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.
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.