Jeff Rosenstock
Background information
Birth nameJeffrey Ernest Rosenstock
Born (1982-09-07) September 7, 1982 (age 41)
OriginLong Island, New York, U.S.
GenresPunk rock, indie rock, pop punk, ska punk, power pop
Instrument(s)Vocals, saxophone, guitar, keyboard, piano, bass, glockenspiel, organ, drums, synthesizer, ukulele, trumpet, clarinet, French horn, flute, banjo, theremin
Years active1995–present
LabelsQuote Unquote, Really, Asbestos, SideOneDummy, Asian Man, Polyvinyl, Specialist Subject
Member ofDeath Rosenstock, Antarctigo Vespucci, The Bruce Lee Band
Formerly ofThe Arrogant Sons of Bitches, Bomb the Music Industry!, Kudrow, Pegasuses-XL
Websitejeffrosenstock.com

Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock (born September 7, 1982) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. He is known for his former bands Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as well as for his work as a solo artist and as a composer for Craig of the Creek. He is the founder of Quote Unquote Records, the first donation-based record label.[1]

Early life

Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock[2] was raised in Baldwin on New York's Long Island.[3] He was born to a Jewish mother who worked as an art teacher and a German Catholic father who worked as a lawyer. Rosenstock identifies as Jewish.[4] His sister is TV writer and playwright Kim Rosenstock.[5]

Career

Rosenstock formed his first band, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (ASOB) in 1995, when he and his friend Joe Werfelman chose not to attend a friend's funeral due to feelings of discomfort, spending the day playing Green Day covers instead.[6] In the midst of ASOB's breakup in 2004, Rosenstock recorded a DIY solo song under the moniker Bomb the Music Industry, which evolved into his next musical project.[7] Bomb the Music Industry became known for their DIY punk ethics and commitment to accessibility, earning a reputation as "the Fugazi for the internet age of punk."[8] Following the release of Bomb the Music Industry's first full-length record, Album Minus Band, Rosenstock founded Quote Unquote Records, the first donation-based record label, distributing all the label's releases digitally through a pay what you want model.[1]

Jeff Rosenstock in Pittsburgh, 2021.

Rosenstock began his solo career in 2012 by releasing his debut solo "mixtape"[9] I Look Like Shit two months after Bomb the Music Industry! had announced their intention to break up.[10] This was followed by the Summer Seven Club project in 2013, which granted purchasers of Rosenstock's 7-inch single "Summer" exclusive access to new songs periodically released over the following months. All the songs from Summer Seven Club were later collected and made available as the Summer + compilation album.[11] Rosenstock's first studio album as a solo artist, We Cool?, was released in 2015.[12][13][14][15][16] His second solo album, entitled Worry, was released on October 14, 2016. On New Year's Day 2018,[17] Rosenstock's third studio album Post- with 10 tracks was released. His fourth studio album, No Dream, was released on May 20, 2020. A ska version of No Dream, titled Ska Dream was released on April 20, 2021.[18] He released his fifth studio album, Hellmode, on August 31, 2023[19] worldwide - a day earlier than the scheduled September 1.

Rosenstock has performed with many other ska and punk rock bands, including Mustard Plug,[20] The Bruce Lee Band, and AJJ. He has also performed with his Bomb the Music Industry! band-mates Laura Stevenson and Lee Hartney.[21] Some of his musical influences include Tom Waits, Pulp and The Beach Boys.

Jeff Rosenstock performing in 2017

He has worked as a producer for other artists such as Mikey Erg, The Smith Street Band, Laura Stevenson, and Dan Andriano. He is also a member of Antarctigo Vespucci, a collaborative project between himself and Fake Problems frontman Chris Farren. Since 2014, he has also been a member of ska band Bruce Lee Band alongside Asian Man Records founder Mike Park.

