And just like that, here we are

Hello,

Sometimes, it pays to be lazy.  It's definitely rare, but thanks to our total lack of diligence getting these updates posted, we actually have a lot of things to tell you about.  Where to begin...

// CLOSE COUNTS OUT ON MINT 400 RECORDS OCTOBER 6TH //

Yes, this is the big news.  Our second album is not only completed and mastered, it's already being pressed.  As in right now, as I type this, it's getting pressed.  Considering we had not recorded a note of it the last time we posted here, that's some big news, right?  It will be available via Mint 400 Records on Friday, October 6th.

We recorded the bulk of this record over a 2-day, 20 hour span at Magpie Cage Recording Studio in December with J. Robbins.  Working with J. was great.  He's a master of his craft and knows how to make fantastic sounding records.   He's also a great guy to hang out with and has a ton of cool stories.  He knows where the good pizza is (or was, RIP Two Boots South).  In Baltimore, this is a very important skill.

We finished the recordings at our home studio (as we had with Palace Amusements) and then went back for the final day of mixing in July.  We wrapped things up in the middle of the night, exchanged hugs and went on our way back to Jersey, new album in hand.  From start to finish, it was a great experience.

NJ Racket was kind enough to premiere the first track off the record this week.  In case you missed it, you can find "Can't Stop Now" linked and embedded below.

"Can't Stop Now"



// NORTH JERSEY INDIE ROCK FESTIVAL //

THIS SATURDAY we are performing at the 2nd Annual North Jersey Indie Rock Festival at Cathedral Hall in Jersey City, NJ.  It's an entire day of bands brought to you by Mint 400 Records, N.J. Racket, Jonathan Levine Projects, 4th Street Arts, BGT Enterprises and the Rock-It Docket, BlowUpRadio.com, You Don't Know Jersey, CoolDad Music, Jersey Beat, 89.1 WDFU, Speak Into My Goodeye, Jersey Indie, Makin Waves, New Jersey Stage and The Alternative.

Featuring performances by A Bird, Adam & The Plants, Cicada Radio, Cyclone Static, Delicate Flowers, Dentist, Desir Decir, The Duke of Norfolk, Fruit & Flowers, Kult of Mary, LKFFCT, The Moms, Professor Caveman, Psychiatric Metaphors, Quality Living, Rock n Roll Hi-Fives, Rocky & the Chapter, Shred Flintstone, The Skullers, Spicy Girl, Spowder, Tom Barrett of Overlake, Underlined Passages and of course, us.  We will be kicking the whole thing off upstairs in the cathedral at noon. 

If you're more of a central jersey type, feel free to join us Sunday at Arts In The Park in Highland Park.  It's an all day street fair that basically shuts down Raritan Avenue and jams it full of musicians, artists, food vendors, crafters and the like.  It's a great family friendly event and it's completely free.  We will be performing along side the KINGS of Highland Park, The Anderson Council as well as RGD and The Nowhere.  Music starts at 11:30 and we go on right around 3:30 PM on the 2nd Avenue (and Raritan) Stage.

Cheers,

Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve

Summer Update 2016

Hello,

Greetings from shore towns and points north of the Driscoll.  Hope your summer is going splendidly.  It's been another "stop and go" season for us, but it's time to get things rolling again and here's all that's happening in the TBR camp.

// SUGARFEST

We're happy to announce that we will be opening up this year's Sugarfest at The Citizen in Jersey City with Dentist, Fruit & Flowers and Karyn Kuhl Band.  As always, we're thrilled to be involved in one of Sugarblast/Signal To Noise's events - we're two time Camelfest veterans from the Dromedary days.  Al does a great job putting these bills together and the vibe is always one of friendship and community.  And of course, the music is always on point.  So come for us, stay for everybody and come back on SATURDAY for our buds in Miss Ohio and Stuyvesant, along with Kerbivore and Sink Tapes.

Friday, August 12th - 8 PM
SUGARFEST (Night 1)
THE CITIZEN
332 2nd Street Jersey City, NJ 07302
THE BRIXTON RIOT w/
Karyn Kuhl Band
Fruit & Flowers
Dentist

All proceeds to benefit listener-supported college radio at WFDU-FM!

For a refresher on all things Camelfest and Sugarfest related, here's our cover of Husker Du's "Could You Be The One" from the 2012 Camelfest, live at the venue formerly known as Maxwells.


// UPDATE ON LP #2

Before finally taking the board out and breaking down the studio (see below), we managed to get through all the basic demoing of the 11 songs that will make up the next record.  Huge thanks to Peter Horvath of The Anderson Council who managed to squeeze us into not one but two sessions before breaking up and relocating his own studio.  Once the new space is up and running (again, see below), it will be back to work at getting the songs prepped for tracking.

