Riot Act

by Rob Dude

Consider this fair warning. A new band is about to unleash itself upon the club circuit. The name is Riot Act. Get used to hearing it. Like a tightly-clenched fist, it twitches and waits for its time. The wound-up and tightly-packed energy source is soon to be released with a smirk to rival Vital Idol’s airbrushed photos.

It began as a side project. New Jersey rap artist Lisa Joy Dahl recruited Jon Paul Royer (bassist of Boa) and guitarist Todd Christian (from God-knows how many bands). Next came drummer Jim Mulvanie (formerly of Mystery City), bassist Jim Whitman, and Dan Bonjiorno (also of Mystery City fame) as back-up vocalists. Together they settled into a 24/7 schedule to pull it tight.

During smoke breaks, they began trading riffs and bouncing ideas off each other. Things began to tick. Fate penciled them in for a later gang bang. With the rap gigs beneath their belts, each sauntered over to the other and mentioned starting a band. The instrumental powerhouse was formed. The bandmates searched for six months to find a voice and mind to mesh with their raw, dexterous sound. The position was filled (to overflowing!) by an ex-L.A. throat, Heath Huffamn. Heath’s charisma and hyperactive antics made him their perfect frontman. The search was over. The band holed up in an old boot factory and began to pound out the details.

At press, Riot Act is taking the act on the road. With the exception of a false start and a broken chair (for which they paid and, gulp!, apologized) the waters have not yet rippled. Be prepared for a splash. I checked out a box-in-the-center-of-the-room bootleg, and caught the groove. It was well-crafted, brutal, and hard-edged, yet smooth. It had energy, plodding drive, and melody without being pop crap. Heath’s vocals have the intensity of Alice in Chains, the swagger of Axl, and his own guts-on-the-plate honesty. They are definitely worth checking out. Just don’t wear socks, ’cause they’ll be knocked off.