The Jersey Guys Podcast

Roy Cathey started his music career in the late 1980s with Gibraltar, which gained local airplay in NC with the ballad "Real". In the early 1990s, he joined Cold Sweat with former Keel guitarist Marc Ferrari. He co-wrote "Long Way Down" and "Killing Floor" for Cold Sweat's debut album “Break Out”. The band released the "Let’s Make Love Tonight" video on MTV but was dropped by MCA Records the same day.

In 2001, Cathey formed The Fifth, undergoing several lineup changes until guitarist Justin Womble, bassist Jake Tripp, and drummer Gary "Zeus" Smith joined. They released a remastered version of earlier releases album "Confessions of Man" in 2020, followed by an EP titled “The Fifth” in 2021. In 2022, The Fifth signed with RFK Media, founded by Ron Keel. They performed on the Kiss Kruise with Kiss, LA Guns, and Warrant.

In 2024, RFK Media released Cold Sweat's “Unburied Alive” and Cold Sweat played at The Mountain Music Festival in the US and they will also be featured on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in 2025 so look out for them!

Jeff Paris is an American vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist who began his career as a session musician in the 1970s, appearing on albums by such acts as Jay Gruska (Gruska on Gruska) and Bill Withers (Naked & Warm, 'Bout Love). His initial band was the jazz/soul/disco quartet Pieces, who released an album in 1979. He continued writing songs and performing on sessions for other high-profile artists such as Jeffrey Osborne (self-titled debut, Stay with Me Tonight, and Don't Stop) and Leon Ware (self-titled album), the latter a famed Motown songwriter in his own right, throughout the early/mid-1980s.

In 1984, Paris branched off in a more hard rock direction as a songwriter and musician, contributing to albums by Lita Ford and Y&T that year. His credits included "Gotta Let Go" (Ford) and "Lipstick & Leather" (Y&T). He went on to work as a session musician on Cinderella's 1986 debut album, playing keyboards. Around the same time, he signed with PolyGram, releasing two solo albums, Race to Paradise in 1986 and Wired Up in 1987. In the 1990s, Paris released three more solo albums: Lucky This Time (1993), Smack (1997) and Freak Flag (1998), and also continued working as a session musician and songwriter.

In this session player/songwriter role, Paris worked with different bands and artists such as, in addition to the abovementioned Lita Ford and Y&T, the female rock band Vixen, Michael Sembello, XYZ, Stevie Salas, Mr. Big, and many others, primarily as keyboardist and backing vocalist. As a songwriter, he co-wrote many hits around the late 1980s and early 1990s such as the song "Waiting for Love," which became a successful single for the Canadian band Alias in the early 1990s. Also, the songs "One Night Alone", "Charmed Life" and "Cryin" from Vixen's self-titled debut album were all covers of Paris songs, that had originally appeared on his Wired Up album. "Cryin'" became one of the Vixen album's two big hits (following up their first hit single, "Edge of a Broken Heart"). He also penned the song "Let It Out" for Y&T's Ten album and "Road To Ruin," recorded by Mr. Big, who also recorded his song "CDFF-Lucky This Time" for their album Lean Into It; two years later, Paris re-recorded the latter song for his 1993 solo album.

Since the 90s, Paris has reinvented himself by studying blues music while writing, producing, and playing with artists such as Keb’ Mo’ and currently Coco Montoya (John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers) and more recently even studying the jazz genre. The man simply has a ton of stories and a desire to play any and every type of music out there, so please enjoy episode #69!

Born in 1995 near Wrexham in North Wales, Harry Whitley is a singer and multi-instrumentalist. Whitley’s love affair with music began at the tender age of five when he started piano lessons. His talent soon became clear, and he went on to pass all grades of classical and jazz piano with flying colors. As his love of music grew, he began to master a variety of other instruments, including guitar, bass, and drums. His teenage years saw Whitley gig with a variety of semi-professional bands around his local area and further afield in Wales, culminating in him playing keyboards for a Deep Purple tribute band at just 16! Whitley was first introduced to the music of Asia and John Wetton by his former tutor, Timothy Jones. It was love at first listen. Whitley says, “I always enjoyed the dramatic feel of Asia’s music. To an aspiring musician, Geoff (Downes) was the bee’s knees - so much energy, so many ideas, and so many keyboards!” He continues, “I soon realized just how great the Asia songs were, and of course, there was that voice. John Wetton’s voice was everything I loved about Greg Lake and Phil Collins combined, accompanied by his monstrous, driving bass playing.”

