Meadowland
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Meadowland

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States | INDIE

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States | INDIE
Band Pop Rock

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"Seventeen Magazine"

It's not easy to emerge onto the music scene when you're under the age of 16 and don't have a record deal, but the kids of Meadowland have got the props to do it. At the average age of 13 Jackie, Mikey, Shane, and Jeff come together to create awesome tunes and a killer show. They have opened for pop-sensations Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, as well as punk-ska icons No Doubt. Meadowland is the youngest band to ever play The Bamboozle, a two-day music festival held in New Jersey. Lead singer Jackie Cole said it was, "Incredible, and such an adrenaline rush. The venue was awesome!"

Meadowland has come a long way, and have released their first five-song E.P. titled, "Turning Back The Clocks." Meadowland worked with incredible producers such as Zack Odom and Ken Mount of ZK Productions, who have worked with artists such as Usher, Ludacris, All Time Low, and Cartel.

Meadowland celebrated the launch of their E.P in Jersey City on Teen Radio Station, Zach Sang and The Student Body, hosted by 17-year old Zach Sang. Sang jokingly stated, "I love them, they smell good. If they smelled bad I would not even talk to them." Meadowland invited a bunch of their fans and street teams up to the studio to enjoy an intimate performance, meet and greet, and the opportunity to watch them talk on the radio. Their fans are dedicated, and some even organized a "buy-out" for the release of Meadowland's EP, which is when fans come together and buy and sell as many CD's as possible. The band rewarded the group that sold the most EP's with a private bowling party. Whether they are at a concert, or on the computer, the kids of Meadowland go out of their way to talk to their fans. Mikey tweeted to fans, "I love u guys!!! It was amazing to see how much support u give us!!! I am touched and so thankful for u all!!"

Meadowland will be performing at the Camp Rock Concert with The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato at the PNC Bank Arts Center side stage on August 16-17 as well as the Nikon Jones Beach Theater side stage on Long Island on August 21-22. They will also be doing shows with Hollywood Records newest band, Allstar Weekend and You Hang Up (featuring Frankie Muniz, star of Malcolm In The Middle).

Check out Meadowland's Web site to read the latest news and buy their E.P Turning Back the Clocks on iTunes!
- Jessica Norton


"Meadowland EP Release!"

see link for video interview - Camera By Her Side


"The Sounds, The Main at Bamboozle"

The rain continues to fall here at the second day of The Bamboozle music fest in the parking lot of Giants Stadium. But spirits remain high. At 3:30, a huge crowd of screaming fans gathered to watch Phoenix natives The Maine rumble through 40 minutes of power pop.

In keeping with the trend here, lead singer John O'Callaghan devoted as much time to working up the crowd as to singing his songs. He ordered hands in the air. He asked how many people in the audience had heard of his band. He made sure everyone was having a good time. And he did it all during the songs, between verses and choruses.


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O'Callaghan, not one to deviate from the norm here at Bamboozle, also rained f-bombs down on the soaking crowd like they were enemy combatants. As The Maine came to the final chorus of its final song, he implored, "Stay the f--- in school, and say f--- no to drugs!"

One of The Maine's most popular songs, the bouncy, plaintive "Girls Do What They Want," brought a knowing shriek from the mass of of teens and tweens, and it also served to underline an obvious factor here at Bamboozle, which is that the girls in the crowd far outnumber the guys. As the chorus says, " Girls do what they want, boys do what they can." One look around confirms the sentiment. Nearly all of the acts at the festival are comprised of MTV-ready male faces, and it's clear the young ladies are here largely to bask in the glow of their crushes. The boys, meanwhile, are just doing what they can.

One antidote to this trend is the Swedish dance-pop group The Sounds, fronted by blonde firecracker Maja Ivarsson. With her flowing mane and ripped black stockings, Ivarsson appeared the model of female empowerment at The Bamboozle -- a refreshing and needed counterbalance to the male-heavy lineup. With synthesizers wailing and a heavy backbeat pounding behind her, she pushed and pulled the crowd through favorites like "Hope You're Happy Now," giving the ladies in the crowd something to aspire to rather than to gawk at.

The award thus far for youngest band goes to the Garden State's own Jersey Kidz, whose ages range from 11 to 13. Lead singer Jackie, doing her best Joan Jett impersonation, sang with an impressive vibrato as her battery-mates strummed through a roster of hardcore-lite three-chord ditties, plus some '80s rock covers (including Guns 'n Roses). According to the band's web site, Jackie is an "honor student, lead actress in her school, camp and community musicals three years running, and a top scoring forward for a traveling club soccer club." She must know that colleges always appreciate that well-rounded candidate.

