A Revival Asbestos I’ve Ever Seen
“A Revival Asbestos I’ve Ever Seen”
The Moms - Crossroads in Garwood, NJ
6.5.2026
[before reading, I’d like to offer the warning that I do speak about drug use, ideation, and alcoholism in this review in line with my personal experiences. If you are experiencing any of these ways of life and trying to heal, please proceed with caution, enjoy your read, head to the resources tab if you need, and know you are loved. have an easy one, and I wish you all the best, regardless.]
In no world did I ever think that I would be writing this review, but I am not displeased by that fact in the slightest. Conversely, I fear it’s some of the most excited I have ever been to put thought to paper, as I’ve finally gotten to see a band called The Moms from New Jersey at a bar/venue called the Crossroads.
First of all, let’s dissect the fact that I’m normally writing from the humidity of central Florida - I understand some of you are likely a bit concerned with the state of my mental wellbeing, but nonetheless, I did venture to New Jersey in order to see The Moms revive themselves after seven years, six months, and nineteen days (as of writing). Like, the way I felt about My Chemical Romance, the way most of us feel about My Chem - that’s me with a heightened fervor for The Moms. And I understand that’s a bit strange - a band that’s nearly reserved for Jersey - a place where I have family but have never spent much time in other than this current weekend - but that’s my forever band, and this review gets written from that perspective. Either sit with that or don’t, but the review is being written regardless.
Nothing really hit me until the evening of the show. If you know me, you know I spend/have spent absurd amounts of time in New York across my life, so for a huge amount of these few days I’d spent in Chinatown (Naturally. Did you not read the Matt and Kim review? Get with the programme!), it just felt…normal. I normally crash out with something and end up in NYC anyway, so it really did not set within my bones how monumental that this would be until I was en route to Garwood, a place I have never stepped foot in or driven through in my life, but music will quite literally take you places, baby.
I walked in, and there’s a familiarity of just about any other dive bar that crosses as a venue. Everyone is here for a good time, regardless of any other factor going on in their lives. The staff at Crossroads are absolutely lovely, and I appreciate phenomenal conversation and kindness, something found in abundance there. Cool dive bathroom, reasonably priced beverage, good looking circular stage? Damn, and a porch? I love it here. If we’re being weirdly specific, which we always are, I didn’t miss Lady Liberty with Simmons’ makeup directly across from an alligator, and didn’t miss the overwhelming love I felt. Frank Iero also played there when he was ‘the cellabration’, which, argue with the wall, was the best iteration of his solo music if we’re not including Leathermouth.
(If you happen to look at the setlist linked and want to go crazy about it with me, send me a DM. I’m fully serious, because what the hell do you mean Frank Iero Joyce Manor cover? That cannot be lost media. One of you has to have a video of this happening.)
I think that the evening had a palpable air of love and appreciation for every body that walked through a venue entrance that evening. We were all there to support someone we knew, or music we loved, or both. I’m sure there were folks who had never heard of The Moms before and just went out on a Friday night, but they got to see me have a night of a lifetime.
Gazee and Beauty took the stage to open up, both longtime friends or listeners of The Moms respectively. Gazee took my heart for wildly grief-filled reasons, but there was truly no reason to have my mother’s favorite flower next to my dad’s calling card. I appreciate it, and I appreciate knowing that I’m looked out for via good fucking music. I wept at the Gazee cover of “If It Makes You Happy”, which, forgive me, is currently not media I have, because y’all don’t wanna hear me weep! However, admittedly, the greatest Sheryl Crow cover I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.
Beauty feels like they come straight out of a crossbreed of the Rockaways and New Jersey, and honestly? John Stamos would love them, I sure as hell did. It was a case of two opening sets that throw you off the headliner’s sound, but how many openers have you fallen in love with?
Hundreds or thousands, and that’s my point.
I knew what it meant the second I heard Thin Lizzy, man. The boys were, in fact, back in town. I’m shaking like a wet chihuahua / a version of a fourteen year old me that I thought died to a hulk on a random Tuesday in 2016. I’ve got to be humorous about the situation I was in a decade ago otherwise I’ll have a bad time now thinking or talking about it, and unfortunately for some people, I refuse to live my life as a guest in it. I want to enjoy things! I want to live and continue to thrive, which is a wild thing to put to paper considering what I am about to type and TMI the world for a second time.
(I’m not making the joke, do it on your own time - feels too far if I do it on the mag y’know?)