In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, Whitley established his own YouTube channel and began uploading his performances as a way of promoting his music. After receiving a positive response from viewers, he was inspired to launch a foray into a variety of different musical genres. To do this, he leaned on the artists who have inspired him since he first stepped up to a keyboard: Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Randy Newman, Steve Lukather, Tony Banks, and of course, John Wetton and Geoff Downes.

Whitley uploaded several Asia covers to his YouTube channel and soon noticed how these videos were performing far better than any others. It didn’t take long for Harry’s performances to come to the attention of Geoff Downes - and at that moment, the die was cast. When a charity tribute concert was planned to celebrate the life of John Wetton, Downes invited Whitley to step up and take charge of the Asia lead vocals. Alongside Billy Sherwood (Yes) on bass, Jay Schellen (Yes) on drums and John Mitchell (It Bites, Frost) on guitar, Whitley took his place on stage next to Geoff Downes. Downes commented “Harry Whitley is an extraordinarily talented musician. He is most definitely up there with the best of the many great artists that I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years. A rare jewel in the crown of the music world.”

Recently completing his first US tour with Asia in the summer of 2024, look for the band to hit the road again in 2025 and record new studio material as well!

Intranced are an L.A.-based metal/hard rock band featuring singer James-Paul Luna (Holy Grail), guitarist Fili Bibiano (Fortress) and drummer Ben Richardson (Wild Eyes) (along with bassist Nico Staub).

Building on their celebrated musical pasts, the core trio was united by the goal of mining the deep, rich seams of classic heavy metal, with a premium on songwriting and a focus on the epic themes of real life: triumph, tragedy, and heartbreak.

Their latest album, “Muerte y Metal” is a tour de force of the N.W.O.T.H.M. sound and worthy of seeking out. While Luna is the ace lead singer with Intranced, he has a long history with bands like White Wizzard and Holy Grail, so check out this episode for a deep dive into his music history!

Worldwide icon of melodic rock, Stan Bush is best known for his song “The Touch,” made famous by Transformers: The Movie (1986). An anthem for Transformers fans around the world, it has also been featured on ABC’s The Goldbergs, NBC’s Chuck, Fox’s American Dad, in RBN’s Guitar Hero, Deep Silver’s Saints Row IV, and the motion picture Boogie Nights. In 2014, Stan was inducted into the Transformers Hall of Fame.

As a vocalist with a career that spans decades, Stan has sung on albums by renowned artists such as Alice Cooper and Jefferson Starship, and has worked with many top producers (Georgio Moroder, Mick Jones, Peter Frampton, Paul Stanley, Ron Nevison, Richie Zito,) in addition to lending his voice to national and international advertising campaigns for Toyota, Coors, Mazda, Budweiser, Hertz and more.

Stan’s 1987 album, titled Stan Bush & Barrage not only featured the aforementioned song “The Touch” but many other anthems such as the ballad “Love Don’t Lie” and the record is still considered an AOR masterpiece to this day.

In 1997, Stan won an Emmy Award for Best Original Song for his track “Til I Was Loved By You.” Another Bush original, “Capture the Dream,” was featured at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. His songs are heard in two Jean-Claude Van Damme films: Kickboxer (1989) and Bloodsport (1988). Stan has co-written with many top songwriters like Jonathan Cain (Journey,) Jim Vallance (Bryan Adams, Aerosmith) and Paul Stanley of Kiss. Stan has toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe in his storied career.

Dare To Dream is Stan Bush’s 14th studio album and is a modern masterpiece replete with the sweetness of nostalgia. It also includes the hit single “The 80’s,” released in 2019 and supported by a popular music video. The title track, “Dare to Dream,” is about believing in yourself and letting go. There’s no limit to what we can do if we just “Dare to Dream.” Another great track, “The Times of Your Life” is about living life to the fullest and savoring every moment. These songs offer a positively charged ray of hope in today’s troubled times. There are powerful ballads and memorable songs throughout this inspiring album.