- Matthew Oshinsky/The Star-Ledger


"Jersey Kidz (now Meadowland) ready to rock the masses"

Jersey Kidz ready to rock the masses
Band fronted by E.B. youth performing at Six Flags
BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer

Above: Jackie "Cole" Miskanic (r) performs with Jersey Kidz at the Bamboozle Festival outside Giants Stadium in East Rutherford. The band, whose average age is 12, secured the gig by winning a four-month battle of the bands. Left: Miskanic (r) with singer-songwriter Demi Lovato, one of her influences. EAST BRUNSWICK — Mick Jagger may be well into his 60s, but rock and roll is still the music of youth.

One needs to look no farther than East Brunswick for proof.

Thirteen-year-old Jackie "Cole" Miskanic is the lead singer of Jersey Kidz, the same Jersey Kidz who in May shared a festival bill with popular acts Fall Out Boy and No Doubt in front of tens of thousands at the Bamboozle Music Festival at Giants Stadium. The band is the youngest to grace the stage at the annual festival.

Jackie, who just finished seventh grade at Hammarskjold Middle School, fronts the band, which is made up entirely of teens and preteens from the local area.

The band earned the Giants Stadium gig by winning the "Break to Bamboozle" contest, a four-month battle of the bands, according to Jackie's father, John Miskanic. He said Jersey Kidz beat out more than 800 other bands, all of them older than Jersey Kidz, to win the coveted spot at Bamboozle. Finals for the contest were held at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park.

The band includes Jackie, who handles lead vocals; Shane Tieger, an 11-year-old bassist from North Brunswick; Jeff Mourer, a 15-year-old drummer from North Brunswick; Richard Schaafsma, a 12-year-old guitarist from Wyckoff; and Michael Salerno, a 12-year-old guitarist, also from Wyckoff.

"All the kids are prodigies," John Miskanic said.

The band formed after Jackie saw a local cable access show run by Michael and Richard and featuring local teen bands. Jackie sent the boys a demo of a recent show she did at The Stone Pony. Although she was already in a band, she was unhappy with the progress of the band.




Jackie met the boys, sang with them, and Jersey Kidz was born. Soon enough, their manager got them some gigs at schools and fundraisers, and they entered the Bamboozle contest.

Jackie's family used to reside in Long Island, and she was more into musical theater than anything else, her father said.

"Her first love is the stage," John said. "And she was always a freakishly good singer."

Jackie said she's been singing almost from the time she was born.

"It began as singing in front of parents, then doing theater. I love being onstage," she said.

When the family moved to East Brunswick, it was hard-pressed to find local theater opportunities for Jackie. "Then she fell in love with the rock scene," John said. "And the transition stuck."

Jackie said it is her dream to be a professional singer, and she feels like she's starting to live that out.

"I love the music, it's awesome," Jackie said.A

contest victory earned the band $1,000, as well as the representation of Shirley Grant, a talent manager who has worked with Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. Coincidentally, the Jonas Brothers grew up in Wyckoff, just like members of Jersey Kidz.

Grant's help paid off for Jersey Kidz.

"Within a matter of months, things just started taking off," he said.

Although the band only formed last September, it has already played a number of shows, and has several shows lined up this summer, including at Six Flags Great Adventure.

Jackie described the band's sound as "power pop," and said her influences range from classic rocker Janis Joplin, to today's singers such as Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato. The guys in the band, on the other hand, are more influenced by the likes of hard-rockers AC/DC, she said.

"They want to inspire the younger generation," Jackie said.

"It's really her new thing," said Jackie's mother Jill. "We really did not start out with the rock thing. We began in musical theater, so this is all new to us, and I'm cautious about this scene."

The band rehearses up north with its musical director, as well as at the family's home in East Brunswick. The band has recorded some originals, including three written by Richard and one by Jackie. Her tune is called ILY, the term used by textmessagers to say to "I love you." The band recently played the North Brunswick Youth Sports Fair and the New Jersey State Fair at the Meadowlands.

John said the band plans to shoot a music video and will record three originals for an upcoming CD.

"They work very, very hard," he said. "They practice once or twice a week."

Jackie had to give up soccer to dedicate herself to the band, and has to work hard to keep her grades up with so much attention focused on the music.

"All the kids have to give up a lot," John said.

Upcoming shows include a 3 p.m. July 11 show at Six Flags Great Adventure's water park, and a 3 p.m. Sept. 6 show at the Hoboken Italian Feast.

