Never Forsaken

Alternative rock fans who love to have a good time will be more than happy to hear about a little something called the Festival Of Fire, which is taking place Saturday, April 19, at 1 p.m. at the Bridgewater Pub in Bridgeton. More importantly, this festival would not be happening if it wasn't for Bound By Nothing, a band made up of local musicians who are presenting this event in honor of their EP release, "Nine Thirty In Kansas."

For those who have never heard of Bound By Nothing, guitarist Jim Dallett says the band is usually compared to Sevendust or the Foo Fighters.

"We actually pride ourselves on the fact that not many folks approach us and tell us we sound like another band," Dallett adds.

Bound By Nothing is a fierce musical foursome that hails from southern New Jersey, but oddly enough, the band plays the majority of its gigs in Pennsylvania.

"When we do get to play in the area, it's always great to see more and more people coming out because they heard about what the band was up to out of state," Dallett says. "It's more enjoyable to stay on our home turf in South Jersey so that our friends and family can be involved."

Whether or not you are part of the band's immediate family or friend base, Bound By Nothing promises to make you feel like you're a part of that inner circle at every gig they play.

"People who come out to an Bound By Nothing show can expect to see us interacting with other bands, fans and family members that come to hear us," Dallett assures. "People can also expect to hear a cross section of our many writing styles. We play tastefully heavy music that is catchy and unique; no song in our repertoire is like another."

Even if Bound By Nothing is breaking ground with a new EP and headlining an all-day event, Dallett assures fans that no ego comes with this band package.

"The band has a code of ethics that can be quickly boiled down to treating others as we wish to be treated; this includes fans and the bands we play with," Dallett says. "If you come to a Bound by Nothing event, you won't experience any of the 'rock star attitude' that is often the turn-off factor for many bands. The music exudes the warmth of our values on and offstage, and our fans appreciate that more than anything."

What They Play: Bound By Nothing plays original alternative rock. The band has sometimes been compared to the Foo Fighters and Sevendust.

New To Setlist: "Our setlist has close to 20 original songs, but we do have one popular cover song that we adopted," Dallett says. "It is a '70s R&B/Motown tune called "Vehicle" by Ides Of March. We always get a great response when we play that song."

Roster: Matt Clarke, lead vocals, guitar; Jim Dallett, guitar; Ray Merckx, drums, backing vocals; Norm Hibbs, bass.

Why They're Cool: Bound By Nothing is putting on a musical festival -The Festival Of Fire - at the Bridgewater Pub in Bridgeton on Saturday, April 19. The band members gathered some other local bands, including Impulsive Decision, The Minutes, Desieve and many others to also perform. This party will also have a DJ who performs between every band's set and a special appearance by the South Jersey Derby Girls. All this, plus all-day-long drink and food specials, is only $5.

Originals: The newest Bound By Nothing EP, "Nine Thirty In Kansas," is the highlight of the Festival Of Fire taking place this Saturday at the Bridgewater Pub in Bridgeton. Bound By Nothing also has plans to go back to the studio this winter to record more original music. To purchase the EP, you can visit Level Up Entertainment, located in the Tilton Times Plaza in Northfield, or go to www.digstation.com/

boundbynothing.

Claim To Fame: The Spector Company, an up-and-coming guitar company, sponsors both guitarists for Bound By Nothing, Matt Clarke and Jim Dallett. Clarke and Dallett are among the first guitarists to gain sponsorship by the Spector Company, and they both play the ARC6 model.

Go See Them: 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19 at the Festival Of Fire at The Bridgewater Pub, located on Laurel Street in Bridgeton; 9 p.m. Friday, April 25, at the Derby Girls Pajama Party, Bridgewater Pub; 9 p.m. May 16 at The Pearl, located on the Somers Point Circle in Somers Point.

Web Sites:
www.boundbynothing.com,
www.myspace.com/bxnband.


- Story by Rebecca Grites; photo provided by Bound By Nothing - Press of Atlantic City