Lone Shark
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Lone Shark

Morganville, New Jersey, United States | SELF

Morganville, New Jersey, United States | SELF
Band Rock Blues

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"Lone Shark Making a Splash in New Jersey"

Take a bit of classic British
rock, throw in some vintage, ‘70s
American rock, mix in some
blues, add a touch of the Jersey
shore sound, and you have the
music of Lone Shark, a new
group just starting to make its
mark on the Jersey music scene.

“In typical 21st century
fashion, three of us met through
online ads placed on several
musician websites,” laughs
Wayne Kessler, who handles
vocals, guitar and harmonica
for the fledgling band.“We found
our current bass player through
someone we met in another
band.” The other members
include Ron Banas on vocals
and guitar, Greg McDermott on
drums and percussion, and Jerry
Otero on bass.

The group has already graced
stages at festivals and clubs
in Belmar, Asbury Park, Ocean
Grove, and Hoboken, including
the headlining slot at the Ocean
Grove Music Festival, and
regular appearances at The
Wonder Bar in Asbury Park.
They’ve also just released their
debut album, titled 45 RPM.

The new release is a reflection
of their varied influences, and
thus far has received positive
reviews.“The band has a fairly
hard driving sound, but not over
the top,” relates Wayne. “We
were all influenced by the Rolling
Stones to some degree. We’ve
also been influenced by The
Faces, The Yardbirds, and Led
Zeppelin. Obviously we each
have individual music influences,
but those are so numerous
because we’ve all been
influenced by either the blues,
jazz, funk, and even some Latin
vibes.Interestingly enough, there
is no single favorite tune.
Everyone we speak to seems
to have one or two that they really
enjoy, but it has been different
for everyone. That is probably
because each of our songs, so
far, have had unique sounds.
They don’t all fit into one mold.
We entered our songs on
garageband.com, and thus far
they have all had very nice
reviews.”

Most of the songs stem from a collaboration between Wayne
and Ron.“Both myself and Ron
Banas write the music and lyrics,”
Wayne explains.“Typically either
Ron or myself will have a riff that
we were working on and he and
I sit in his basement messing
around with it.Other times Ron
presented a chord structure that
needed lyrics, etc. Usually the
music comes before the lyrics
and either Ron or I write them
based on any feel we get from
the music.However, sometimes
the antenna just goes up and
the lyrics and music start to flow
out.”

While their influences are
readily evident, there’s also an
element of the Jersey shore
combination of rock fused with
R&B, funk, and jazz.Wayne’s
harp is reminiscent of
Southside Johnny, and the
blues based guitar riffs lend
themselves to comparisons
with shore stalwarts such as
Bill Hector, Bobby Bandiera,
Matt O’Ree and Sonny Kenn.
The frenetic drums add a keen
sense of dynamics, along the
lines of the early Bruce
Springsteen recordings.

The group hopes to promote
the album through live
performances in the area.
“Since we have finished and
released our album, we are
now in the process of booking
shows for the spring and
summer,”Wayne says. “At the
moment, we are booked as a
featured band on June 28th at
a music festival in Hamilton,
NJ.We are also pursuing other
festival and club opportunities
right now.”

As far as major touring, or the
possibility of taking things to the
next level, Wayne is very realistic. “Well, we all have full-time jobs,”
he exclaims. “We also have
families and other obligations.
However, the one thing that we
all have is a love for making
great music.We want to see
how far we can push this thing.
We think that we have written
and continue to write pretty
good songs and hope that
others will think the same.Right
now, if we can continue to play
music festivals in the
surrounding area that would
be great.We’d also like to open
for larger local and national
acts that come through the area
at original music venues. Last
summer we opened for Billy
Hector and really enjoyed that.
That’s something we want to
do more of, support others and
get our music out as much as
we can. At the same time, we
are always looking to
participate in fundraisers and
other benefits where we can
help.That’s always been a part
of what we do.”

And does the name of the
band have some significance?
“That’s a great question,”Wayne
laughs. “When I know, I’ll give
you the answer! Seriously
though, about three years ago
we were working as a cover
band and someone we were
playing with threw it out there.
I don’t know where it came from,
but after paying for the website
and business cards, I guess it
stuck. It helps that Ron is an
accountant!”

