Alex Brumel: "the next big thing" from NJ?
For me there is nothing like that feeling of witnessing a stellar performance by a rising star, and just feeling lucky to have seen the performance in a small venue before the artist breaks into the big time. Living in NJ, where there seems to be something in the water that makes good musicians, this feeling happens pretty regularly. Unfortunately, most of the rising stars I see end up toiling around the NJ music scene, playing stellar performances night after the night for small audiences, and never getting noticed, or worse, getting noticed by a major label, and then getting screwed by the label.
However, Alex Brumel may break free from that mold. Not only is he a talented musician, who at his CD release show at the Saint last night proved that his country infused roots rock is infectious enough for commercial radio, but he also has people working with him that have been through the ups and downs of being "the next big thing". The co-producers of Alex's album are mainstays of the shore music scene, Jon Leidersdorff (blowup., and Outcry), and Gordon Brown (Highway 9, Samhill, Mr., Reality).
I could go on and on about how good a set Alex, backed by Val Emmich's band, did last night, but really you should hear his music for yourself. Go to www.alexbrumel.com, and stream some of his songs, and then once you're hooked like I am, buy the album.
I'm listening to his self-titled CD for a 2nd time in a row right now, and there's not a bad track on it.
For me there is nothing like that feeling of witnessing a stellar performance by a rising star, and just feeling lucky to have seen the performance in a small venue before the artist breaks into the big time. Living in NJ, where there seems to be something in the water that makes good musicians, this feeling happens pretty regularly. Unfortunately, most of the rising stars I see end up toiling around the NJ music scene, playing stellar performances night after the night for small audiences, and never getting noticed, or worse, getting noticed by a major label, and then getting screwed by the label.
However, Alex Brumel may break free from that mold. Not only is he a talented musician, who at his CD release show at the Saint last night proved that his country infused roots rock is infectious enough for commercial radio, but he also has people working with him that have been through the ups and downs of being "the next big thing". The co-producers of Alex's album are mainstays of the shore music scene, Jon Leidersdorff (blowup., and Outcry), and Gordon Brown (Highway 9, Samhill, Mr., Reality).
I could go on and on about how good a set Alex, backed by Val Emmich's band, did last night, but really you should hear his music for yourself. Go to www.alexbrumel.com, and stream some of his songs, and then once you're hooked like I am, buy the album.
I'm listening to his self-titled CD for a 2nd time in a row right now, and there's not a bad track on it.