// SO LONG, SILVERBEAT...

Removed the last of the equipment from the room where we tracked all the vocals and guitars for Palace Amusements. Steve was even tracking bass in here when we had the "famous NJ earthquake" back in 2011. The guys from @lostromancerock did some tracking in here as well. Now we're moving out and leaving the blue room behind, but it was fun making noise in here for the last 12 years. Looking forward to making more in the new space soon #MovingOn

A photo posted by The Brixton Riot (@thebrixtonriot) on Jul 20, 2016 at 6:21pm PDT

Silverbeat (named for the Bats album) was the small blue room where we tracked a ton of "Palace Amusements".  As Jerry packs up shop and moves on to a new address, we bid farewell to the tiny space where we tracked every vocal and guitar line from our last record.  It wasn't without it's problems - the acoustics were basically non-existent and the strange "square minus a square" layout meant fitting everything (and more than two people) in at the same time was a challenge.  But we made some good music in here (as did Lost Romance) and we had fun doing it, so saying goodbye comes with a bit of sadness...

// ...HELLO, something-something

...but the new address (whenever we get there) has a bigger dedicated space that is much closer to a studio.  Sure, it's a basement and it will likely have its own challenges, but at least we can get everyone in there at the same time.  Probably.  Guess we will find out.

'Till next time.

Cheers,

Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve

Come Help Us Celebrate Steve's Nuptials

Hello there,

Hope summer 2015 has been treating you well, it's another hot one here in the dirty Jerzee.

We've been diligently cranking away at the songs for LP #2 over the last few months.  So much so that we're around the 3/4 mark for finished songs with a ton of other things in various stages of completion.  Conversations about recording have started up again, and these are very good conversations to be having.

As a result, we haven't played many shows this year - but good news! That all changes on Friday.

We're going to be taking over the New Park Tavern in Jersey City to throw a party for Steve as he celebrates his pending nuptials. And you can read all about it right here on NJ.com. Huge thanks to Jim Testa for taking the time to chat with us about the show and our almost 9 years together as a band.

As for Friday night, we're thrilled to be sharing the night with our good friends Stuyvesant, pillars of the Hudson county scene themselves. It's a free show and everything kicks off promptly at 10 PM. Hope you can be there to help us celebrate our man Steven with the fanfare he deserves.

Friday, July 31st - 10 PM 

NEW PARK TAVERN - 575 West Side Avenue -Jersey City, NJ

The Brixton Riot

Stuyvesant

Free!

Cheers,

Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve

The Year That Was (and Wasn't)

Greetings,

It's been real quiet around here, hasn't it?  Hard to believe we'll be sticking a fork in the year that was 2014 just over 12 hours from now. 

What a strange year it's been for our band. 

On paper, it seems a little underwhelming - a few new songs, a handful of shows and that was pretty much it. 

Behind the scenes, it was anything but boring. 

One of the trickiest parts of being in a band at this stage of life is balance - balancing family, work and the band is always challenging and this year was loaded with curve balls and missteps.  Our philosophy has always been that our family lives come first.  As a result, we didn't get to do all the things we hoped for in 2014.  But we loved the things we did do - Matt playing Clem Burke's kit at the Split Single Show.   Being a part of the Balloon Squad reunion show.  Celebrating Jerry's birthday with a Happy Mondays show at Wonder Bar - where Mark got the gift of his life from some of the greatest people we have the pleasure of knowing.  Ringing in David Wilson's 40's in a small Jersey City bar.  Wrapping it all up with the great guys in Stuyvesant at their record release party a few weeks back was the perfect ending.

We'd love to tell you that 2015 is the year we record the follow-up to Palace Amusements, but that's probably a little ambitious.  We've got a number of songs ready to go and many more that have already been started, so it's not beyond the realm of possibility - but as always, you never know when "life" is going to creep into these schedules.

Rather than judge this year on shows or output, we prefer to judge it on the experiences of the past year - and in that respect, 2014 was a huge year for us.  A big thank you to all who came to our shows, played our songs on the radio, bought our music or enjoyed our band this year.  Your support never goes unrecognized and we can't begin to tell you how much it's appreciated.  

We wish you all a very happy and healthy 2015.  

Warm Regards,

Jerry / Matt / Mark / Steve

Jerry's Favorites of 2014

The good folks over at Speak Into My Good Eye already posted the first half of my list (you can read it here) but I also came up with a follow-up post. I guess one just wasn't enough this year. __ We were treated to a fine year's worth of music in 2014. My tastes tend to lean towards louder guitar-based music, so there isn't much variety beyond that on here.  
SOME OF MY FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2014 (in no particular order)
Bob Mould Beauty & Ruin - He just keeps getting better and better. The Sugar reboot really seemed to light a spark and like Silver Age before it, Beauty & Ruin is all kinds of great. It even might be (ever so slightly) better than its predecessor.

Doug Gillard Parade On - Doug might be the hardest working man in rock, second only to maybe Robert Pollard. And unlike Uncle Bob, he knows what to keep and what to toss. Parade On is a great record through and through.

Stuyvesant Shmyvesant - This hasn't been out a month and it's already one of my favorites of 2014. Great collection of songs from these guys, I can't wait to hear these live.

Wussy Attica - Probably one of the most criminally overlooked bands of the last 10 years, but that seems to be changing. The shared vocals of Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker are always compelling, especially when they take two different sides of a story.

These Estates Triumph, Reign - I hoped that These Estates could fill the void of baritone-fused guitar rock that was left by Bottomless Pit (and Silkworm before them) splitting up this year. Alas, These Estates aren't making anymore new records, but Triumph, Reign and last year's The Dignity of Man are a hell of a swan song.

Miss Ohio Whippoorwill Road - The title track was one of my favorite songs of 2014.

Radiator Hospital Torch Songs Overlake Sighs The Lees Of Memory Sisyphus Says Lake Effect Adolescence EP & Childhood EP Pujol Kludge The Primitives Spin-O-Rama Cloud Nothings Here And Nowhere Else Ex Hex Rips Dentist s/t

FAVORITE LIVE SHOW OF 2014 - The Replacements at Forrest Hills Stadium

I'm going to come right out and tell you that I'm a huge Replacements fan and as such, my assessment of their late September jaunt in Queens will be incredibly biased. It's hard not to swoon when you get to belt out "Bastards of Young" and "Left Of The Dial" with your twin brother and some of your closest friends in the house. I waited 20 years for the chance to see some of my heroes and it's obvious that I wasn't alone in my excitement. A lot has been said about how this isn't a reunion without Bob or Chris or Slim, but when it comes to The Replacements, the songs were always the draw and they still pack 'em in.
FAVORITE MOMENT AT A TBR SHOW
Without a doubt, this had to be at our Brighton Bar show opening for Split Squad. The look of impish glee on Matt Horutz's face when Clem Burke's drum tech asked "would it be cool if you use Clem's kit tonight?" looked like something you would see on Christmas morning. I'm jealous. Maybe one day I'll get to use Elvis Costello's Jazzmaster. Doubt it.

FAVORITE DISPLACED MAXWELL'S REUNION - The Feelies at Asbury Lanes

I don't think there will ever be another place like Maxwell's, but for one night it was alive and well a block from the Asbury Park boardwalk. Just like their July 4th shows, there were no openers and the band took a brief intermission between sets, so it was all Feelies and that's fine by me. The hour plus drive didn't seem to keep the regulars away. There were so many friends and familiar faces in the audience I expected to see the jukebox on the way back from the bathroom. And as far as I know, nobody got towed or booted, so the parking situation was a huge improvement. And I could very easily add seeing Television at The Stone Pony to this list. It's going to be hard to top that next year. Cheers, Jerry TBR

Show at The Brighton Bar on Monday 4/28 Featuring Members of Blondie & The Plimsouls

Hello Again,

We are pleased to announce that our long winter hiatus is finally coming to an end.

We're thrilled to be back at Long Branch's staple of live music, the one and only Brighton Bar.  This is for a very special mid-week show opening up for The Split Squad (featuring none other then Clem Burke of Blondie and Eddie Munoz of The Plimsouls).

We're beyond psyched for this one and we think it will be a good time.  Or at the very least, you will get to see us make asses of ourselves in front of one of Matt's heroes.  So really, it's $10 well spent either way.

You will also have our deepest respect for coming out on a Monday night and to that end, we will START PLAYING playing by 8 PM.  Don't worry, you will get home nice and early.

Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
Jerry / Matt / Mark / Steve



__

MONDAY, April 28th  - 7:30 PM
THE BRIGHTON BAR
OPENING FOR THE SPLIT SQUAD
(featuring members of Blondie and The Plimsouls!)

The Brixton Riot
Acid
THE SPLIT SQUAD

THE BRIGHTON BAR
121 Brighton Ave,
Long Branch, NJ 07740

$10 (Tickets)

Hey, it's a Fall update...

Hello All,

We're writing to inform you that an extremely rare occurrence is...well... occurring... We are playing a live show this month. 

In fact, we're playing two...in the same week.

