End of the Year, or "Wrap It Up, B!"

So, the entire band has been working on new songs- together, individually, and with other people. You can hear some of the new material TONIGHT at Kenny's Castaways, if you live in New York. (If you don't live in NY and want to see us live, we've got something for you. More on that later.) Tonight will be our last show for 2011. We're taking a little time off to finish all these new songs, and rest up a little and spend time with the families. It's been a crazy busy year.

Besides all the new material, we've been working internationally. BR did a track with our friend Bfromlu, a producer and blogger from France who just moved to Montreal. The track is called "Gladiator Matador" and it's the first single from Bfromlu's new EP, "Lights On," available November 15. The rest of the band spent all day Sunday recording with Karnage's friend Lauri Shaw, a singer from New York now making a name for herself in London. (We've got photos from the session up on our Facebook page.)

Like we said, it's been a crazy busy year. We've had the best of times- playing at Tribeca Performing Arts Center for the first time; heading to Chicago to play the Elbo Room for the second year; third year working with the BoCoCa Arts Festival; second year rocking the Atlantic Antic Festival. And we've had some rough times- missing a gig when we broke down on the NJ Turnpike; equipment malfunctions in Union Square Park; getting rained out for outdoor gigs, etc. It's not easy going the independent route, but it's worth the risk and the work.

As for that opportunity for fans outside NYC, we're planning a HUGE event in February to celebrate nine years of BR and Timebomb where we'll be webcasting from AM Studios, our second home for almost all nine. A couple of our friends have signed up to join us- Devlin Miles, Melanie Edwards and Shelley Nicole's Blakbushe. We'll have more info for you on that one soon.

Fallin' Up

So the Timebombs hit Pennsylvania this past Saturday for the first time in two years (!) and had a great time. We played Gryphon Cafe in Wayne, a coffee house with great food and some really fantastic art on the walls. We thought we'd have to play kinda quiet, but management gave us full permission to rock out. And so we did. We met some great folks at Gryphon, including a dude wearing a "Brooklyn" shirt, Sherman from Bed-Stuy.

Saturday was also the inaugural launch of our tour van (or Timebomobile, if you will). Big thanks go to the Beattys for this one. It runs great, and it's got our pictures wrapped along the sides...

Next up, we've got two big shows back in Brooklyn: we're back in front of Linger Cafe for the Atlantic Antic October 2 for the second year in a row. And October 23, we are providing entertainment (and sound) for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Walk in Cadman Plaza Park. This is an important issue that needs more attention and BRTB is glad to be a part of that effort.

BR and Timebomb and Max Burgundy at the Bitter End 8/20/11

A blog called "The Joy of Violent Movement" covered our show at The Bitter End with Max Burgundy:

The Joy of Violent Movement

Photos. Music. Musings. Assorted wanderings and pop detrius from a freelance editor, music journalist, photographer, New York Yankee, New York Giant and New York Ranger fan. Twitter: www.twitter.com/yankee32879 e-mail: yankee32879@yahoo.com

BR and Timebomb and Max Burgundy

August 20, 2011

Play almost any song from Nas’ Illmatic, Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle or any album of that stature at a hip hop show and you’ll see hip hop fans of all ages faithfully rhyming along to the song as though they had personally written the lyrics down years ago in a notebook. But the current state of mainstream hip hop is something that countless fans have lamented over for well over a decade. It would seem that for many hip hop fans the murders of 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Freaky Tah, Jam Master Jay and the death of the O.D.B. have irrevocably altered the creative landscape, perhaps for the worse.... Read the rest @ thejoyofviolentmovement.tumblr.com

What's Happening Now?

We've had a busy, exciting summer so far. Excitement isn't always good, but most of the time it is. Read on...

We played an outdoor party July 9 for the Rutgers Houses on the Lower East Side. Great event all around. This was our second time working with DJ Rocksteady, who we met last month at the benefit for Immigrant Social Services. There were some performances of traditional Chinese songs and dance early in the day, barbecues for the residents, and us. We had a great time, picked up some new fans, etc. Also really enjoyed checking out ALB, All Legal Business, an emcee collective from uptown.

Then we got on the road for our second show in Ardmore, PA, at the Nail. Never made it. One of our cars died on the NJ Turnpike, and we sat at an autobody shop in NJ until about 1am. We're sorry we missed that show, but it could've been worse. Nobody got hurt, and the mechanics were pretty cool people. Shouts to Stacy Sr. for helping us get back home.

