About

Somebody needed to pick up the torch for hard rock and heavy metal with real grit and gusto and without a gimmick. Enter Who on Earth. The New Jersey outfit of Coosh [vocals], Pete Rizzi [bass], Johnny James Barone (guitar), Jimmy Kocha (guitar) and Howie Fallon [drums] — deliver a one-two punch of hard-hitting hooks and airtight instrumentation bolted down by pummeling grooves and piercing riffs. 

It all gestated from a question…

“We wanted to fill in the blank of ‘Who On Earth is going to bring back good rock and metal?’,” explains Pete. “We grew up on the new wave of British heavy metal and classic rock. We went through grunge and other great genres of metal. We wanted to resurrect the melodies, hooks, and guitar solos. We returned to our roots yet upgraded everything with modern production.”

The group made their bones through countless gigs across the Tristate area in every dive bar and concert hall with a stage. Along the way, Andrew and Pete tore up venues as part of MadHaus, performing marathon covers. During 2021, the longtime friends chose to forego covers, hunker down, and compose an original album.  The composing came easily, and in a short time, the founding fathers had 10 songs ready to go.  To bring the record to life, the band hit the studio with none other than Mike Orlando (Category 7, Adrenaline Mob). Over the next year, the guys endured numerous COVID delays as they recorded with Orlando behind the board as producer, engineer, and “stunt” guitarist. Nodding to everyone from Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica to Rush, Alice In Chains, and Tool, they placed storytelling in the spotlight.

“Most of our songs are complete stories from start to finish,” notes Andrew. “We’re talking about our lives.”

“There’s a personal vulnerability in the lyrics,” adds Pete. “It’s reflective and honest.”

In November of 2023, the band recorded a refreshing, heavier version of Toto’s ‘Hold the Line,’ adding crunchy guitars, pounding drums, new solos, some tasty bass elaboration, and the signature Coosh vocals.  The revitalized version quickly became a hit and is the band’s most-streamed song.  

In July of 2024, after completing the recording of new music, the band lost their beloved guitarist, Bruce Gatewood, to heart disease.  Devastated by the loss, the boys emerged from a very trying time with the decision to forge on, making it their mission to honor Bruce’s passing by promoting the music they had created together.  

Jimmy Kocha joined in the Fall of 2024, bringing his shredding skills, professional attitude, and humble demeanor to the mix, a true blessing the band desperately needed at that time.   

In March 2025, Who on Earth released their EP, ‘Smoke & Mirrors,’ a six-song offering that includes five originals and their remake of Toto’s ‘Hold the Line' and again a product of Mike Orlando's Sonic Stomp Studio.  

"We are very proud of 'Smoke & Mirrors.'   It speaks to the deceptive nature of corporations (Dawgz, Voodoo), shitty people (Trash Talker), and social media, biased news reporting (Lobotomy).  What you see is, unfortunately, rarely the truth.   Yesterday's Future is our epic song, 6 minutes in length.  It's our Hallowed be Thy Name, and you can hear the Iron Maiden influences coming through!"

Ultimately, Who on Earth fills a void for rock ‘n’ roll.

“We just try to write good songs,” Pete leaves off. “We’ve gone back to what we grew up on. It’s still valuable and relevant. It can’t die.”

“We want to inspire younger people to play this style,” concludes Andrew. “It would be nice to pass on the tradition.”