Jon Fiore is a singer/songwriter and international actor. Jon started in the early 80s as the lead singer for Geffen Records recording artist Preview and toured with acts like Asia, Pat Benatar, The Tubes, and others. After his time in Preview, Jon got into the commercial jingle business, and you may have heard his voice on thousands of commercials worldwide for brands like Diet Coke, Slice, Atari, and Folgers.

He then signed with Atlantic Records in 1996 as a solo artist and has written many songs for other artists such as George Benson and sang session vocals for the likes of Michael Bolton & Cher. In the later 90s, Jon released two critically acclaimed solo albums with the help of legendary Canadian melodic rock act Harem Scarem and their frontman Harry Hess.

In his later years he became involved in acting and his first movie "Narco Sub" (aka The Shipment) debuted on Amazon in 2021, where he played the drug cartel lord Pelon. He also is currently in the episodic adventure "Surviving The Cartel", playing the role of Tommaso Belluci, which is streaming on Amazon and distributed worldwide on Amazon with distribution by AMC Network.

Babylon A.D. is an American hard rock band formed in 1987 hailing from the SF Bay Area in CA, In 1989, Babylon A.D. caught the attention of Arista Records president and industry mogul Clive Davis, who signed them at a live showcase in Los Angeles.

The debut album was released in 1989 and included the singles "Bang Go the Bells", "Hammer Swings Down" and "The Kid Goes Wild", the latter used for the soundtrack and video for the movie RoboCop 2.

Their sophomore effort, Nothing Sacred, was released in 1992. It produced two singles, "Bad Blood" and "So Savage the Heart". The band toured throughout the early ‘90s and put several videos on MTV.

After spending several years with Arista, the band signed with Apocalypse Records in 1999 and released Live in Your Face, a compilation of live tracks recorded in various cities throughout the US. The band's next release American Blitzkrieg, followed in 2000. In 2006, the band released In The Beginning... Persuaders Recordings 8688 on Apocalypse/Perris Records contained songs from the original demo tapes that secured them their record deal with Arista.

After a long hiatus, they regrouped with all original members and released a four-song EP Lost Sessions / Fresno, CA 93 in 2014. The band also played several shows in the U.S. and Nottingham, UK’s FireFest Rock Festival.

In 2015 the band released LIVE@XXV to celebrate their 25 years of recording and performing together. They played on the 2015 Monsters of Rock Cruise, as well as other select dates across the US. Revelation Highway was issued on Frontiers Records in 2017.

Fast forward to 2023, the announced new members Craig Pepe (bass) and Dylan Soto (drums) and the new live concert album “Live Lightning” from Perris Records.

The new album includes their top-ten rock-radio classic hits “Hammer Swings Down”, “Kid Goes Wild", “Bang Go The Bells” from their debut release, their hit “Bad Blood” from the “Nothing Sacred” album and songs from their studio albums “American Blitzkrieg”, “The Lost Sessions” and their last release Revelation Highway also.

On May 17th, 2024 the band released their 5th studio album on Apocalypse Records via Perris Records titled

Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day. The new single “Face of GOD” is released on Dec. 1, 2024.

Helix is a Canadian hard rock/heavy metal band based out of Kitchener, Ontario. The group formed in 1974 as the Helix Field Band to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest in their hometown. By 1976, they operated under the streamlined Helix moniker. They had solidified into a core lineup comprising singer Brian Vollmer, guitarists Brent Doerner and Paul Hackman, bassist Keith Zurbrigg, and drummer Brian Doerner. They issued a pair of albums independently (1979's Breaking Loose and 1981's White Lace & Black Leather).

Helix inked a major-label deal with Capitol in 1983 and released No Rest for the Wicked, which marked the studio debut of new drummer Greg "Fritz" Hinz. Bassist Daryl Gray replaced Uzelac in time for the follow-up, Walkin' the Razor's Edge, which spawned the hit "Rock You" and sold over 100,000 copies in Canada, and over 400,000 internationally. 1985's Long Way to Heaven didn’t gain the same traction in the United States, but it managed to top the charts in Sweden. Follow-up Wild in the Streets went gold in Canada and included a cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On." Doerner elected to leave the band in 1989 after the release of the Capitol-sanctioned greatest-hits compilation Over 60 Minutes With….

