Bern & the Brights join the StarBeat Music family

It’s a pleasure to welcome Montclair, New Jersey’s, Bern & the Brights to the StarBeat roster. I’ve been following the band since back when MySpace was a thing in late 2008 and even saw co-vocalist Bernadette solo in Newark many moons ago (2004). From listening to their music to attending shows to writing reviews to chatting with the band, I’ve gotten to know B&TB on a musical and personal level over the past few years. It was a natural progression to sign them for the release of their new EP Work, an album that highlights both the label’s diversity and hardwork thus far. Musically Work focuses on a brand of rock that weaves together folk, reggae, new wave and pop influences.

Bern & the Brights - Work Artwork

Work will be available in CD format on October 2nd. The release date falls on the second annual College Radio Day, which is cool for me (Star), as a former dj at Seton Hall University's WSOU.

The release of Work will also mark our 1 year anniversary and things couldn’t seem more promising for our little label out of beautiful, Newark, NJ. This is our 4th release and marks a significant turning point for us as a label. We have learned so much in a year and have been blessed to work with some incredible New Jersey artists so far. This is a significant release as we can say we have released music in four mediums: Vinyl, Cassette, Digital and now CD.

Work is a significant album for us to release as two 20-somethings who are trying to make this bedroom music label into a sustainable venture. This album signifies the long trek we all have to take in life’s journey to get where we need to. Songs on the album attest to the theme of working hard to get where you want to be in life - something no one is immune to.

The band’s intention is best explained from this biography excerpt: “Our aim, with every musical noise that we conjure, is to make hearts burst, faces melt, mouths kiss, and bodies move. In short, we are here to bring you an emotional conglomerate including our love, and to win your heart forevermore. And our fans have ours, sincerely. No fake exchanges allowed.”

We’ll have pre-orders available on September 18th and the band will rock out at Tierney’s Tavern in Montclair, NJ, on October 13th for their release show and 1-year anniversary celebration.

They also launched a new website with two new songs streaming, "Irish Boys" and "War & Games" at www.bernandthebrights.com, so check it out.

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-Star and Jeff

This is an announcement not the official press release. Press: contact us for more info!

Boy Things join StarBeat Music!

Boy Things is the perfect band for StarBeat Music. I feel as though the bands personality itself is aligned with the core identity of our label. We like to pick bands that are getting themselves out there in every way possible. Bands that genuinely wish to connect with fans and friends and for some reason, so far, most of them are all co-ed. I think the signing of Boy Things for Distribution and Marketing for their newest EP 'Equations' on 7" Black Vinyl and a small run of exclusive SBM tapes of the bands first 2 Ep's is great for our label as it opens up a new avenue and perspective for us on coordinating and planning vinyl releases. I am proud to help the best bands in the area get what they need to keep their music in people's heads and more importantly get some music in their fan's hands. This signing is great for us and I'm hoping to have the Tape in hand for a July 24th Release date, the 26th should be the release show and coincidentally the kickoff show of the Band's East Coast run with SBM label mates Melissa & Paul.

Boy Things had caught my attention after seeing them with my old band, The Victory, at a Lamplighter Magazine showcase in North Jersey. I had started following them online from there and then had fallen in love when I listened to the EP's that were available on their Bandcamp page. 'Self-Titled' and 'Growing Up' showed me that there is a new wave of pop rock invading the scene. I saw the band was having a special release show in their hometown to help raise funds for the 7" they had been desperately trying to get together. I wasn't able to make it out to that show thanks to the almighty J.O.B. but I was more than ecstatic to see the band had raised enough money to make the record.

When I saw that, I knew it was time to see this band again, so my opportunity came at a great time. I was heading to Vernon, NJ to see SBM's 2nd band Melissa & Paul as they released their 10" vinyl on Gruff Beard Records that night and Boy Things was support for the show. Unsurprisingly their live show was better than the first time, the songs they picked were peppered with some of my faves across the 2 albums and I was really trying to get a feel for the new songs they were playing, since I had no knowledge of them at the time. The performance was tight and the sound was the best it could be for a regular old VFW DIY space.

Once the band had finished their set, I couldn't help but get my ass to the front of the room and tell Eric, "hey man, great set, I wanna talk to you about making records" I then offered to get him a drink once he had finished with his gear and we talked about the band's vision, StarBeat's role in that, releasing physical albums, you get the gist of it. That conversation has now spawned into this awesome amount of support between the band and label to help get their discography into the hands of eager listeners.

I couldn't be more proud to announce our relationship with Boy Things and that I'm stoked as fuck to get their entire discography out physically for everyone to have and hold forever.

-Jeff Lambert

You can read more about Boy Things and hear some of their tunes at our artist page.