Bergen Rocks Meet the Bands: MotorMouth

Bergen Rocks: Meet MotorMouth!

Bergen Rocks: Rock and Raise, a special fundraiser at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood. The show will benefit the scholarship program at bergenPac’s Performing Arts School while shining the spotlight on the best local bands.

Tickets for Bergen Rocks are just $25 per person and going fast. Visit www.bergenpac.org to learn more and get your tickets before they sell out!

If you want to experience the hard rock energy of Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Rush, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, Queen, AC/DC, Kiss, Black Sabbath, The Who, Journey, Ozzy Osborne, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, and more then MotorMouth is the band you want to see.

The band mixes a great selection of well-known tunes with deeper cuts that keeps fans from getting bored with the same cover standards. The soaring lead vocals are spot on and will get you singing along. The backline of music will get you fist pumping, playing air guitar or drums, or jumping on the dance floor. The guys in the band love the music and it shows in the fun they're having when performing it. Tribute bands are great but there's a limit to the setlist. MotorMouth makes it a point to always introduce new songs into every show so fans never see the same show twice.

We recently spoke with MotorMouth frontman Terry Dey

Can you tell us about the band’s origins?

MotorMouth is comprised and inspired mainly by two individuals. Myself (I'm the singer) and the guitar player (Jim Alexiou). He and I have been together in this band for just over 10 years now. The other two positions (bass and drums) have had a number of individuals. Our home base is River Edge. We rehearse in the guitar player’s home studio weekly. I was raised primarily in Paramus first, then Mahwah. Most of our venues that we perform in are also in Bergen County with some exceptions.

MotorMouth is known for playing covers that other bands shy away from, contributing to your unique identity. Can you tell us more about that?

MotorMouth performs songs many bands shy away from such as technically difficult progressive bands like Rush. Because of my high range we are also able to cover a wide variety of bands such as Zeppelin, Whitesnake, Queen and others. And while any band can play a Queen song you won’t’ hear many perform "Under Pressure" because of Freddy Mercury’s high wails. Or Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” or “Black Dog” for the same reason. So while you will find other bands that perform the same bands we do...our song selection is unusual. Another example: MotorMouth performs Rush's “Freewill” with proficiency and ease. When is the last time you heard that in a bar?

What can people expect at Bergen Rocks?

At bergenPac we are presenting a mix of songs that represent us fully. (Minus our Zep catalog out of respect for the band after us Black Dog). We are primarily a hard rock/classic rock band but we want to include some songs that have a wider appeal as well. (Like Queen and Paul McCartney). We are incredibly excited to be part of the lineup at bergenPac this March 28. It’s a unique venue that has a long history and we are thrilled to become part of that.

How did MotorMouth become involved with Bergen Rocks?

My good friend Susan is the reason MotorMouth is part of the lineup on March 28. She’s been to many of our shows and we've also performed at the Burn Brae Mansion in Glen Spey, N.Y., which Susan’s family owns. When she explained what it was for we jumped at the opportunity. Part of being a successful musical entity is giving back freely and openly. Bergen County has been a big part of our success and any chance we are able we like return some of the love.

Bergen Rocks is supporting a great cause, scholarships for performing arts education at bergenPac.

In my opinion having the arts in school is absolutely indispensable. There are a lot of young people out there trying to figure out life. What they are good at. What resonates. What moves their soul. What creates passion within them. And while the answer for many kids is sports, there are a lot of youngsters who don't fit that mold. I was one of those kids. Never really good at anything. Average student. But when presented with music I flourished. And that’s been a big part of my identity ever since. That opportunity should be there for all children regardless of family income. And that’s what this event is all about.

What are you looking forward to most about Bergen Rocks?

I think what I am looking forward to the most is the new connections this event will create for me. It’s exciting to connect with like-minded people who are all excited about the same cause. And it’s also great to perform with other talented musicians.

What are your other upcoming gigs?

MotorMouth will be performing at the Orange Lantern in Paramus April 11; Rhodes Tavern in Sloatsburg NY April 25; and The Doghouse Saloon in Washington Township May 2. We have many other dates booked through 2020 so for a full list of events you can visit our Facebook page by searching Motormouthmusic and clicking on the events tab.