Monday, November 26, 2012

THIS SATURDAY - A Night Like This : A Benefit for The American Cancer Society

Greetings,

Now that thanks has been given and Friday is back from black, we've got one more show before we stick a fork in 2012. 

This Saturday, we will be performing as part of a very special night at The Brighton Bar along with Dave Hill, Spanish Waves, The Anderson Council and Miss Ohio to help raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

This show is particularly personal to us as Mark's wife Erin lost her battle with breast cancer this past October.  When Erin was sick, a local Red Bank woman (Social-Butterfly Debbie) put together a benefit concert to help Mark and Erin cover some of the massive expenses.  Both Mark and Erin were extremely moved by the community's support, and even though Erin was not able to successfully recover, it was extremely important to Mark to "pay it forward".  In fact, it was at Erin's benefit that he first pitched the idea of doing a benefit for the American Cancer Society.

It is with that spirit and goal in mind that we put together "A Night Like This : A Benefit for The American Cancer Society"
(yes, it's a Cure reference)
 
Joining us on Saturday night will be Miss Ohio, The Anderson Council, Dave Hill, Spanish Waves and hopefully you as well.  As Mark so eloquently put it, "inspired by the kindness of Social-Butterfly Debbie, this show is just a bunch of guys like me paying it forward, just like Debbie wanted it. God bless her heart. It is also for all the people, like my late, great wife Erin, who didn't get to see the end of cancer. "

We hope you can join us in helping The American Cancer Society and giving our good friend Erin a very fond (and very loud) farewell.

Saturday, December 1st- 8 PM
A NIGHT LIKE THIS : A Benefit for The American Cancer Society
The Brighton Bar
121 Brighton Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740

Warm Regards,
Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve


PS...a HUGE thanks to Chris Gash for the fantastic poster.
 
 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

2012 IPO New York Postponed

Hello,

We wanted to give you all a heads up that this year's 2012 International Pop Overthrow New York festival has been postponed until the Spring as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  David Bash felt that postponing the festival was the best decision and we're all in agreement. 

We'll be posting another update about Hurricane Sandy in the next few days, once we have a chance to get our thoughts together.

We hope you are all safe and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Regards,
Jerry - Matt - Mark - Steve
The Brixton Riot

Friday, October 26, 2012

Live Radio Session / Internatio​nal Pop Overthrow Festival

Hello all,

We're getting ready to wrap up another year over here, but we're going to make a few more stops before the holidays hit.

First up will be a visit to WRSU in New Brunswick for a live radio session on Overnight Sensations. Tune in to 88.7 next Friday (November 2nd) at 10 PM in the Central NJ area or listen online at the WRSU website. We'll be performing 6 songs live and sitting down with Geoff Pape and Lia Wilderman to discuss the pressing issues of the day, like the RU grease trucks and phat cats.

The following Sunday, we will *FINALLY* be back in New York City to perform at this year's International Pop Overthrow (our last NYC show was IPO 2009). Hope you can join us, people of Manhattan and surrounding tribes.




SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH - 7 PM
INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW NYC 2012
w/ Papercut
The Sweet Mack
THE BRIXTON RIOT
Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians
Changing Modes

THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND
159 East Houston Street
New York, NY

Cheers,
Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve











Tuesday, October 2, 2012

In Memory of Erin West Formica

Friends,

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we the share the news that Erin West Formica has passed.

Our heart goes out to her family and friends, and especially to our brother Mark, her daughter Isabel and Mark's son Elliott.  News of Erin's passing has been received with disbelief by those who knew her - not just because she was loved by many, but because she was so full of life.  A warm smile and a contagious laugh; Erin had a big personality - the kind that could not be ignored. 

Matt had known Erin years before he joined the band, but the rest of us had our introduction at Maxwell's.   It was an August night back in 2009 and the Yankees were playing a late season series with the rival Red Sox. Between two songs, we inquired on mic about the current score.  We were greeted with only one response from the back of the room - a very loud and crystal clear "Yankees SUUUUCK!" And with that, we had officially met Erin - and Mark had met his future wife.

Her response was half good natured smack talk and half unwavering loyalty for her beloved Boston Red Sox.  I remember thinking that this bold stranger would be outnumbered by Yankee fans at a venue so close to New York. It didn't matter, because Erin couldn't be "outnumbered" - in the literal sense perhaps, but never in the figurative sense.   

It's incredibly unfair that someone like Erin could be with us for only 36 years.  Yet she was able to touch the lives of so many people - more than some of us will in twice as much time.   She taught us all how to be brave and smile in the face of incredible odds and never surrender.  The sadness we feel today is not for Erin, but for ourselves.  Because it truly is our loss.      

Erin, we will always remember you fondly and celebrate your life.  We will miss you terribly, but the mark you have made on our lives will always be with us.  

Rest in peace.

Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve

Monday, August 6, 2012

Camelfest 2012 / Benefit for Erin West Formica

Hello,

We've been a bit lax with keeping this blog up to date, so here's an update on what's happening with us. Unfortunately, it doesn't come under the best of circumstances.
 
If you attended our show at Clash Bar on Saturday, you probably noticed Mark's absence. We've already received a bunch of questions about it, so we wanted to fill everyone in on what is happening.
 
For those of you who don't know, Mark's wife Erin has been bravely battling cancer for over a year now. Erin has remained extremely upbeat and positive through this entire process which must be both physically and emotionally exhausting for her. Despite these efforts, Mark and Erin didn't receive good news on Friday. Although Erin insisted that Mark perform with us at Clash Bar on Saturday, we were all in agreement that the only place Mark should be was with Erin and their family. We missed him terribly on Saturday - it was the first time we've ever performed as a trio and it simply isn't the same without him there - but playing shows just doesn't seem that important right now.
 
In order to assist Mark and Erin in their fight, Erin's friends have assembled the Music of Life Fundraiser for Erin West Formica at Taste in Red Bank on Sunday, August 26th.  If you are interested in attending the benefit or making a donation, you can find the details and latest information on Facebook and at the end of this post.
 
Erin's benefit is the day after our next show - which also happens to be a benefit. On Saturday, August 25th, we will be performing at Camelfest 2012 at Maxwell's which is a benefit for the NJ based Roots and Wings foundation. Roots and Wings provides support and services to young adults as they age out of New Jersey's foster care system. Their vision is to "ensure those in the program have safe housing and receive personal support and guidance related to achieving educational goals, attaining life skills, securing job opportunities, having access to health services and the encouragement and guidance required to gain the skills that lead to successful assimilation into society."



We're very happy to be supporting the important work they do in New Jersey and we're equally excited to be performing with Stuyvesant, The 65's, Cinema Cinema, Gold Sounds and Bern & The Brights. Camelfest will be held once again at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ.  All of the latest Camelfest info can be found here.
 
Our appearance at Camelfest is our last show of the summer and is currently our only scheduled show until November.  Beyond that there really is no plan, other than standing by Mark and Erin and helping out any way that we can.  They are our family and we love them very much.
 
As always, thank you for your support.
 
Regards,
Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve
 
 

__

Saturday, August 25th - 7 PM
Dromedary Record's Camelfest 2012
Benefit for Roots and Wings Foundation of NJ
Maxwell's
1039 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ

Featuring:
  • Stuyvesant
  • The 65's
  • Gold Streets
  • Cinema Cinema
  • The Brixton Riot
  • Bern & The Brights


Sunday, August 26th - 4 PM
Music of Life Fundraiser for Erin West Formica
Taste
10 Bridge Avenue
Red Bank, NJ
$30 Door Donation (Cash Bar/Hors d'oeuvres served)

Featuring:
  • Moroccan Sheepherders
  • Scott Elk & Abe
  • Gil Velazquez
  • Laura Catalina Johnson
  • Deedee Montanaro
  • Alan Manzo
  • Owen Bowes
  • Courtney McManus
Donations can be made out to Erin West Formica for anyone that would like to donate and can't attend the fundraiser. All Checks can be sent to:

345 Broad Street
Apt # 18
Red Bank, NJ
07701

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

5/19 Show at Fat Baby CANCELED

Due to circumstances beyond our control (specifically a booking error by Fat Baby), this Saturday's BRIXTON RIOT / STUYVESANT show at Fat Baby has been CANCELLED.

Not really sure what else to say here as this is the first time we've had this problem. I guess our three year New York City drought will continue into the foreseeable future.

We've got several shows lined up for the summer months and we'll be posting specific details as they become finalized, but at the moment we've got nothing lined up in the NYC/Brooklyn area.  We're going to try and  remedy that with a June date, but since we're about a month out now, that might not be possible.

We apologize for the mix up and we'll see you soon. Hope we didn't mess up your Saturday night.

Cheers,
Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve











Monday, March 12, 2012

OUT TODAY - "Palace Amusements" by The Brixton Riot













Palace Amusements - The Brixton Riot



Hello.

The wait is finally over.

We are extremely pleased to inform you that our debut album, "Palace Amusements" is officially released TODAY on the Modern Hymnal Recordings label.

Physical CDs are available from CD Baby, our web store and the Modern Hymnal web store. It is also available on iTunes in your respective country. Higher quality digital downloads without Apple's DRM limitations are available from our web store.

Of course, you can avoid the shipping costs altogether and purchase a copy in person at the Palace Amusements Release Party on Friday, March 23rd at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ. We are very excited to be playing with some of NJ's finest - The Roadside Graves, Eastern Anchors and Lieder.

Before signing off, we want to take this opportunity to say thank you to every one of you who has attended one of our shows, bought some of our music or simply supported us with your enthusiasm for our band. This past February, we celebrated the 5th anniversary of the first Brixton Riot show. We could not have reached that milestone without your support. This record is for you. Thank you for being a part of this - we hope you enjoy it.

Cheers,
Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve






















Monday, January 23, 2012

Modern Hymnal Records Releases Free Digital Single by The Brixton Riot

The following press release is from our record label, Modern Hymnal Recordings...

Modern Hymnal Recordings is happy to release a free advanced download of two songs from the forthcoming Brixton Riot LP Palace Amusements.



DOWNLOAD - Signal To Noise
DOWNLOAD - Hipster Turns 30

Since the release of Sudden Fiction, The Brixton Riot has been steadily building an audience in the Northeast US through their high-energy shows. In 2011, they stepped back into the studio with Dave Harman at Arcade Audio and self-produced their debut full-length, Palace Amusements. The record was recored both at Arcade Audio and in their home studio. To put on the finishing touches, the band brought in well known engineer Frank Marchand (The Thermals, Bob Mould, Calexico) to mix the record, and the result is absolutely stellar.

With it’s roots in well known American acts like The Lemonheads, Pavement and Big Star, Palace Amusements really shines in its similarity to the crafty pop sensibilities of the late 80’s/early 90’s Australian power-pop scene. The vintage tonality and punk-like immediacy of tracks like “Signal to Noise” really bring to mind underground bands like The Sameloves or The Chevelles.

The Brixton Riot has a keen ear for the modern plight of underground pop in the United States. Songs like "Cover's Been Blown" ("it's an easy road home / to the commuter crawl") and "Losing Streak" ("every streak will one day reach an end") explore the push-pull psychology of playing in a rock band on the wrong side of 30. They also don't mind taking a playful jab at the fashionistas of neighboring hot spots ("Hipster can't hang with the rest of the kids / 10 years too late for a scene that fits...") on "Hipster Turns 30” or some of their "too cool for school" peers on "Canvas Shoes" ("it looks so real / I bet you're fooling them now / another street punk from a suburban town").

In a state known for celebrating scrappy working class underdogs and shallow ego trips, the Brixton Riot embraces the juxtaposition and gives it a rock and roll soundtrack.

Monday, January 16, 2012

A Bit Of Trivia, Dining Tips and Our Album Cover...

Did you know that today is the "most depressing day of the year"?

We didn't. At least not until this morning.

Apparently, it's known as "Blue Monday" (not to be confused with this far better Blue Monday)

So considering this little bit of useless trivia, it's even sweeter for us to write this post. Because we have the great pleasure to report the following news items...

ITEM #1

Palace Amusements is DONE. Not mostly done, almost done or nearly done. Not done except for mixing or tweaks. Not done all but mastering. It's done as in you have read the last of our "it's on the way, we're nearly there, we're not just sitting on our asses" posts. It's stick a fork in it, signed, sealed and delivered done.

You're probably saying "well, if it's REALLY done where's the artwork?". Oh, ye of little faith.

ITEM #2



And there it is. This is Matt's fine brush work and we're all thrilled with it. Getting four guys to agree on a cover is a lot harder than it sounds. And we'd be remiss if we didn't thank Chris Gash for his hard work on helping us with design ideas.

ITEM #3

Palace Amusements will be released by the fine people at the New York based Modern Hymnal record label on March 6th, 2012. You'll be able to get it from their website, our website, ITunes and Bandcamp. You will also be able to get it at one of our shows, which we will be resuming in March. We are currently in the process of putting together a number of dates to support the release and we'll be posting them shortly. If you had a particular venue you would like to see us in, we'd love to know what it is so drop us a line.

Here's the final track listing for Palace Amusements

Signal To Noise
Hard To See The Sun
Canvas Shoes
Our Cover's Been Blown
Pinwheel
Hipster Turns 30
Carmelita
Ocean Avenue
Strange Matter
Keep It Like A Secret
It's Been Too Long
Losing Streak

If you haven't seen it already, here's a promo video for the first track, "Signal To Noise"



ITEM #4

It's too damn cold out, so I'm getting Vietnamese Pho for lunch. If you haven't tried it, you really should. It's hard to beat on a 23 degree day.

Stay Warm, kids!

TBR