Last week, we filmed the 50th episode of "Minding Your Business," with June Middleton, on Manhattan Neighborhood Network (cable access in NYC). June and her crew are fantastic, and we were honored to work with them again, especially for this show! It airs in August.

This past Saturday was the first Bed-Stuy Live! Music Festival. We talked about it in our last post. Playing outdoors during our record-breaking heat wave was a challenge, for sure. Definitely enjoyed checking out the other acts. Shout outs to People's Champs, Rain of Kings, etc., as well as Karnage and Sanctum for making it happen.

We got a couple more outdoor shows coming up, one with Swift Technique! Hope it's under 100 degrees for those. Then, we're back at the legendary Bitter End August 20. Stay cool.

Right About Now...

When we left off, our fearless intrepid adventurers were preparing for BoCoCa Outdoors at Carroll Park. And they did not disappoint! When we say we've got a killer line-up, we mean it. Devlin Miles opened up the show and got everyone, including the bocce players, to pay attention. You can see some great footage of her set on Youtube and Brooklynfans.com. Ganessa and Tiffany James were up next. They've been a Timebomb favorite for years now and they amazed the Carroll Park crowd. Then Swift Technique stepped up and crushed the game. There is footage from the show of a man who walks with a cane dancing through their entire set. Finally, we did what we do. Again, you can catch parts of the show on Youtube if you weren't fortunate enough to be there. We invited Swift Technique's horn players up to do "Time Is Now" with us. Stacy and Karnage did the totem pole. We performed all the hits and some newer songs. Good times.

But that's not all. Nope, we do more than just music. Shanelle taught a basketball clinic for the kids. BR, Olivia, Shanelle AND her mom ran an art class. Jibrail played drums for Devlin and Ganessa (and did another show later that night). Stacy made sure we never ran out of power. And we have to give a HUGE thanks to Illard Scottt for sound; Eileen and Don and everyone at the BoCoCa Arts Festival; all of the vendors who helped make the event possible; Coca-Cola for donating cases of their Illy coffee drink; the volunteers; and everyone who came out.

We should also mention that Karnage is working on a lot of things besides Timebomb music. His hardcore band, Shakuan, has been playing all over NYC. He's been putting on Rockadelic shows with our brothers in Sound Frontier and Rain of Kings. And Karnage and his partner Sanctum are producing the first Bed-Stuy Live! Music Festival on July 23 in Von King Park, Brooklyn. The line-up includes People's Champs, the Rosa Hyde Quintet, Rain of Kings, BR and Timebomb, Illard Scott and many more!

Stay tuned. This summer will be legendary.

The Future Is Ours!

A lot has happened since the last post. Sorry, we been doing stuff. We hit the Lincoln Memorial May 13 with the Grey Area and Illard Scott. We brought the sun out, and then the cops kicked us out, 30 minutes early. Met some cool people from the DMV who we've been talking to on twitter (@brandtimebomb) and we all grabbed some food down in Chinatown before heading back to NY.

Played a benefit back in Bklyn at Linger Cafe for the Guild for Exceptional Children and a fundraiser block party for Immigrant Social Services in Chinatown, both with the homey Illard Scott. We helped raise money for two great causes, met some new fans, and picked up some more shows in the process.

We've got a lot coming up this summer and you can see all the dates here. Our 2nd annual BoCoCa Outdoors at Carroll Park is in a little over a week and we've got a killer line-up: Devlin Miles, Ganessa James, Swift Technique and us. The night before, we'll be at CineMart Space 17 in Tribeca.

Can you count, suckas? Sorry, that's rude. How about, can you dig it?

We're Focused, Man!

So much is going on with the 'Bomb right now. We had a great rehearsal last night with Illard Scott to get ready for our Lincoln Memorial show on May 14. We're backing him up before we do our set and he brought a new song. Nailed it!

On Friday, Jibrail was an extra in The Grey Area's music video. They're opening for us at the Lincoln Memorial, and they came to NYC to shoot their video and play the Bitter End. They did a great job on both.

Shanelle just came home from DC and South Carolina, visiting friends and family and spreading the word about BRTB. We hear she met some radio station folks...

BR has also been an enterprising young man. His mixtape with Illard Scott, "Unite and Conquer," is almost done. We listened to previews on the way to Chicago and it bumps. Features production by Jibrail and a few guests from overseas, and verses from big brother Karnage.

As if that wasn't enough, we've been getting some airplay! DJ Apatt has played "King" on his biweekly show on party934.com. Big shouts to them and everyone listening!

