The Empire Strikes Back

I've been joking lately that the Jersey Beat Media Empire keeps expanding its horizons - from the zine to the website to the blog to the podcast, and now to Jersey Beat Records and our brand-new release, Tris McCall's I'm Assuming You're All In Bands: Tris McCall In Brooklyn.

In actuality, the record label isn't anything more than a logo that Tris was nice enough to put on the back of his CD sleeve. This CD is his project - lock, stock, & electric harpsichord - and he just asked if he could stick the Jersey Beat imprimatur on it as a gesture of scene solidarity (and also a certain kinship of attitude and approach between the CD's themes and the fanzine.)

Which is great; I'm honored, truly honored. But please don't ask me to release your next magnum opus because we're really not at that stage with the "label" just yet.

In any event, Tris officially released the CD with a nearly sold-out show at Maxwell's on Friday night which also featured Marc Maurizi (ex-Cropduster/Brokedowns,) Charles Bissell (of the Wrens,) and The Multi-Purpose Solution. The bill made perfect sense, even though I had nothing to do with setting it up - from Marc's integral role in the late-Nineties indie-NJ/W.E. Fest scene to Jersey Beat's long infatuation and association with the Wrens to the working-class punk-rock of Jersey City's MPS. It's always heartening to see Maxwell's back room filled elbow-to-elbow with fans there to see local bands, and the show couldn't have gone any better.

Tris and his band The New Jack Trippers were especially on, in large part because this was the last time we'll ever see this band in this configuration. Two of its core members - guitarist "One Track" Mike Flannery and bassist Sasha Olcott - are marrying and moving to the far reaches of Maine. We wish them well, with much love, many years, and lots of beautiful babies in their future, although I'm also secretly hoping they'll get bored with the bucolic life and come back to rock some more in NJ.

At this point I'd tell you where to order your copy of I'm Assuming You're All In Bands except that Tris hasn't set up any distribution yet (he's not a big believer in CDBaby.) But if you just can't live without a copy, Paypal $5 to jerseybeat2@aol.com and I'll see that a copy is sent out to you post-haste. Reviewers, webzines, podcasters, fanzines, Internet radio stations and all other alternative media are also welcome to get in touch and request a copy.

You can also hear songs from the new CD on Tris' MySpace page and on the Jersey Beat podcast and the Jersey Todd Show.