For further information about
Lone Shark, and to find out
about the new release and
upcoming appearances, check
out loneshark.net, or contact
the band through
lonesharkband@loneshark.net. - The Aquarian


"45 RPM (ROCKIN' PAST MIDNITE)"

Formed in 2006, Morganville, New Jersey's Loneshark (Wayne Kessler - vocals, guitar, harmonica; Ron Banas - vocals, guitar; Jerry Otero - bass; Greg McDermott - drums) are self-proclaimed defenders of the British Blues tradition. Not necessarily the hardcore blues championed by such purists as John Mayall and Alexis Korner. Rather, they have aligned themselves with the more straight-ahead rock approach espoused by such crossover blues protagonists as the Climax Blues Band and (to a lesser extent) Them.

This comparatively upbeat methodology serves Lone Shark well in the five extended workouts presented in this, their May 2008 debut. To be sure, the guitar attack of Evil Might Win and the semi-spoken word (in the vein of Michael Nesmith's Cruisin') bravado of Misunderstood reflect a cocksureness that often comes as the result of extensive live performance.

The potential for Lone Shark to excel is already in place. However, if Lone Shark is to continue to fulfill their own aspirations, it would serve them well to downplay their seeming emphasis on nurturing their on stage persona and focus more upon developing original material with strong hooks.

True to form, each of the four members has exceeded the level of technical competence required of their respective roles. Likewise, the band appears to have an objective enough assessment of their strengths and weaknesses to be receptive to constructive input from sympathetic outside sources. As such, if they follow suit, their second CD will no doubt be an even greater step in the right direction. - Blitz Magazine


"Shoreworld"

LONE SHARK ROCKIN’
PAST MIDNITE—
INDEPENDENT RELEASE

Formed in 2006 as a blues and
classic rock cover band, Lone
Shark was a featured band in
several Jersey summer music
festivals and local bar gigs.
Building on the foundations that
this beginning provided, Lone
Shark quickly began to craft a
sound that would become their
own, making the leap into the
original music arena.

Since 2007, Lone Shark have
been writing their own brand of
guitar-driven music, reminiscent
of the many great blues-rock bands
that came before them. They
remind me at times of The
Yardbirds and of course a little bit
of Faces as well. There’s no
pretense here as Lone Shark bang
it out in pretty much the same way
as it was done in the late ’60s.

Lone Shark wrote, recorded and
produced their first EP of original
music, 45 RPM, earlier this year.
This freshman disc features five
original tunes that showcase their
well-replicated influences, and it’s
evident that they’re a band that
seems to be growing in their own
right direction.The songs feature
guitar oriented, gritty, rough-hewn
rhythm and blues numbers all
fronted by the blues harmonica
work of Wayne Kessler.

Officially released in March
2008, 45 RPM is available through
cdbaby.com, iTunes and other
Internet-based music stores. Lone
Shark is Wayne Kessler, vocals,
guitar and harmonica, Ron Banas,
vocals, guitar, Greg McDermott,
drums, and Jerry Otero on bass.
Visit the band’s website at
loneshark.net
- The Aquarian/EC Rocker


Discography

Torn and Frayed (Album)
45 RPM (EP)

Photos

Bio

Torn & Frayed was considered for a 2011 GRAMMY AWARD in 3 Categories.
A vintage tone with a modern edge; raw, driving, guitar-driven music. Rock n Roll isn’t dead, Lone Shark just revived it. In a time where original music hasn’t really been all that original, Lone Shark is releasing its second album, Torn and Frayed, in November 2009. The new album consists of 12 songs featuring real rock and blues tied together with layers of guitars and a thunderous rhythm section.

Realizing that if you want something done your way you need to do it yourself, Lone Shark started with an empty canvas and an empty basement. Taking charge of everything from songwriting, recording, and producing, Lone Shark has come up with an album that truly provides the live experience on CD. Raising a glass to toast some of their early influences, Lone Shark rips though various styles of Rock n Roll, Rhythm & Blues, and even some Funk, as the listener is taken on a journey and a rock experience.

Lone Shark is now taking it to the next level. Having been a featured band in several New Jersey music festivals, as well as an opening act for bands such as Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Peter Frampton, Lone Shark is ready to pave their own way. Torn and Frayed is available through CDBaby.com, ITunes, Amazon.com, and many other websites that promote digital music. Check out the Lone Shark sound and experience what Rock n Roll should sound like.