Last year, we had the extreme pleasure of taking part in Dromedary Records excellent Camelfest at Maxwell's.  By all accounts, it was a great time.  This year, they're bringing this great event to our favorite club, Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, NJ.

The best thing about Camelfest is that all of the proceeds go directly to the Roots and Wings Foundation of New Jersey.  This is an important organization that does very special work in our state - specifically, they provide support and services to children who age out of New Jersey's foster system.  We are thrilled to lend our talents (as humble as they may be) to this wonderful cause for a second time. 

This year's Camelfest is also part of Dromedary Records 20th anniversary festivities.  To celebrate this milestone, they will be releasing a compilation album of songs originally released in 1993 and covered by Dromedary bands and other artists, including us.  We'll be revealing our song choice very soon Dromedary has revealed the track listing and you can check it out here.

But wait, there's more...

On Friday, October 25th, we will be rejoining our new Elk friends for RENT PARTY Road Show. This is when the Rent Party crew takes the very popular and well established South Orange events and presents bands at different lodges in the area. 

We've played and attended Rent Party events in the past.  These are some of the best places to catch live music in New Jersey right now.  The bills are always excellent (again, ourselves withstanding) and cohesive.   The sound is good.   There's cheap booze.   They're held in nice areas, unlike some of the unsavory places we've played in the past.  The cover is more than reasonable (and goes directly to fighting hunger in the community).  There's cheap booze.   There's free parking.  And more than anything else, the atmosphere just feels like a big party.  This is likely related to the cheap booze.

We hope you can make it out to one (or both) of these events and help us raise money for some important causes and help us wrap up 2013 as we wind down our show calendar for the year. 

As always, thank you for your support.  We truly appreciate it.

Cheers,
Jerry / Matt / Mark / Steve



__

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19TH - 8 PM CAMELFEST 2013 (NIGHT 2)

Asbury Lanes

209 4th Ave

Asbury Park, NJ

Overlake
THE BRIXTON RIOT
The Anderson Council
Stuyvesant

$10 Donation to the Root & Wings Foundation of NJ

FRIDAY, October 25th  - 8 PM RENT PARTY Road Show

Springfield Elks
80 Springfield Ave,
Springfield Township, NJ 07081

The Local 7
The Brixton Riot
The Anderson Council

 $5 Donation at the door to benefit the local food bank



It's A Cruel Summer

Hello,

Hope you've been enjoying your summer.  We know it's been pretty quiet around here, so we thought this might be a good time to fill you in on what's been happening.  . 
 
After a short break, we're getting back to playing shows again, starting with our rescheduled radio session on WRSU's Overnight Sensations.  We'll be joining Geoffery Pape on air to play a few songs and talk for a bit.  The show will air Friday, August 9th at 10:30 PM.  So it's like going to a show but it's free, there's no parking and you don't have to leave the house.  You just have to stay awake until 10:30.  You can do that, right?

In Hurricane Sandy related news, we've got a track coming out on a benefit album next week.  My Hometown: a Tribute to NJ is a collection of songs originally recorded by NJ artists covered by an eclectic mix of indie bands. All proceeds will go to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.  You can pre-order the CD now and you'll be able to download two tracks immediately (The Successful Failures covering Fountains of Wayne and The Paper Jets covering Bruce Springsteen).  The CD will be officially released on Tue. July 23rd on the FDR label.  Our selection was a personal favorite - Yo La Tengo's "Upside Down".  We had a great time recording it with Chris and Peter of The Anderson Council - Peter even contributed the excellent backing vocal on our version, so be sure to give it a listen. 

We have a second song coming out this summer, and once again, it's a favorite from the 90's.  This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Jersey based micro-indie label Dromedary Records.  To celebrate, they're releasing From ’93 ‘Til Infinity: A Dromedary Records Compilation, a deluxe vinyl double-LP, featuring more than a dozen artists performing cover versions of seminal indie rock songs from the year 1993. Like My Hometown, we're very excited to have contributed a track to this fine collection.  Since the plan is to keep the track listing a secret until the album comes out, we won't reveal what song we contributed, but you might be able to guess.

Before signing off, we wanted to take a minute to talk about Maxwells. 

As you probably already know, Maxwells will be closing its doors forever on July 31st.  We've seen a number of clubs come and go, but this isn't just another club.  Simply stated, Maxwells is the cornerstone of the New Jersey independent music community.  As Ira Kaplan eloquently put it during Yo La Tengo's final Maxwells set, "without this club, this band does not exist".  While Yo La Tengo (and undoubtedly, The Feelies) are inextricably linked to Maxwells, I think a lot of bands and musicians share a similar sentiment.  I remember talking about playing there before we had even played our first show; it was one of our first goals as a band.  We held both of our record release shows at Maxwells because we knew it was always a good time there - as performers, as members of the crowd, as dinner patrons.  As we've mentioned before, we have important history that will always be connected to 1039 Washington Street. 

