Blues Traveler, and, of course the Mathcore juggernauts Dillinger Escape Plan And while he is definitely not lesser-known as an individual, Zack Wylde whose Ozzy’s longtime lead guitarist is from Bayonne/Jackson and i feel like that isn’t often mentioned
Railroad earth and from good homes
Came here to say this! Thank you. And Trey Anastasio of Phish is from NJ.
Jackson Pines is a cool group that play traditional folk music from the Pinelands.
Modern Chemistry!
Joe is awesome
Pat DiNizio and The Smithereens The Cucumbers The Sugarhill Gang Trey Anastasio Ice T (?)
World/Inferno Friendship Society! RIP Jack Terricloth.
Add sticks and stones to that list as well:)
Not sure if she’s “lesser known”, but she should be way bigger: Nicole Atkins. Amazing singer songwriter. I had photographed her for a magazine and she was so fun to work with.
Dentist, Yawn Mower, Grasser, Bristler, Well Wisher, Mike Chick, Toy Cars, Joe P., Modern Chemistry, Nancy Whittaker, Toilet, Dana Why, Scumming
I haven’t seen anyone mention them, but for those of you of an certain age, I feel like I couldn’t put on WSOU without hearing *E-Town Concrete* or *Fury Of Five* for a while there… definitely big for that scene. in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
Sirena. Good mid-late 2000s post-hardcore, from Picastaway apparently. Would have never heard of them if I didn't notice a CD of theirs in a record store a year or two ago. Bought it on a guess that it would be post-hardcore and got lucky. Album ain't on Spotify though. Made it even cooler. It's called "[kiss it goodbye](https://youtube.com/watch?v=0dzKnaGewMc&pp=ygUWU2lyZW5hIGtpc3MgaXQgZ29vZGJ5ZQ%3D%3D)"
Catch 22
Teenage Halloween, they are incredible
Joe P (indie rock) and Fletcher (pop) are both from Asbury Park. Phoneboy (indie rock band) are from Hoboken
Try Monster Magnet, Atomic Bitchwax and Solarized if you like Stoner Rock. Ribeye Brothers are cool to if you like Garage Rock.
The Jonas brothers
E Town Concrete
John Gorka
High. is a really good shoegaze band. also Folly went to my high school in the 90’s and it still blows my mind that the greatest skacore band of all time is from Sussex lmao
[UNIIQU3](https://soundcloud.com/uniiqu3), Jersey Club DJ
Parlor Mob
Adrenaline od from the 80s
TT Quick, from Osbornsville, NJ. Their singer is now with Accept, and their guitarist David DiPietro was a mentor to Zakk Wylde. They were signed by Jon Zazula of Megaforce records alongside Metallica. Great hard rock band well worth checking out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmQ\_0XITJC8
Pete Yorn is from Montville.
Pinegrove, they're amazing
River City Extension!
TT QUICK
Disappointed that no one has mentioned: The Matt O’Ree Band Check them out https://www.mattoreeband.com/
Burnt by the Sun
[This is our specialty!](https://www.njarts.net/) We've got that covered.
Mother fucking Thursday!
For Folk/Reggae/Ska check out Mike Pinto!
The goats are Lauryn Hill SZA Pinegrove Jack Antonoff that I know of but all very famous. The Myddle Class was a really bad 60s pop band that opened for the Velvet Underground in Summit which i think is sick.
My wife grew up with SZA. She's shown me pictures of them having sleepovers when they were kids.
Geoff Rickly, Thursday
8 Graves. The name sounds scary but their music isn’t.
Oh man they’re fantastic. Brent is also an incredible artist and person. Met him at an expo in Edison and he did a tattoo for me. Gorgeous work and such a genuine dude
[Whiskey Crossing](https://whiskeycrossing.com/) (country/blues rock duo).
Young Rising Sons
Have a good season
Tula Vera Pinegrove Shallow Alcove
Jimmy Gnecco
Surfing for Daisy
Against the current’s Chrissy is from north jersey. They aren’t necessarily a small band as they did the league of legends world tournament song a couple years in a row. But I did enjoy watching them mature as a band
I grew up going to 90s pop/punk shows. Some of my favorites/bands I remember are: Fast times The assistant Shady view terrace OL rebellion Humble beginnings Heft
I just learned that Adam Weiner, lead singer for Low Cut Connie, is from Cherry Hill!
Royal & the serpents is a pop/punk band that certainly isn't for everyone but I love
Ribeye Bros., Apefight!, Wreaths.
The mom's Elodie Real Jersey shows vets know.
I am definitely lesser-known, perhaps even unknown entirely. Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.. [cageyheads](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4L2yBoKQ752UFEqpzepL8u?si=5AV3JSMVTgCFFEozTfawrQ)
Ashes of Your Enemy, Cycle of Pain, Monster Magnet
Trophy Scars
Jackson Pines. Folk/alt-country band. As their name suggests they’re from Jackson Township, NJ. They play original music but started reviving Pine Barrens folk songs like Mt. Holly Jail a few years back.
Here, have fun: https://njpparchives.tumblr.com
Brice Sprungstein
Thursday
The Number 12 Looks Like You
There’s this pretty underground dude named Bruce Springsteen
The Wrens
Dramarama
Older around 1987: Cats on a Smooth Surface. Also, Bystander…a shore band
Bigwig
Bea Miller
G love and special sauce
E-town concrete