"Drift" By Hollow Heroes: A Meaningful Song For Anyone Who Is Struggling

I want to tell the backstory on how I got to know New Jersey hard rock band Hollow Heroes. It's a little long, so please bear with me. I think it's a cool story and an example of how strong the hard rock and metal music community is and how it can impact someone's life. 

It all started this past May, when I went to a show in Asbury Park, New Jersey.  It was a little outside of my comfort zone, but something was drawing me to it.  The night before that my boyfriend, Mike, and I were supposed to go see two “bigger, well-known” bands at our local casino events center, but we just weren’t “feeling it”, as they say. I ended up selling our tickets.

I had shared with Mike earlier that week that I wanted to go see some New Jersey bands I had recently started following, and he was totally supportive. I go to a lot of shows by myself, and I assured him that, as always, I would be with my “music family”. I had been invited earlier this year via a message on Instagram from the band RODERIK to go to one of their shows, but I was working and was unable to attend. I never forgot that and was determined to find one I could go to.

Well, I started seeing posts about a show at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park with RODERIK, Hollow Heroes, Wave Break, and Spitshine.  When I decided earlier that week that I was going to pass on the show the night before and attend that, I reached out to RODERIK on Instagram to let them know. They immediately invited me to their VIP guest list “coffee hangout” in the afternoon a few hours before the show.  I was honored!

Naturally, as it usually happens despite being a 53-year-old woman, I was nervous and feeling my social awkwardness kicking in when I arrived at the coffee shop.  That nervousness went away pretty quickly when I was immediately greeted by two members of a band – which turned out to be Hollow Heroes! As I recall, it was their drummer, Tom Riccoboni, and their bassist, James Romano.  They were very welcoming and happy to see me and I knew I had made a great decision going to the North Jersey Shore town of  Asbury Park on this lovely Saturday in May. 

After the coffee hangout and spending some time on the Asbury Park boardwalk eating pizza and watching the ocean, I walked to the hotel, which had just opened a new area for live music called Berkeley Backyard. Don't let the name fool you -- it's an indoor venue, but there is a big door that allows easy access to the patio. It was a wonderful night of music and making new friends. All of the bands were fantastic. It was honestly something I’ll never forget.  It reinforced my love of music and my reasons why I am so happy to support “smaller, up and coming” bands.

Hollow Heroes was excellent that night.  I was so impressed by their performance and their music. Their lead vocalist, Alex White, performed with his arm in a sling, and despite that he sang beautifully and was very energetic and entertaining. This band earned a special place in my heart that night, and I was hoping I’d get to see them perform again soon.

Fast forward to June, when I found out Hollow Heroes would be opening July 30th for Keith Wallen, guitarist and backing vocalist of Breaking Benjamin who also has a solo music project and is on a headlining tour. I knew right away that another trip to Asbury Park was in my future. I told Mike and he said I should absolutely go.  My friend Jo came with me, and it was awesome.  It was at House Of Independents, a really cool venue I had never been to.  Hollow Heroes did a great job that night, and I was so proud of them!

A couple days prior to the show, Hollow Heroes announced they’d be releasing a new song called “Drift”. Just hearing the little teaser on social media intrigued me. I asked them if I could hear the song in advance of it being released to consider it for a review and submission to possibly add it to The Sound 228 rotation, and they kindly sent it over.  I loved it as much as I had hoped I would, and we got the ball rolling.

Hollow Heroes is a rock band from New Jersey. Are they from a specific part of the state?  Not really. Some of the members are from South Jersey, others from North Jersey. So we’ll just say they’re “from New Jersey”.  Band members are:  Alex White (Lead Vocals); CJ Palmisano (Lead Guitar/Vocals); James Romano (Bass); and Tom Riccoboni (Drums).

How would I describe Hollow Heroes?  They’re a little bit of everything. A combination of hard rock, pop punk, and post-hardcore vibes. There’s even some grunge and nu-metal elements.  You can hear they are also influenced by classic rock. Honestly, if you are a fan of any kind of rock music, you’ll love Hollow Heroes. Their music would be appealing to anyone.

Hollow Heroes started with CJ and Alex. They had been in a band together previously, and in 2020 CJ reached out to Alex and asked if he wanted to make music with him. They both wanted to do something new. They honestly weren’t even sure if they wanted it to be an actual band, or just a couple guys getting together and working on songs.

Alex White

CJ Palmisano

With the pandemic happening not long after they connected, it took a lot of time away from potentially finding other band members.  Alex and CJ used the better part of 2020 through 2022 to write and record music. 

Around May of 2022 is when James and Tom joined them. Tom was brought in by Alex since they have been friends since they were kids. James was brought in by CJ. James' wife and CJ's fiancée are best friends and the two men had expressed interest in wanting to jam together. That is how the Hollow Heroes lineup as we know it came to be. 

The band’s name, Hollow Heroes, comes from the Breaking Benjamin song “So Cold”.  The second line of the first verse is “Hollow Heroes separate, as they run.”  CJ was listening to Breaking Benjamin one day, and came up with the name.  Something of interest is that the band’s second choice for a name was “Break My Fall”, which is actually a Breaking Benjamin song title.  They’re happy with the band name they chose, though. It's ironic how the band got its name, because I definitely can hear how Hollow Heroes' music is influenced by Breaking Benjamin.

When the band was just kind of starting out, at first songs were written by Alex and CJ individually, with each band member then coming up with different ideas to add to and make the songs better.  Now, songwriting is a bit more of a collaborative effort amongst the whole band.  As far as who brings songs to the table, it could be Alex, CJ, or James. Lyrics are mostly done by Alex, but CJ has written lyrics as well. Typically, the instrumentals have come first, with Alex coming up with lyrics later on. 

Hollow Heroes’ unofficial fifth member is their good friend and producer Ben Karas of the band Thank You Scientist. He and James were longtime neighbors. Ben has been recording their music since 2023.  The band told me Ben is always such a fun guy to be around, and his knowledge of audio engineering and producing is incredible.  There are a lot of little things he has the band try to make each song better, and they always work.

“Drift” actually was brought to the band by James. His whole mindset behind the vibe of the song was just wanting a big chorus with a super melodic verse. This song is edgy and high energy, but it also has that emotional honesty Hollow Heroes is known for.  

Alex's lyrics for “Drift” represent someone who is struggling. We all have our own struggles we go through in life and sometimes they can just overwhelm us. According to a Onesheet the band put out about “Drift”, it’s about the pain of watching someone you love repeatedly make the wrong choices and “drift away” from who they could potentially become.

James Romano

Tom Riccoboni

Something I really love about Hollow Heroes is how REAL they are. No frills. No fancy gimmicks. They are self-proclaimed “regular guys” who have an amazing bond with each other as well as with their fans. They’re just a good rock band. VERY good. They are talented musicians with a wonderful singer.  Watching Hollow Heroes  perform live twice now, I was amazed at how masterful CJ is as a guitarist.  Tom and James pack a one-two punch in the rhythm section on drums and bass, and they are both excellent at what they do. Alex has an engaging on-stage presence.  You can hear the emotion in his voice as he brings each song to life.

What’s coming up for Hollow Heroes? The current plan is to keep releasing new music and play some shows in between. The band has a show Friday, August 15th at Jimmy’s in Kearny NJ @jimmysbarandgrill, which is being put on by PaigeLeigh Presents. Other bands playing that night include: LOADED; Rotting Fruit; Coquettish; Alabaster Jones; and Your Best Nightmare.

There will be an EP release show announced sometime in the future, so make sure to follow Hollow Heroes on Facebook and Instagram, and also stream their music on whatever platform you prefer and subscribe to their YouTube channel!

Finally, I want to include the music video for "Liar", the Hollow Heroes song released prior to "Drift". It's a great song and the video is awesome. It's a statement about the complicated times we're all living in. Check out the guitar solo by CJ in the bridge!

Written by: Annie Schlottman Special thanks to Diane Godfrey DiMemmo of Asbury Park Vibes & APV Entertainment as well as CJ Palmisano and Hollow Heroes for background information and photos