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Doomsday Diaries
Doomsday Diaries played the Bamboozle Music Festival earlier this year at the Meadowlands with another Bergen band on the bill, Jamface.
Together with the other acts scheduled tonight, the talent pool stretches across Lodi, Northvale, Closter, Bergenfield, Bogota, Rochelle Park and other points throughout the county.
WHAT: The Best of Bergen Bandfest
WHO: Doomsday Diaries, Jamface, Starless, Tenacious T, Poetic Propaganda, Retro Spectro
WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 18
WHERE: Overpeck Park Amphitheater, Ridgefield Park, off Challenger Rd
Inspired by Radiohead, Porcupine Tree and others, twin brothers Jason and Sean Sproviero of Hasbrouck Heights created Doomsday Diaries two years ago, enlisting lead singer Jessica Kenny (Garfield), guitarist Adam Sarkisian (Paramus), drummer Reed Silverstein (Northvale) and keyboardist Owen McCloskey (Closter) along the way.
Jason plays guitar, Sean bass, and both sing. And despite their relatively young ages, their musical sensibilities stretch back nearly a half-century.
The band members sweep current music with a broad brush, claiming that no originality exists at a time when there’s never been more original music – or easier access to it. But that only aligns them with the “Do It Yourself” ethos of punk and New Wave artists of nearly 35 years ago, who had no use for “establishment” machines. Like their predecessors, these kids just want to rock.
At the same time, they have reverence for rock’s originators, from the Beatles to Jim Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Who and Pink Floyd, to King Crimson, Jefferson Airplane and Kate Bush. An eclectic lot, to be sure, with a bent toward concerts and festivals. Still, Doomsday Diaries has club cred: Last spring they played the Stone Pony.
DD have gigs scheduled Oct. 18 & Nov. 5 at Mexicali Live in Teaneck and Oct. 2 at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival.
The backbeat is strong. Silverstein’s drumming is crisp, Jason’s riffs atmospheric – with steady rhythm from his brother.
Their Bamboozle performance was tight, fanciful without being trippy. For one old-timer, echoes of indie music pioneers Pylon and the New York Dolls paired with visions of original hard rockers Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, creating a unique sound with both tension and velocity.
See/hear for yourself:
Among the other acts, Rochelle Park’s Tenacious T (Augustina Mensa-Kwao) will perform “Don’t Drink,” a call to action set to a hip-hop beat.
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