'Going Dark' Glowing Bright

Going Dark, a rock band trio, stood in front of a packed house at the legendary Stone Pony on April 10, waiting to find out their fate from The Break Contest judges.

“Very rarely do we find the complete package in terms of music promotion and fun and understanding what this competition is about,” said the final judge. “You guys encompass everything we hope an artist will be when they come into the break, and how they conduct themselves and how hard they work.”

This came from the owner and creator of the Bamboozle and VP at Live Nation who years ago, “had the pleasure” of signing Nick Jonas. And it was shortly before the band was handed an invitation to play at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford on May 1 at 4 p.m.

The Bamboozle Festival, which consists of headliners such as Motely Crue, Lil Wayne, Taking Back Sunday, and many more, will be another huge show that the young band will add to their already impressive resume.

The band consists of bassist and vocalist Oliver Shaw, 11, of Essex Fells, and Livingston teens, guitarist L.J. Militello, 13, and drummer Alex Fogg, 14.

Other notable accomplishments for these adolescents include a live performance on Fox 5’s Good Day New York with Julie Chang, gigs at the Crossroads in Garwood and Stone Pony in Asbury Park among other venues, and a single from their debut EP being circulated in the rotation at WPSC 88.7 FM.

However, the song got pulled from the rotation recently for the “disruptive amount of calls” the station received requesting the song. In other words, it was pulled for being too popular.

If you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of these young teen’s making such a splash in the music scene, it might be because they’ve only been playing eight months, or because they’ve yet to play a show in Livingston.

Their first show here in Livingston is scheduled for late May and will be one of hopefully many to come.

“If we didn’t see ourselves together in the future I don’t think we’d be together now,” L.J. said. “Because we’ve put a lot of hours into and have done so much.”

Sitting at their dining room table after rehearsing their set for the Bamboozle, the boys chattered and tussled playfully, as kids often do after a bout of hard work, but they made it clear they are not your common young teens, and especially not Oliver.

“He’s not your average 11-year-old,” Alex said about Oliver.  “He’s so much more mature than a regular 11-year-old.”

“Sometimes,” L.J. chimed in with a laugh. “On stage at least.”

To gauge how mature Oliver really is for his age, take a look at his lyrics. Songs like “Lonely Island of Never” take on dark and serious topics and scenarios such as a man losing every thing he had. Lines like “I still had hope in the bottom of my heart/ Underneath that feeling tearing me apart,” look and resonate as if they were taken straight out of a song from the Black Keys.

“I get visions, then I write them down,” said Oliver, citing movies, books, news, and television as his lyrical influences.

His “visions” compliment Alex’s Van Halen inspired guitar work and L.J.’s Neil Pert-style of drumming seamlessly.

Going Dark puts in about 15 hours a week practicing, writing, and refining their sound, which Alex described as “classic rock with a modern twist.”

At such a young age there are many sacrifices to be made in order to pursue their art. With a two-year difference in between each member’s grade level, fifth, seventh, and ninth grade, each member deals with his own bundle of hardships.

“When his friends are going to the movies or going out and he says he can’t because I have to practice or I have a gig or I have to do this, they give him a tough time,” said Fred Fogg, father and biggest supporter, about his son and eldest of the group, Alex. “But when they see him getting a contract on stage they are a little more supportive.”

All the sacrificed weekends, all the fights, and all the rigorous promotion will be worth it when they see the name “Going Dark” on the Bamboozle schedule next to the names of some of their favorite acts.

Even that name, “Going Dark,” stems from a mature standpoint, symbolizing the way the world is and how things are “going dark,” such as the economy or Japan. The band recently wrote a song, currently untitled, about the recent disaster in Japan. They will be performing this song at their set at the Bamboozle.

Tickets to the all-day event at the Meadowlands Sports Complex on May 1 can be purchased on Ticketmaster.

To hear songs from Going Dark’s first EP and to watch the video of the Break Contest judges declaring Going Dark Bamboozle-bound, visit their website.