I think there couldn’t have been a better song to open up with than Bedtime. If you do not know the full story in relation to me, I was using YouTube to give me a sign, and that’s what I’d found. For those unfamiliar with The Moms, which is most people I’ve ever encountered until I change that… the opening line is “And I won’t kill myself tonight / cause I’m pretty sure that all my friends would miss me”, with the most humorous video about thwarting a friend’s ideations/attempts that you’d ever see. It was the most monumental thing that could’ve ever happened, and naturally the album ends up on your shoulder permanently, and you end up in a New Jersey dive bar watching folks you adore absolutely kill it on stage on their first night officially “back from the dead” as a band. I think it cured anything that’s ever been wrong with me to scream that back at the people that wrote it, even if I had to wait twelve years to do it.
Oh, but wait, there’s more, baby, Billy Mays style - obviously this isn’t over, this was my show of a lifetime. The setlist was so good I yelled “Yo!” at Joey through the weep after Bedtime, because that’s Train Station? Right now? We’re just gonna do that….? Hell Yeah. Honestly, because Joey brought it up mid show, I will admit I saw something - My ass saw 180 Grier (Trashkanistan linked!) and I knew they couldn’t disappoint me in any way tonight with that setlist… or really in any regard. I was going to show up as soon as I had the thought that it was possible for me, and certainly as soon as my boss gave me the time off and the overtime beforehand. Thanks, T. - I appreciate you with everything in me, too.
Train Station goes into Viva!, I get to scream the song I rage at the clinic as an adult with*, I get to yell about the feds with Business, and rage about my own former drug addiction to Blow Me, and I am the happiest girl* alive just existing through everything…and you’re gonna hit me with Soup Song, and I just need a water, and everything is good. The Knicks are about to win that damn ring behind me and everything in the entire world is copacetic. I have a Buy American poster and I finally own Moms merch that isn’t off eBay. I’ve gotten to meet wonderful and kind people who all adore “my favorite niche New Jersey - DIY sounding - band of all time”, and somewhere in the tuning break before Miss America (absolute ape choice to go back to Buy American in front of me… You guys are so cool) I find myself quite literally praying that I get to hear Bedtime a second time, which is wildly unrealistic in any setlist choice.
“We’re gonna play our whole discography tonight.” is also the most insane thing you could say in front of someone who flew from Florida to New York and then bussed it via NJ Transit to come see you. I can’t believe those are words I heard, but I do have the setlist to prove its near 80% validity. I’m guessing, by the way - my uncle Serge helped tutor me in statistics. I could and should figure it out for his honor, but he’ll forgive me.
All I’ll note is that I think Wasn’t Bothered is the perfect song for Fest in GNV, and I’d like to hear it. Dwyer’s was played, Arrest Me, and as suspected, 180! There’s only so many times in life I’ll get to yell 180 Grier by Trashkanistan at the Moms, so I gotta take advantage of what I got! What a song, what a damn cover, what a show. I watched Joey shred until he bled all over his guitar, which is the first time I’ve gotten to see that happen? Metal as hell, you people are cool as sin. Matty, thank you for crushing everything, thank you for livestreaming this. Jon, you bewilder me on stage and I’d love to talk more.
And by the way? They closed with Bedtime. I heard it twice.
I think (I hope) the following ramble sums up why I do what I do - why I’ve always done what I do now; I love humanity. I believe we are inherently good and I believe we want to create, I believe we want to be known and remembered, but the best way to do that - I think - is through found family and community. Being in the Crossroads last night made me remember that life is fucking incredible, and I am so glad that I maintained life through every struggle. I suppose that might be the crossroad for some, but I’m really glad that I took the correct path for myself. In the words of a beautiful patient I have? “It’s really incredible not to be addicted to alcohol anymore.” My well whiskey drowned me for too long, and it didn’t get better for a while, but at 25, I haven’t raced monoxide poisoning in about eight years.
I’m very grateful to be alive, I’m very grateful to the men who form a band The Moms for coming back from the dead in Garwood, New Jersey, at a venue called Crossroads. By the way - Joey, I know you said the pressure was on, but there was none. I was there for y’all. I was going to be the craziest human in the building and anything you did or could do would blow me away, but thanks for everything, the three of you, forever and always.
Setlist:
Bedtime
Train Station
Viva
Business is Booming
Blow Me
Road Soda
Stop Start
Live 4 it
Good Job
Push Shove
Obsidian
Soup Song
Miss America
Whiskey Showers
Dull
VII/Seven
Dwyer’s In The Navy Now
Arrest Me
180 Grier on Nursery (Trashkanistan Cover)
Long Shot
Rock Boat
Cockfight NJ Transit Song
Bedtime
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The Moms were a band from 2013 to 2018, and are now, thank God, a band again. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and Bandcamp. Anywhere you stream music, really.
You can catch them live at Fest 24 in Gainesville, Florida, on Oct. 24 & 25th. I highly recommend you do.
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*T, if you’re reading this I really don’t like the system glitches and I know I’ve complained about it but it’s so bad the magazine has to hear it. I want to consistently complete medication audits without issue…I know you do too.