Manvswild Hardcore Rock Band from New Jersey
Heavy Music from North Jersey, Fun Shows
Dec 17, 2008 Pauline Lacanilao
A quartet of nice guys who went to high school together in New Providence, a tiny town in Union County, came together earlier in 2008 to create the rabid monster that is Manvswild.
Joe Allocco, Ryan "Marm" Marmarato, Josh Bartsch, and Jon Barnes are like anyone's friends. They're those guys that everyone knows, and no one hates, regardless of their alarming obsession with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and an unrivaled affinity for mustache competitions.
It's so strange, then, to see them at their shows, angry and covered in corpse paint, or wearing a bloody goat mask, playing their big riffs like demons.
Fun Shows
Barnes, the bassist, usually stands at center stage, mouthing the words that either Allocco or Marm, the two vocalists-slash-guitarists, are singing. Singing is an inaccurate description. In actuality, no singing occurs. Allocco screams like a dad who's been driven to his breaking point, and Marm growls like an angry walrus.
Meanwhile, Bartsch, the drummer, lives in his own sweaty world behind his kit and disco lights and fog machine.
They play like this, decked out in costumes they plan weeks ahead, whether they're in their usual spot at the Underground 8 Meatlocker in Montclair, or live on the Pat Duncan Radio Show--with no audience. There's video proof.
Manvswild's homepage (manvswildisreal.com) classifies their music as Hardcore/Punk/Metal. A synthesis of the three is a close depiction of the band, however, their music is too epic to be hardcore or punk, but doesn't have enough wailing guitar solos to be metal.
Epic Music
Imagine the soundtrack to a medeival knight's conquest for a dragon in a thorny brush, and you'll hear "Dragonslayer". Imagine what Rambo would play on his iPod if he had one, and it would probably sound a lot like "First Blood". Have you ever smeared the blood of a boyscout on you? Surely, you were listening to "Be Prepared". But how does one categorize that sound?
On a WMFU radio interview, Bartsch was asked to describe the sound of Manvswild. His response was, "Two friends screaming at each other."
Real Talent
Apparently, a clear-defined genre does not matter. Their fans, whose core consists of the band's screaming girlfriends and a tight-knit, rowdy crew of New Providence friends, have steadily grown in number.
Skinny boys who like to hit strangers are now throwing their elbows and fists around at Manvswild shows, a feat of accomplishment, since when the band started playing shows in spring 2008, they would sometimes play to just two, courteous people.
Now, they have kids screaming First Blood's "nothing is over" refrain. And it's not just because they are nice guys who put on a fun show. Manvswild has real talent. Listen to it here.
Lou
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles