Orange Loop Rock Festival Day 3, Sunday June 12, 2022 Atlantic City New Jersey

June 19, 2022
International Concert Reviews, International Festivals
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

First act of the day to hit The Beast Stage was Corvid Corpus. They won their spot to play The Orange Loop Rock festival from the competition at Jacks By The Tracks. From the start it was apparent that Nick Vulpi, the guitarist and lead vocalist drank a six-pack of energy drinks before the show. As you can see from the photos, he was jumping and utilizing the whole stage throughout his performance along with the venue floor. Their setlist included songs like “Freak of The Weak”, “For Now You’re Gone”, and “Hangover”. These guys were non-stop from the time they hit the stage. Ranging from hard rock to heavy metal with lots of screaming vocals, they also did a rendition of “Sweet Dreams”, originally by The Eurythmics.

Orange Loop Support Artisits:

Corvid Corpus

Sunday, June 12

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Beast Stage

Corvid Corpus is:

Nick Vulpi – guitar, vocals

Mason Brake – guitar

Hunter Langlois – drums

Ray Hurley – bass

Sekond Skyn

Sunday, June 12

3:25 pm – 3:55 pm

Main Stage

Sekond Skyn is a hard rock band from Ocean County, NJ. They won their spot to play this weekend from the competition at Crossroads in Garwood, New Jersey. Sekond Skyn has opened for bands such as Anthrax, Godsmack, Evanescence, and Testament and is now playing the main stage at The Orange Loop Rock Festival. Starting almost an hour late due to one of the headlining acts being late to set up their gear, they hit the stage with their self-described “Dirty Jersey style of hard rock”. These guys have proven themselves to be a kick ass hard rock band that can keep the crowd on their feet. Sekond Skyn played a full set of previously unreleased songs, along with a cover of Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4”. Several of the songs they played are either about relationships or fighting your own demons and emotions, and trying to distinguish fantasy from reality. I thoroughly enjoyed this straight forward kick ass hard rocking band!

Sekond Skyn is:

Jesse Shar – vocals

Mark Monjoy – guitar

Zack Miranowic – guitar

Brian Jennings – bass

Tommy Spano – drums, backing vocals

Whiskey Grin

Sunday, June 12

4:20 pm – 4:50 pm

Beast Stage

Whiskey Grin is a three-piece rock band from South Jersey. Whiskey Grin was formed in 2013, and in 2018 they released their debut CD, “Saturday’s Child“. Five of the six songs they played were off of this album. If you are looking for kick ass, straight forward rock and roll, this band is not to be missed. With longtime friends and former band mates Jim Mayberry and John Tidwell on guitar and bass topped off with “Dreem” on drums, these guys have what it takes. Jim’s guitar style starts with rock and roll, then adds a bluesy feel and sometimes some heavier riffs, making for a unique and refreshing sound.

Whiskey Grin is:

Jim Mayberry – guitar

John Tidwell – bass, lead vocals

Dreem Cannon – drums

Libricide

Sunday, June 12

5:10 pm – 5:40 pm

Beast Stage

Libricide is modern rock, with a mix of genres. They recently released Consilience, an 11-song album on April eighth. The record release party was held at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York while opening for Tantric. Libricide opened the set with their first single off Consilience, “Over Everything”. The second song they played off of the new album was “Work Right Now”, which is straight out of a cauldron mixed with seventies rock guitar riffs, 90’s hip hop vocals, coupled with growling background vocal. They did a great job blending these sounds to make a unique song. They went on to play an eclectic mix of covers and originals which kept the fans entertained. You can find their new album on all major music sites.

Libricide is:

Harun Gadol – lead vocals

Dylan Stark – lead guitar, vocals

William Sapanaro – bass, vocals

Victor Echaniz – drums, samples

Headlining Bands

Dangerous Toys

Sunday, June 12

7:00 pm – 7:45 pm

Beast Stage

I was happy to capture a few photos before the set started, when there were actually white lights on the artists. But, as soon as the band struck a note, the white lights were gone, and they went back to their color rotation. Dangerous Toys is always a treat to see, especially on the East Coast. They are definitely deserving of playing on the main stage. Usually, Scott uses the whole stage jumping around and interacting with the other band members, but this stage was so small, they could hardly move. They drew the biggest crowd so far this weekend at the Beast stage. I got to hear the first few songs, “Outlaw”, and “Take Me Drunk”, before I had to head back to the main stage to photograph another band as the set times were all running late over there.