For all of the great memories, all the shows (and all the free dinners) and for everything you did, we sincerely thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  Thank you Todd Abramson for booking us - the first time and every time.  Thank you Carson and all the other wonderful sound people we've worked with over the years.  Thank you to the hosts and hostesses, waiters and waitresses and all the bartenders, cooks and staff for making it the special place that it truly is.  

Cheers,
Jerry / Matt / Mark / Steve

THIS FRIDAY : Rent Party Benefit to Help Fight Hunger In South Orange and Maplewood

Hello Again,

This coming Friday we will be performing at a Rent Party show at the South Orange Elks Lodge. 

If you're unfamiliar with Rent Party, it's a great group of individuals dedicated to fighting hunger in the South Orange and Maplewood NJ communities by hosting local music shows at the South Orange Elks.  The price of entry is an extremely reasonable $5 and that money goes directly towards stocking Rent Party's food pantry for the community.  We will be sharing the stage with Dollar Store Riot (no relation) and Zombies Of The Stratosphere.

We hope you will join us and help feed NJ families. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 12TH - 8 PM
South Orange Elks Lodge
220 Prospect Street
South Orange, NJ

Dollar Store Riot
Zombies Of The Stratosphere
THE BRIXTON RIOT

$5 Minimum Donation

Cheers,
Jerry / Matt / Mark / Steve

6th Anniversary Show @ The Court Tavern (2/9/2013)

Hello,

We're pleased to let you know that a week from this coming Saturday, we will be performing at the Court Tavern.  We're always happy to be at The Court, but this is a date of certain significance for us - it is the 6th anniversary of the first ever TBR show, all the way back on 2/9/2007. 

Even better, we're going to be joined by The Anderson Council for their "home town" CD release party for their great new full length, "Looking At The Stars".  Filling out the bill are Eastern Anchors - who are also supporting a recently released LP, the excellent "Drunken Arts & Pure Science" - and Hoboken's favorite sons, the magnificent Stuyvesant. 

It's only $7 and doors are at 8 PM.  We took the early slot so we'll be up first (we know you need to get home to pay the babysitter).  We also hear that the Court is looking really nice these days, with actual doors on the bathrooms now.  Looking forward to seeing that with our own eyes...

A 6th Anniversary seems like a strange thing to celebrate, but it's been a long and interesting ride to get here.  When the Court closed its doors last year, it seemed incredibly unlikely that we (or anyone) would play there again.  To say we are excited to be celebrating our 6th year together at the site of some of our earliest shows is an understatement.  We hope you will join us for the party.

Saturday, February 9th - 8 PM

COURT TAVERN

The Brixton Riot

The Anderson Council
Eastern Anchors

Stuyvesant

Cheers,

Jerry / Mark / Matt / Steve

 



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.

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

OUT TODAY - "Palace Amusements" by 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

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.

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

A Brief TBR Update

Since it's been about a month since we last checked in, we wanted to drop you a line about what's happening with the record, the fall dates and us in general.

When we last checked in, we were in the mixing phase. And now…we’re basically still in the mixing phase. We're eagerly awaiting the next batch of tracks as we speak, and we're sure they will sound great - but since it's already October 11th, it's safe to say that Palace Amusements most definitely is not coming out on November 15th. I’m sure I owe someone a drink for that one (I’m looking at you, Steve). And since it won't be ready by the 15th, playing a fall tour to support it doesn't make much sense. We will likely still pop in for a few dates before the holidays, but we're going to hold off on some of our bigger plans until we've got the record in hand.

That's not to say that we haven't been busy. Bryan Sargent came by our last rehearsal and took some great photos. Some of them have popped up on our Facebook page already, some of them will be added soon and some of them will never see the light of day to protect our already questionable reputations.

Meanwhile, Matt and his old group My Favorite Citizen will be performing a reunion show at Maxwell's on December 28th, which I'm really looking forward to. Standing in front of him, I never get to see him play, and I’ve always wondered how he keeps that Yankee hat centered perfectly on his head.

And finally, we're very happy to congratulate Mark on his recent engagement to Erin, who he met at one of our Maxwell's shows a few years back. I apologize for not remembering the date, but it's not like I met MY wife that night. I don't remember much about that particular show, but I do remember Erin heckling us from the audience about the Yankees. Ah, amore!

Until next time, keep it real peeps.

Cheers,
TBR