Mother Leeds

It looks like the New Jersey Devil has risen once again, but not in the form of a dragon or a disfigured horse with bat wings as the legend says, but in the music of Bricktown-based heavy metal act Mother Leeds. Named after the woman who spawned the infamous devil, their music is everything you expect Lucifer himself to be. Hard, fast and merciless, Mother Leeds pound out hard rock anthems reminiscent of the good ol’ days when rock bands like Judas Priest and Van Halen ruled the world.

The brainchild of vocalist Jimi Storm, Mother Leeds have been playing together since 2000, garnering a devoted fan following, three ASCAP
awards and a distribution deal with Platinum Plus Universal Records.

In addition to Storm, the band consists of guitarist and Storm’s high school buddy John Lazaro, Dave Rappleyea on drums and Peter Daniel on bass. These guys thrash their way through old-school
hard rock licks at punk rock speeds, while Storm alternates between a hoarse, almost growling voice and his version of the heavy metal falsetto made famous by Bruce Dickinson and King Diamond.

Mother Leeds will be taking their ass-kicking metal meets punk meets thrash meets old school hard rock to Chubby’s in Red Bank on Oct. 29. For more information about the band, visit motherleeds.com or myspace.com/motherleeds - The Aquarian Weekly/ East Coast Rocker 10/25/06

Old school metal gets the bum's rush from radio, but it's alive and well on VH1 Classic and in Jersey Shore clubs, thanks to Mother Leeds. The band from Brick abhors the rap-metal amalgam, preferring to offer pure, unadulterated gut-grind.

The group's visceral, guitar-driven rock has '80s written all over it, which is just fine with singer Jimi Storm.

"We are what we are," Storm said. "Finally, Jersey has and in-your-face metal band, with original music. We're something different."

The independent band also is prolific. An eponymous disc was released in 2002, months after the group formed. "Postcards From Hell" dropped in 2003, and "Apocalypse" is the name of Mother Leeds' forthcoming disc. Expect the band- whose members include guitarist John Lazaro of Garfield, bassist Pete Daniels of Manchester and drummer Dave Rappleyea of Toms River- to deliver a few songs from each disc when the band performs Sunday at The Saint's Battle of the Bands in Asbury Park.

"It's going to be fun," Storm said. "It's not whether we win or lose at these things. We love to come out and battle. We get a lot of great support from our fans at these events. We'll do our best, win or lose."

Mother Leeds has garnered two ASCAP awards for best metal band and the group is angling for a major label deal. "We're not stopping until we get on a major," Storm said.

It doesn't bother Storm that his band's sound is not necessarily in vogue. "We're going to get where we need to be despite everything," Storm said. "I know so many rappers are getting signed, but we'll get there, too. Rap music is ruining music. It's harder for metal (bands) to get signed and that's disturbing to me, but we're paying our dues. That's part of why we'll get there. We've been playing the worst clubs and the best clubs. We'll do all that we can to get there."

Storm, 33, has faced considerable adversity. Storm, who attended Brick High School, bounced around foster homes as a child. His grandmother Audrey Ramsey, who helped raise him, was his closest relative. Ramsey passed away two years ago. "I really miss her," Storm said. "I'm all alone now but I know she is looking down from heaven. She sees me plugging along."

"Sally's Tomb," perhaps the most emotional tune Storm has ever written, was crafted in honor of his grandmother.

"I had to use the name Sally in the song," Storm said. "If I had to sing Audrey, I would just break down."

Even though the band's name was inspired by the Jersey Devil tale, Storm insists the band's not evil.

"We don't worship the devil- we just admire him a lot," Storm joked. "We're not bad guys. We're just having fun. We just go out there and give it everything we have."

www.motherleeds.com - The Asbury Park Press 2/11/05

Okay, so I'm sure you don't really want a history lesson here, but just bear with me. 1735 Esterville, New Jersey is the subject of one of the darkest urban legends the fair state has ever known. Mother Leeds, supposedly a witch, bore a child by the devil himself. The child was born normal, but soon began to change form, mutating into a creature with hooves, a horse's head, bat wings, and a forked tail. This creature then started to terrorize the residents of the town, causing physical harm as well as emotional stress.

Now, the point of that little tidbit of history was so you can better understand the band that calls themselves, Mother Leeds. They are one of New Jersey's premier thrash/metal bands, and will be playing on Dec. 12 at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, New Jersey. Their name is enough to draw some attention to them. By calling themselves Mother Leeds, they are saying that they are the creators of evil. By listening to their music, you can draw up a similar hypothesis. They sure as hell are creators, and their music sure is evil. But not evil in a Charlie Manson way, more evil in a Tony Montana way, in that you will find yourself wanting to see them destroy anyone who stands in their way, and they will.

Backed by his tight band, lead singer Storm howls his way through his well-written songs about roses, tombs, and, of course, a song dedicated to the folklore of the woman from where they get their name. Take the trip to Long Branch and see Jersey's heaviest, toughest, most in your face guys that aren't named Tony Soprano.
- The Aquarian Weekly/ East Coast Rocker 12/8/04

From the hallowed grounds of the Jersey Shore comes a force that can crush mortal men if they underestimate it...Run for your lives, it's Mother Leeds! - The Aquarian Weekly 5/12/04

Check. Check, one two. Check them out. . . You might say that some of these coming-of-age musicians have raised their own bar on entertainment, storming the stages of all-age venues in an effort to showcase their home-grown talent. . . On a recent Friday (at Obsessions in Randolph, NJ) Mother Leeds cast a metallic spell on both patrons and staff.... Fueled by Storm's internal angst, Mother Leeds delivers a hard-core, soul-jolting show, bound to leave its listeners contemplating their own inner demons. - The Daily Record 2/20/04

Mother Leeds, conspicuously named after the Jersey Devil legend. . . stands out with terrorizing vocals and innovative music that is in your face metal. - The Aquarian Weekly/ East Coast Rocker 4/20/05

The Jersey Shore's own Mother Leeds will be among the bands participating in the War for the Warped Tour, a battle of the bands beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. Mother Leeds, a self-described "in your-face heavy-metal band," is scheduled to take the stage at 7:30 p.m. The winner will earn a slot on this summer's Warped Tour event at Raceway Park in Old Bridge. Starland Ballroom is at 570 Jernee Mill Road. For more information, call (732) 238-5500.

Staff report - Asbury Park Press, 5/16/08