Dangerous Toys is:

Jason McMaster – lead vocals

Paul Lidel – rhythm guitar

Scott Dalhover – lead guitar

Mike Watson – bass

Mark Geary – drums

LA Guns

Sunday, June 12

8:30 pm – 9:15 pm

Beast Stage

Shawn Duncan, former Odin drummer replaced Shane Fitzgibbon, who left recently for a gig building rooms for Rick Rubin. Johnny Martin was sporting big round sunglasses, cap and a ponytail and Phil Lewis had a handlebar moustache. LA Guns is currently on their North American Tour 2022 along with Faster Pussycat and Tom Keifer. The band was sounding tight and the room was packed. Running through an 8-song set including fan-favorites such as “Rip and Tear”, “Ballad of Jayne”, “Over the Edge”, “Sex Action”, and my favorite, “Speed”. LA Guns also deserved to be on the main stage.

LA Guns is:

Tracii Guns – guitar

Phil Lewis – lead vocals

Shawn Duncan – drums

Ace Von Johnson – rhythm guitar

Johnny Martin – bass

John 5

Sunday, June 12

4:25 pm – 5:10 pm

Main Stage

John 5 was probably my favorite performance of the weekend. Knowing that he has played with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, I expected a much more dark and heavy performance. John 5 comes out to a darkened stage wearing a wig, mask, and playing a hollow guitar with green illuminated liquid flowing around inside of it. I was blown away by his show. Such fun and unique guitar playing, he is a true entertainer. He played a medley of songs at one point in the show and also swapped out to a banjo and a miniature bass guitar. John 5 played a 9-song set, at times making his guitar talk to you, and at times melting your ears off! Going into the performance, my wife wasn’t looking forward to it, and afterwards she said, “His different tones, sounds and speeds is an orgasm to your ears”.

John 5 is:

John Lowery – guitar, vocals

Ian Ross – bass

Logan Miles Nix – drums

Puddle of Mudd

Sunday, June 12

5:40 pm – 6:25 pm

Main Stage

Just before Puddle of Mudd took the stage we were informed that photographers would not be allowed in the pit for their performance. It was visible as Wes got on stage that he was feeling a little under the weather. They put on a decent performance and played all the crowd favorites such as “Blurry”, “She Hates Me”, and “Control”. Being a hair metal fan at heart, I was happy to see some bands slightly out of my normal palate and Puddle of Mudd did a great job. These guys held it together and put on a great show. I heard some of Wes’ fans yelling “I Love You Wes” several times during the show.

Puddle of Mudd is:

Wes Scantlin – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Dave Moreno – drums, backing vocals

Matt Fuller – lead guitar, backing vocals

Michael John Adams – bass, backing vocals

Treach of Naughty By Nature

Sunday, June 12

6:55 pm – 7:15 pm

Main Stage

Treach is a New Jersey native from East Orange NJ, best known from his time in the band Naughty By Nature. Their most popular songs are “OPP” and “Ghetto Bastard” off NBN’s self titled album. He has been mostly pursuing his acting career since 2011. This was the most out of place act of the weekend for me. With this festival being all rock and heavy metal bands, Treach didn’t exactly fit in. That being said, the crowd that was at the main stage seemed to enjoy his performance.

Treach of Naughty By Nature is:

Treach – vocals

Hoobastank

Sunday, June 12

7:45 pm – 8:30 pm

Main Stage

Hoobastank hit the stage with lots of energy, with Doug Robb dancing around utilizing the whole stage to entertain their fans. Starting their 10-song set with “Pieces” and moving right into “Out of Control”. Hoobastank was a nice addition to this festival, and I knew a bunch of their songs. Throughout the set, Doug kept going out onto the speaker cabinets to get closer to his fans. In between their songs, a show attendee and local musician, Ryan Flannery, proposed to his girlfriend, Molly McNamara in the crowd. Hoobastank ended the night on a high note with “The Reason” and “Crawling in the Dark”.

Hoobastank is:

Doug Robb – lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Dan Estrin – lead guitar, backing vocals

Chris Hesse – drums, backing vocals

Jesse Charland – bass, keyboards, backing vocals

Stone Temple Pilots

Sunday, June 12

9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Main Stage

Stone Temple Pilots were the final band of the evening and were allotted an hour long 12-song set. These guys performed all their hits to a tee! Jeff Gutt, being in the band for a short 5 years so far and performing on 2 albums already really proved his worth, belting out lyrics perfectly. Jeff started the set wearing a black sports coat and sunglasses, and ended with a short sleeved button down shirt and his tattoos showing. I was psyched that they began the set with 2 of my favorites, “Wicked Garden” and “Vasoline”. It set the tone for a killer performance. Brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo were sounding great as always along with the third original member Eric Kretz keeping a tight beat on the drums. STP kept the fans entertained playing their most popular songs. I was a little surprised not to hear anything off their most recent album, Perdida. Jeff kept the security guards busy while he was standing on the four foot barrier railing singing and greeting the fans. I would recommend catching STP on tour this summer.

Stone Temple Pilots is:

Dean DeLeo – guitars

Robert LeLeo – bass, backing vocals

Eric Kretz – drums

Jeff Gutt – lead vocals