The 2nd and final night of the “Long Live Rock” benefit at Dexter’s took the great vibe of the first night and brought it a step further. If you weren’t there, you really did miss out.
The doors opened at noon on Saturday and the bands got down to business around the 2pm hour. House photographer and fellow Rockeyez staff member Maria “Lady Ace” Ventura was there to catch the action from early on and you can see her work in our photo gallery. PANTERA tribute act DIMEBAG NYC kicked the festivities off as they were followed by another tribute band in LOOK SHARP! who play the music of JOE JACKSON.
As the rest of our staff (Brian, Stephanie and myself) arrived we saw the next act to play setting up. We weren’t quite sure what to expect when BUSTIDD hit the stage. They were a trio of two jumpsuit-clad rappers and a drummer! We thought it was kind of strange at first but as their set went on it became quite enjoyable as they picked guitars along the way and “rocked” things up a little. They even had a special female guest come up to dance and do a couple songs with them towards the end of their set. We learned latter BUSTIDD has been hosting and performing an open mic night at Dexter’s for a a little while now and they hold auditions for bands to come on out and give it a shot on the great Dexter’s stage. You can check them out.
After that, directly in front of the stage was transformed into the “red carpet” area where members of the staff unveiled a huge “Long Live Rock” backdrop, which was at one end of the carpet. Soon after some of the special celebrity, guests started to gather for some photo ops and meet and greets. Jose Hernandez Jr. (HBO’s “Oz”) and the beautiful Cheryl Bachman (former Playboy centerfold) posed for photos and they were joined by Tattoo Tony (Bret Michaels “Rock Of Love”), Brimstone (Pro Wrestler and actor) and Darra “Like Dat” Boyd (MTV’s “Flavor Of Love”).
After the celebrity photo ops were done it was back to business with the music as almost everyone’s favorite 80’s Hard Rock tribute act ROCK KANDY tool the stage. They ripped through a handful of classic 80’s rockers by the likes of GREAT WHITE, POISON and PAT BENETAR to name a few.
An interesting band was up next as HELLO EDEN hit the stage. Thy mixed modern progressive, alternative and some experimental sounds into a solid set with a sound all their own. Each member was solid in his own right and the songs certainly kept your attention. You can check these guys out.
The night started to kick into overdrive as FOREVER OEUVRE took the stage next. After a brief production issue the band, which includes Ronny Paige of FUEL and drummer Chad Szeliga of BREAKING BENJAMIN fame, rocked the audience with their gothic hard rock style. Singer Rachelle Holscher was impressive with her powerful vocals and colorful style. The band is somewhat new and should be playing some shows around the NJ/PA area in the coming months. Check them out.
New York’s UNTIL DESTINY featuring guitar god Robert Katrikh and the equally impressive John Macaluso (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TNT, ARK) on drums really took command of the Dexter’s stage next for a high energy and impressive set of Neo-classical prog metal. Katrikh can shred with the best of ‘em and it’s only a matter of time until the metal world knows this guys name. Have a listen
Up next was a special performance by a brand new act named GRAND LIFE SUITE. The band is so new they don’t even have all their members yet! Vocalist Manny Cabo mesmerized the crowd with his heartfelt vocals and guitarist/keyboardist Michael T accompanied him as the duo played some awesome tunes. Brian at Rockeyez talked big about these guys in his recent review of their demo and after seeing them I too predict great things for these guys in the near future. Talent like this can’t go unnoticed for long. Have a listen to some of their music at and jump on the bandwagon while there’s still room!
The New Jersey-based DEF LEPPARD tribute hit the stage next and played a handful of classic LEP tunes that left the crowd singing along. These guys are a regular on the NJ tribute act circuit and if you’re a fan of LEPPARD the band does a good job of recreating their sound.
The next trio of acts to hit the stage turned the classic “metal” dial way up as SAVIOUR hit the stage and thrilled fans of the heavier side of metal with their thrashy sound. They were joined by a special guest in the middle of their set as one-time DREAM THEATER vocalist Chris Collins joined them for a song.
After SAVIOUR’s set the audience was treated to a couple special bands as first Jack Frost’s “MEGA ROCK hit the stage to the classic sound of QUIET RIOT and continued with a flurry of classic metal and hard rock covers. The band featured SYMPHONY X bassist Mike LePond along with Frost and a 21 year old unknown singer. Midway through their set they were joined by guitarist Metal Mike of HALFORD and SEBASTIAN BACH’s band as they jammed to some classic JUDAS PRIEST. The second of the “all star” bands on the night was the mockingly titled STEEL BANNANA, which was comprised of vocalist Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X, ALLEN/LANDE) and John “JD” DeServio (bass) of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. They ripped some more classic metals tunes like “Neon Knights” (BLACK SABBATH) and “The Song Remains The Same” (LED ZEPPELIN). The highlight of the set for me though was the tune “High Wire” from BADLANDS. It wasn’t s song you would expect anyone to cover but I have to say Allen nailed the vocals of the legendary Ray Gillen on this one! The band also threw in covers of RAINBOW’s “Kill The King” and “Snortin’ Whiskey” from the PAT TRAVERS BAND. A killer set indeed.
To close out the evening was a band who debuted at Dexter’s just a month earlier. The name CC COLETTI is one you should get used to because this girl can sing! She has been touring the last few years as a backing singer for the legendary MEAT LOAF and I can see why she actually got the chance to open for him in Europe on his last tour. CC and her band strutted through a 40 minute set of bluesy hard rock like there was no tomorrow. Check her music out at for yourself. All in all it was a highly entertaining end to a long and worthwhile benefit weekend at one of the better venues in New Jersey.
Hopefully Dexter’s will be here for many more years to come and may ROCK LIVE LONG!!!
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