Since 2018, Rosenstock has composed music for the Cartoon Network series Craig of the Creek.[22] His solo band released a cover of the show's theme song on their 2019 live album Thanks, Sorry! In 2020, the first full musical episode of the show was released, for which Rosenstock wrote all the music and lyrics; the soundtrack was released later that year.[23] The soundtrack album for the Craig of the Creek movie, Craig Before the Creek, released in 2024, with Rosenstock once again credited for writing all the music and lyrics.

Personal life

Rosenstock married his longtime girlfriend, Christine Mackie, in 2015.[24] The pair had been living in an apartment in Brooklyn, but in January 2020 they moved across the country to Highland Park, Los Angeles.[25]

Discography

Solo

Main article: Jeff Rosenstock discography

The Arrogant Sons of Bitches

Main article: The Arrogant Sons of Bitches discography

Bomb the Music Industry!

Main article: Bomb the Music Industry! discography

Pegasuses-XL

Kudrow

Antarctigo Vespucci

The Bruce Lee Band

Songwriting credits

Production credits

Soundtrack Albums

References

  1. ^ a b Crow, Sara (August 30, 2015). Never Get Tired: The Bomb the Music Industry! Story (Documentary film). Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  2. ^ "Credits / Check Us out at Your Local Library / The Book Club". Tidal. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Essner, Dean (April 23, 2015). "Jeff Rosenstock on his poppy, self-reflective solo album We Cool?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  4. ^ Reiss, Jon (2010-05-26). "Pwning The Music Industry: An Interview with Jeff Rosenstock AKA Bomb the Music Industry". Jewcy.
  5. ^ Geselowitz, Gabriela (16 August 2017). "Jeff Rosenstock Makes Punk Rock for Anxious Jews". Tablet. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  6. ^ Ali, Reyan (25 May 2012). "Q&A: The Arrogant Sons of Bitches' Jeff Rosenstock On The Joys And Stigmas Of Ska, CBGB Misery And Pranky Vibes". The Village Voice. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Interview With Bomb the Music Industry". Razorcake. 2008-07-29. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2011-07-15.
  8. ^ Ozzi, Dan (20 January 2014). "Bomb the Music Industry! Is Dead (Probably, They're Not Sure But Yeah Whatever, Probably)". Noisey. Vice Media Group. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  9. ^ "JEFF ROSENSTOCK SOLO "MIXTAPE (?)"". Bomb the Music Industry!.
  10. ^ "HERE COME THE WATERWORKS..." Bomb the Music Industry!.
  11. ^ "Summer +, by Jeff Rosenstock". Jeff Rosenstock.
  12. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock We Cool? Cassette". Business Casual.
  13. ^ "The Best Punk Albums of 2015 - Moshcam". Moshcam.com. 27 November 2015.[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Rank Your Records: Jeff Rosenstock Rates Every Bomb the Music Industry! Album". Noisey.vice.com. 26 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock Streams New Album We Cool?". Restless Press.
  16. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool Review - The Alternative". Getalternative.com. 10 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Post-, by Jeff Rosenstock". Jeff Rosenstock.
  18. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock Surprise-Releases Ska-Reimagining of No Dream Called Ska Dream". 20 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock gives Hellmode surprise early release". 31 August 2023.
  20. ^ "Mustard plug - articles". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-11-05.
  21. ^ "Jeff Rosenstock". Facebook.com.
  22. ^ Yoo, Noah (31 March 2018). "Jeff Rosenstock Soundtracks New Cartoon Network Show Craig of the Creek". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  23. ^ Breihan, Tom (8 June 2020). "Stream Jeff Rosenstock's Soundtrack for the First Craig of the Creek Musical Episode". Stereogum. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  24. ^ Morris, Blake (January 19, 2017). "Discography and Discovery". The Red & Black. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Ozzi, Dan (May 26, 2020). "Jeff Rosenstock on No Dream, Moving to L.A. & Writing Anxious Albums for Anxious Times". Grammy Awards. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
Categories