For more on the band, visit www.myspace. com/jerseykidzrock.
- BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer Sentinal


"Interview on Goomradio.com"

recording of on air radio interview - see link - Zach Sang


Discography

Turning Back The Clocks - June 2010
Track 1 - Love Sick
Track 2 - Mr.Right
Track 3 - Dance Party
Track 4 - Over You
Track 5 - Round and Round

Photos

Bio

You have to pay your dues! You’re too young! It doesn’t happen overnight! These are just a few of the sayings that the kids of Meadowland hate to hear. Why,because it goes against everything that they have experienced since they performed
their fist concert in the fall of 08. At an average age of 13, this band has reached a level of achievement in just twelve months that usually takes only the luckiest adult bands, triple the time to even come close to. So how do you explain this type of
success at such a young age? Simple, these kids all started working on their respective craft when they were about 5 years old and they all have an unquenchable desire to have people notice them.

Meadowland will grab hold of crowd and take them along for a thrill ride filled with screaming, dancing, jumping and laughing. Their energy on stage is infectious and their
performances genuinely put a smile on your face. From the mature vibrato of Jackies voice to Mikey’s blistering guitar riffs, Meadowland is in your face, literally, they are constantly jumping into the crowd to be part of the party. Their guitar driven pop rock songs are catchy with great hooks, that you will find yourself singing all day long. The music is masterfully carried along to exactly were it needs to be by Jeff and Shane’s unwavering bass and drum line. The whole package ignites when all 4 pistons of this high performance engine are firing, up on the stage.
Going to a Meadowland concert is like going to a party at your friend’s house while their parents are away. You can’t help but feel the excitement and enjoy the experience.

Meadowland started performing at schools, malls and skating rinks, becoming a cohesive unit while their sound was maturing and shaping into power pop meets rock. Their first taste of success was when they won a talent competition with approximately 1000 other young performers, called NJ’s Most Talented Kids, they took first place. Their gigs started to get larger and their following grew by the thousands. But the defining
moment for the band was when they entered “The Break” contest. This was a grueling battle of the bands, in which the winners earned the right to perform at Bamboozle at Giants Stadium in front of approximately 80 thousand fans. Although most of the 800 other bands were twice their age, Meadowland won the contest and became the youngest band ever to perform at the festival. It was just the launching pad that they needed to get noticed by long time Sony/Epic legend Harvey Leeds who now manages the band along with Kevin Morrow, President of Live Nation NY.

Most recently, the band performed at Popcon with Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and many other top pop stars, in front of a sold out crowd of approximately 17,000 people at the Nassau Coliseum in NY on 2/20. They also perfored at the Jonas Brothers/Demi Lovato and Friends From Camp Rock Concerts at the PNC Bank Arts Center side stage in NJ on 8/16 & 8/17 and at the Nikon Jones Beach Theater side stage in LI on 8/21 & 8/22.

Meadowland is:
Jackie Cole (14) started to sing before she could talk. By the time she was 4 years old, she already had about 20 Broadway show tunes in her repertoire. But not until she heard her first Janis Joplin song, did she realize that rock was what she wanted to sing. Growing up with such influences as Pat Benitar, Joan Jett and Gwen Stefani, she would perform for anyone who would listen, and there were many who did listen in amazement.

Mikey Salerno (13), started playing guitar at 6 and was copying Eddie Van Halen licks by the time he was 7. He never took a lesson but had the ability to hear a song and then play it by ear. YouTube became his mentor, mimicking everyone from Jimmy Page to Steve Vai. By the time he was 9, he was playing in rock bands with musicians twice his age, in front of thousands of people.

Shane Tieger (12) bass, had to perform in a huge concert, just 2 weeks after joining the band, and he did not miss a note. His infectious high energy on stage, instantly improved Meadowland’s live performances and his hammering bass line drives the songs were they need to be. This was just another day at the office for Shane who grew up in a musical home and started performing when he was 7.

Jeff Mauer (15) drummer, joined after the band conducted an endless series of unsuccessful auditions. Finding a young drummer who keeps infallible time and resists the temptation of trying to play like their heroes do, was not an easy task. But that is exactly who Jeff is, he keeps time like a metronome and has the style and creativity of drummers twice his age. It comes from his years of training in all genres like rock, jazz and drum line.

From the first few minutes that these four kids from Jersey spent in the studio together, it was very apparent that the chemistry was right for an explosive combination. Their classic rock roots coupled with their affinity for current music, allowed them to
immediately start cre