RAHWAY Rips It Up at​ Bleacher's Bar in Bristol, CT

Review By: Kat Gullage
Photos By: Holly Roy Photography

WHO THE HELL IS RAHWAY?!?
I stole that tag line from their website cuz it’s the perfect opener. The four man band, aka Slumlords of New Jersey, are made up of Nick Hade on vocals, David Cardenas on the axe, his brother Steve Cardenas on drums and Chigger (Tim Louie) on bass. The group’s moniker represents their hometown of Rahway, NJ, which is only five miles from Staten Island and fifteen miles from Manhattan. It’s also known as “Spanktown”, based on a legend that an early settler disciplined his wife by publicly spanking her. Sounds like a fun place.

On this brutally cold night, Rahway took the turnpike and rolled into a local rock club in Bristol, CT, to play to a lean but committed crowd. The walk-in song was freaking “What’s New Pussycat?”. Let the records show that our trusty photographer Holly Borden immediately knew it was Tom Jones. Respect where it’s due.

Rahway tore straight into an eight song set, six pulled from their self titled release. They fed us “Stone” and “Drowning” both of which honestly hit harder live than the studio version. Nick never stops moving the entire time and his mohawk suits his chaos. He welcomed the room: “It’s pronounced Raw Way. If it’s your first time out, welcome to the family. ” They had a count into “OnlyThe Strong”. I bounced on three and quickly found out the count was five. I really liked the tune, it had a PM5K thread laced into it. “Whoever digs us the most gets free shit. Y’all like free shit?!” You KNOW my ass won the free shirt for wildin. Nick threw it and it sailed over my head in the dark bar. I couldn’t find it! Some rando guy picked it up and kept it. Tragic. Nick announced the band would be posted at merch for meet and greets. They ripped into “Faith” and Nick busted out a slick Elly De La Cruz slide from the drum riser to the front of the stage. Afterward he casually mentioned he was blowing the mic out and we were hearing just his raw, unamplified voice. Honestly? Impressive. “This is for whoever feels trapped in their job. This is Cage, short for Cage The Animal. ” The song kicks from the start. David lives in that guitarist “zone” about 95% of the time, locked in. He has messy strings, all sticking out of the neck, like Tom Morello’s. Nick mentioned David “brought out the slide for this one” which led into “Yesterday” from Grand Design. Something went sideways with the drum kit and they had to stop cold. Took a minute to get it fixed.


Nick and crew picked it up right where they left off with precision. “This next one goes out to anyone talkin shit that needs a punch in the mouth” teeing up “Carry You” which opens with a great bass lick. Another free merch challenge followed, a chant contest. Yup, won that one too. Nick ruled I couldn’t win twice (fair!), but once he learned my original prize got poached, he made it right. The guitarist explained the meaning of the final song. Yawnsville (sorry David). Steve undercut him by saying he “thought it was about a massage parlor”. Not the first time in the set the drummer flexed his successful comedic timing. Rahway closed with “Rocketship”.


Rahway shows are fun! Nick was kind enough to give me band member names and the setlist. His influences are not surprising: Cornell, Bennington, Draiman. He was listening to the band If Not For Me that night. When I found out he was a Cincinnati Bengals fan I turned into that emoji with star eyes. There ain’t that many of us roaming the Northeast. Nick also has his own special elixir, a custom concoction he consumes during the performance. Wanna know what’s in it? Ask him yourself when you catch a Rahway show! Win free merch!