The Evolution Tour Has Kicked Off

That's right, folks, the kicking has commenced! Sorry we're a little late with this update, we've been busy. Gigging, driving, writing new songs, moisturizing....
Our 2011 tour started in New York City Friday, April 8, downtown at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. It was our first time there, only our second time in that kind of theater. We were part of the Next Voice You Hear series. The folks at TPAC were great; from the director to the sound guys to the ladies selling merchandise. We got some newspaper coverage, too, in the local Downtown Express.
Show went off without a hitch. We worked hard to bring more than the usual Timebomb show for a 90-minute experience. We met some bloggers and internet radio hosts that some of us had never seen in person, and some fans who hadn't come out in awhile. Great show all around.
Then we slept 3 hours and drove to Chicago. 13 hours. In a minivan. You learn some things about your band on a trip like that:
-almost all of us are napkin hoarders
-the pancakes in suburban Chicago are awesome
-Jibrail really likes the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
-Shanelle will kick him out the minivan if he doesn't shut up about it
-Something in Gary, Indiana smells really bad
But seriously, the show went great. Hooked up with some fans we met last year and some old friends who moved to Chicago. Brian and Matt and everybody at the Elbo Room are really cool people and we'll be happy to play there again. And we didn't get any speeding tickets!
We're back in NY for a little while, writing new material and getting ready for the next leg. Good talk, we'll see you out there.

BRTB on The Ntuned Show

BR and TIMEBOMB were guests recently on The Ntuned Show with Ms. P and The Piano Man. They spoke on their origin, developing musical chemistry and their future.
* Click here for the full interview!

BR and TIMEBOMB interview on The Indie Lounge with Carlos Phoenix

BR and TIMEBOMB interview with Carlos Phoenix. We discuss our start in the 1820s, black hooded guitar players, and where to get replacement parts for robotic lions (bad Voltron joke).

BR and Timebomb Evolution Tour

Our 2011 tour is shaping up to be very exciting indeed. We start in New York and end in Ohio (or do we?):

4/8 Tribeca Performing Arts Center
4/9 Elbo Room, Chicago, IL
5/14 Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
6/18-6/26 BoCoCa Arts Festival, Brooklyn, NY (Check back here for locations and times.)
9/10 Gryphon Cafe, Wayne, PA
9/17 Slow Train Cafe, Oberlin, OH

There are a few more we can't mention until they're confirmed, so stay tuned! Our website has links for tickets: www.brandtimebomb.com

February Update

It's been awhile since we've posted on this blog, but it's a new year and we're changing all of that. BR and Timebomb just celebrated our 8-year anniversary Friday February 4 at Kenny's Castaways and it was one of the sickest shows we've ever put on! Maria Kenny and the folks at her club have always been great to deal with, and they let us program the whole night, and what a line-up it was: Devlin Miles, Melanie Edwards, Ganessa James, Illard Scott, Swift Technique, Stephanie White and the Philth Harmonic, and us.

The highlight for us was being able to collaborate with these artists we've known and performed alongside for years. Devlin and Ganessa joined us for our cover of "Empire State of Mind." It was actually Devlin's idea that we cover this song in the first place, and Devlin and Ganessa paired with Shanelle for an amazing harmony, along with BR's original verses. They actually shut up the rhythm section in rehearsal (very hard to do, trust me). Melanie's rhythm section was Stacy on bass and Jibrail on drums, and she brought Shanelle on stage for her songs, "Laboratorium" and "Who's Gonna Color in the Middle?" Stephanie White joined us on vox for "It's On You" and brought BR out for his verse on "Trying to Dream for You" during her set. She also had Shanelle and Olivia back her up on a cover of Christina Aguilera's "Fighter."

Timebomb backed up Illard Scott for his whole set, and we also brought him on for fan favorite "Don't Be Late." The version with his verse is on BR's "David Hustlehoff Project" mixtape, and we performed it together all last summer. Finally, we'd planned to have the three horn players from Swift Technique join us for Shanelle's new track, "Time Is Now." They literally got off the road from Philadelphia and had just enough time to take off their coats before jumping on stage with us!

So, what's next? BR and Timebomb are part of the Tribeca Performing Arts Center's "The Next Voice You Hear" program this year on April 8, 2011. Here's a link to their calendar: http://www.tribecapac.org/calendar.htm
And we just confirmed yesterday that we'll be performing in front of the Lincoln Memorial on May 14 with our friends in the Grey Area, a guitar and drums duo originally from NYC who now live in the D.C. area. Stay tuned for more as we fill out our spring and summer tour schedule!