Doerner returned to the band to record 1993's It's a Business Doing Pleasure,. After that, Brent Doerner went on hiatus with Helix, eventually debuting in 2008 with his new band Brent Doerner’s Decibel alongside his twin brother, Brian. The group eventually changed their moniker to My Wicked Twin and have recorded five albums in total.

Silent Rage formed in 1985 with founding members EJ Curse, Jesse Damon and Mark Hawkins. The band is known for their signature songwriting style of blending melody with hard-driving rock. Silent Rage remains unique from other 80’s bands by having Jesse Damon share the lead vocal duties with Hawkins and Curse.

In 1987 they teamed up with producer/artist Paul Sabu for their first critically acclaimed CD, “Shattered Hearts” and were signed to Chameleon / Capitol Records by industry veteran Steve Brownlee. In 1988, Gene Simmons signed them to Simmons Records/RCA and drummer Brian James Fox (White Tiger) joined the band. For Silent Rage’s 2nd release, Paul Sabu and Gene Simmons were chosen to lend their production skills. In 1989 they released “Don't Touch Me There”. That too reached #1 on European import charts. The song “Rebel with a Cause” was released as a single and its video debuted on MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball “. Next, the band toured with Black Sabbath for the “Headless Cross” tour. In the early 90’s Silent Rage continued touring and writing. They also wrote and performed with other projects: EJ with Doro Pesch and Jesse with Gene Simmons and Kiss. Unfortunately, the grunge scene eventually forced them into a hiatus. In 2000 Silent Rage re-united to sign a new record deal and added Rodney Pino on drums and released their third new CD, “Still Alive” in 2002. “Still Alive” was produced by Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper) and co-produced by Kevin Beamish (R.E.O. Speedwagon, Y&T) and Silent Rage. They made their 1st UK appearance at the Z Rock Festival. In 2007 Silent Rage signed a new record deal with Frontiers Records for their 4th CD, “Four Letter Word”. It was released in 2008 and produced by Gilby Clarke . The material continued to mesh melody with metal and big memorable choruses. It also featured special guest performances by Bruce Kulick (KISS), Bobby Blotzer (Ratt), Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), Dilana (Rockstar Supernova) and even former drummer Brian James Fox.

Singer & guitarist, Jesse Damon, who we talk with on this episode has also had a storied solo career, releasing no less than seven solo records to date plus a new compilation album, aptly titled “Anthology”.

Boystown was and is a five piece rock/AOR band from New Jersey formed in 1987 and began playing the same Jersey bars that bred Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. They played clubs across the USA and opened for Jon Entwistle (The Who), The Hooters, New Kids On the Block and The Romantics. The single "Way Of The World" was released on the indie UK label AIR RECORDS in 1989 followed by a UK tour. The album was well received by critics with articles in Kerrang Magazine comparing the band’s energy to The Who and lead singer David Polemeni's vocals to Paul Rogers ( Bad Company) & Lou Gramm (Foreigner). The band developed their studio sound with producer David Prater (Firehouse, Dream Theatre, Glen Burtnik) who produced seven tracks on “Angels With Dirty Faces”. Oil & Water and the title track Angels With Dirty Faces were produced by Aaron Zigman ( Phil Collins).

The CD features the core members of Boystown; David Polemeni, Bobby Guy, Joey Sykes, John Teto and Nelson Williams. The songs I Need Shelter and Get Up were featured on the television show 21 Jump Street. Other songs appeared on HBO and SHOWTIME in films like A Brilliant Disguise and In The Kingdom Of The Blind, starring CSI's William Peterson. In 1990 Boystown were asked by their namesake Father Flannigan's Boys Town in Omaha, NE to do a concert for three thousand children. Boystown is the only rock band to ever play Boys Town.

The CD continues to gain popularity worldwide and has become a cult classic in Germany, France, Belgium and Sweden. In 2006 Something In The Way You Touch appeared on the CD Munich's Hardest Hits and the song Get Up will appear in the film "All In" starring Dominic Swain ( Lolita, Face Off) and Michael Madsen ( Kill Bill).

A new version of the band, featuring the core members of Polemeni, John Teto & Joey Sykes reunited back in 2023 for a reunion show in their home state of NJ and have since played more shows and released brand new music in the form of digital singles. The hope is for the band to record a brand new album so keep an eye and ear out for that!