Cameron Castan, Laurel Canyon, and John Cozz at Pet Shop (07-13-2023)
Is it a massive faux pas to pen a short review of your own show? Maybe it is, but my buddy Robert Scheuerman sent me some gorgeous photos from last Thursday’s John Cozz/Laurel Canyon/Cam Castan triple bill at Pet Shop and it inspired me to put together a short summary of this excellent gig.
Serge Cereja of Laurel Canyon. Photo by Robert Scheuerman.
Nutley native John Cozz (full name John Cozzarelli) kicked off the evening with a rousing and memorable performance. He’s a consistently entertaining live performer, as he allows his distinct personality and schtick to shine. That “schtick” is quintessentially New Jersey with a combination of tongue-in-cheek and genuine references to his hometown of Nutley, salted meats of the Italian variety, and various oddities chronicled within the pages of Weird New Jersey. The cover of his pedalboard boldly projects what seems to be his creative/life motto: “Even If It Sucks, Who Cares…” but frankly, he never sucks and most certainly didn’t on Thursday night. He, in fact, ruled.
John Cozz and his backing band, The Sandbags. Photo by Rob Scheuerman
Laurel Canyon have been on the rise since 2021 thanks to their well-executed, high-decibel take on grunge revivalism. Their first-ever performance in New Jersey did not disappoint, as they While frontman Serge Cereja typically kept his guitar in hand during performances in 2022, he largely ditched his axe this time around in order to fully embrace a highly emotive, on-stage persona. The tinnitus-inducing volumes didn’t deter some notable locals from heaping praise on the band with “Hoboken Jack” Silbert praising the Lehigh Valley-based quartet as “great” and WFMU DJ Paul Bruno noting “they DO NOT sound like you’d expect a band called Laurel Canyon to sound like.” Surprises are a good thing, right?
Laurel Canyon. Photo by Rob Scheuerman.
Whiner frontman Cameron Castan closed out the evening in style. Castan recently ventured out on his own, releasing his debut full-length, Show Me, last year, and he followed it up with a series of stellar singles in 2023. Until recently, he’s really only performed solo or as a duo, but on Thursday evening, he brought a backing band along for his first full band performance in the Garden State. The charismatic Castan smiled throughout his set, providing a nice contrast to his darker-hued music, and showcased his impressive vocal range. His set featured great and energetic live renditions of standouts from his catalog, including “Crush,” “Bright,” and “Letting Go.”
Cameron Castan. Photo by Rob Scheuerman.
You can check out the entire set of photos taken by Rob Scheuerman below!
Interested in attending a Thursday night show at Pet Shop? Stop by this Thursday, July 20th to see Sotvo, No, and Iceblynk. On Thursday, August 3rd, Look At My Records! helped curate a special benefit show at Pet Shop for Ukraine Mutual Aid. Pons and Slang Terms will be performing, along with a special guest. For more information, check out the event listing here on the site. The music will start promptly at 8 p.m. for both shows.
