In the increasingly ineffable and diverse genre of punk music, Jeff Rosenstock continues to lead the decade-long DIY movement.
Rooted in the underground shows of the Long Island pop-punk scene in the early 2000s, Rosenstock's vociferous sound is a violent scream filled with angst and emotion, and blends with ska-punk, folk-punk, power-pop, and more. A lot too. His latest album, HELLMODE, is no exception, although it probably has a bit more production value than his previous albums.
“I’m so excited that when this record comes out, people are going to feel like we did things differently,” Rosenstock said. “Especially after “NO DREAM'' and “POST-,'' we focused on this thick layer of washy, shoegaze-like fuzz. There's not a lot of that on HELLMODE, so we started peeling back the layers. ”
dream big
Given that Rosenstock's 2020 release NO DREAM was critically acclaimed and was named Pitchfork Magazine's Top Rock Album of the year, it's no wonder he has won gold twice. That's reassuring. As a result of more careful selection of pedal selection and tone for each track, the result of HELLMODE is an incredibly diverse mix that expands on the genre in ways reminiscent of Rosenstock's early punk inspirations, including Fugazi. It's now an album.
“What always struck me about that band musically was how dynamic they were, yet how quiet they tried to be to make the important parts feel really big,” Rosenstock said. Told. “I think it's always a good idea to try to be dynamic in punk music.”
The word “dynamic” might be used to describe Rosenstock's entire career. Starting with “The Arrogant Sons of Bitches” (or ASOB) in Long Island's burgeoning hardcore scene in the late 1990s, and then a more distinct ska-punk style with his beloved revolutionary band, Bomb the Music Industry! Since then, Rosenstock has continued to innovate. His sound never strays too far from the DIY genre.
“Punk should be something that everyone belongs to and can find their place in,” Rosenstock said. “No matter who you are, no matter how different you are, no matter how anxious you are right now, no matter what happens.”
do it ourselves
However, in the punk genre, “doing it yourself'' wasn't always fashionably cool. In an already competitive music industry, the end goal always seemed to be to get some sort of record deal and achieve mainstream success. But Rosenstock's first two projects were focused almost entirely on establishing legitimacy and a fan base through sheer will alone. For example, at Bomb the Music Industry's first show in 2005, band members sang along to their song “Blow Your Brains Out On Live TV” while holding up placards with the lyrics written on them. This immediately drew the audience into the performance, even if they had never heard a single note of Rosenstock's music.
This original approach to fame would eventually inspire Rosenstock to found his own label, Quote Unquote Records, where he made his entire repertoire available for download online, completely free of charge. We take pride in what we do. In the early days, this may have given some people a bad impression, especially after the paranoia surrounding pirated music platforms. But like-minded artists like Grand Rapids native Rick Johnson (formerly of the ska band Mustard Plug) were able to recognize the genius of Rosenstock's method.
“Mustard Plug was one of the first bands that was nice to us and wanted to take us on tour and play shows with us,” Rosenstock said. “We were so chaotic that I think a lot of people were scared, but Mustard Plug wasn't scared.”
Other collaborations, such as the band Antarctigo Vespucci with musician Chris Farren and covers of Neil Young songs with keyboardist and vocalist Laura Stevenson, reflect Rosenstock's songwriting and performance style. continued to help popularize the growing DIY punk scene.
His energetic and enigmatic lyrics aim to tug at the most extreme of heartstrings, reaching between incredible anger and incredible joy, and his music videos range from the absurd and surreal to the sometimes shocking. Live performance (Jeff's own fans start eating beef tacos consisting of his internal organs). Suffice it to say, while Rosenstock may be serious about making music, his own music isn't necessarily serious.
“You have the freedom to go wherever you want as long as you are expressive, real and honest,” Rosenstock said. “All of that guides me in doing things in life.”
new horizons
In addition to his solo projects, Rosenstock has worked on both Emmy-nominated animated children's shows and is a well-known composer for television and film. Craig of the Craig and subsequent HBO Max movies. Rosenstock's style expanded further by creating music that served as backgrounds for movies and theme songs for television shows. These days, they're more willing to experiment with tones outside of the usual skate punk sound, such as ambient music. These new inspirations are scattered throughout “HELLMODE”, especially the middle track “HEALMODE”, a ballad with a gentle sound that lingers in your ears.
“Making my first Neil Young EP with Laura, and then Craig of the Creek, made me feel more comfortable singing quietly and exploring different aspects of my voice. ” Rosenstock said. “I don't know if I would be comfortable singing a song like 'HEALMODE' if it wasn't for my first Neil Young cover.”
After five solo albums and 20 years of performances, Rosenstock brings his chaotic troupe of musicians to The Pyramid Scheme, but limited seating will only be available once tickets become available online. It sold out within the first week. And with openers like Sidney Gish, another proponent of his DIY genre, Rosenstock's latest tour and new album are a testament to the past, present and future of punk music. There is no mistake.
“I think it sounds good live. I've heard we're OK,” Rosenstock said. “They played 20 percent faster and sang 20 percent less well.”
Jeff Rosenstock w/ Sidney Gish, Grady
pyramid scheme
68 Commerce Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
April 12th 7pm
pyramidschemebar.com