A first person romp through the subculture of night life on the New Jersey club circuit with one of its premier bands, Dog Voices, "Deep Tank Jersey" resonates with humor and sentiment. It is an inside look at life in the fast lane with hard working musicians and the twisted people who surround them nightly. Many other top NJ bands, their roadies, groupies, management and agents are dissected through jc's magnifying glass. Owners, bouncers and employees of popular night spots tell wild and sometimes moving stories of success and failure in a dog eat dog business that changes on the fly. It is also a story of loneliness and passion in a world where the thrill-a-minute philosophy can blur lines and create a bizarre reality.
A first person romp through the subculture of night life on the New Jersey club circuit with one of its premier bands, Dog Voices, "Deep Tank Jersey" resonates with humor and sentiment. It is an inside look at life in the fast lane with hard working musicians and the twisted people who surround them nightly. Many other top NJ bands, their roadies, groupies, management, and agents are dissected through jc's magnifying glass. Owners, bouncers, and employees of popular night spots tell wild and sometimes moving stories of success and failure in a dog eat dog business that changes on the fly. It is also a story of loneliness and passion in a world where the thrill-a-minute philosophy can blur lines and create a bizarre reality.
jc began writing his story as a “fly on the wall” through the New Jersey Club Circuit; a haven for rock bands, vampires, wild women, and the cream of the lunatic fringe. Before long he was dragged into its vortex and came out, by his own admission, a changed man. The tales along the road with Dog Voices, a successful cover band and monsters of the party highway, range from bizarre to sublime to often times touching. His honest account of the subterranean world of the night life will open the eyes of even the most grizzled veterans of any bar-hopping experience.
To date Deep Tank Jersey is the only book of its kind which delves into the true grit, stumbles and triumphs, of a struggling band cashing its weekly check. No one is spared jc’s satirical wit and the best perk is that it is all true. Anyone who has been in a band, worked in, or frequented any rock club will enjoy this jaunt through a circus life of crazies and big hearts who have called the edge home.
Excerpt
The old country backwoods bar was long gone, and in its place was the unabashed implosion before me: Women with halter tops and cut-off jeans, thin, black summer dresses and low-cut tee shirts, and men with baseball caps, tank tops and dress shirts were shaking to the beat, pouring drinks down their throats, and shouting at everything and everyone possible. In the middle of it all was Monte, slapping hands and buying rounds, encircled by his people, the party animals, living vicariously through his colossal example. His aura somehow manifested itself into the room, leaping inside all of those who were as far off the beaten path as he himself had roamed so many times before. As I prepared to jump down, I noticed a man with both arms in casts dancing on a table with a woman twice his age and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any boundary which could not be wiped out on this night. I’d been to biker parties, fraternity bashes and a litany of rip-shit blowouts, but never in my thirty-two years on the planet had I seen a room so far out of control with a good time. Surprisingly, not a single one of them pushed, shoved or hollered in anger. Instead they busied themselves with dancing freely and passing money and beers back and forth like the bleacher bums at Yankee Stadium.
Monte held court over the proceedings as if he were plopped out of his mother’s womb on that bar. “I want to see some underwear on this ceiling fan!” he demanded to the hoots of the faithful peppered throughout the room. Slowly, a bra, a pair of black-laced panties or a striped pair of boxers or two made their way into Monte’s grip. Raising them up to the crowd, he placed them with care about the wooden fan blades. “This here’s my band!” Monte exclaimed from the far end of the bar. “Why don’t you let them hear what Nardi’s sounds like?” Like trained dogs, they howled deep and long. It was far more obvious than ever before that Monte had only one master to serve, and it wasn’t DogVoices. It was imperative that the audience accept his new band.
Professional Reviews
Jersey Shore Revealed
"Deep Tank Jersey" is the underground world of middle class rock n' roll that someone had to write about. Everything from inebriation to incarceration and back. A wholly enjoyable read for the club veteran and frightened novice.
-EC Rocker 8/4/96
The Deepest Jersey
James Campion dives right into the heart of the band scene. No subject is taboo, be it personal or professional. From Monte's notorious -- some say dangerous -- stage antics to the legendary band, Dog Voices feelings on touring, fans, and each other.
-Steppin' Out Entertainment Magazine 1/29/96
A Rock and Roll Survivor Tells All
No one is spared James Campion's satirical wit in this roller coaster ride of a book. And the best perk is that it is all true. Anyone who has been in a band, worked in, or frequented any rock club will enjoy this jaunt through the circus life of crazies and big hearts who have called the edge home.
-More Suger Entertainment 5/98
