Brian Fallon: "But, I'm not Bruce Springsteen."

Jack wrote:

Brian is clearly just a guy full of dualities. He wants to be like Pearl Jam and Neil Young and go in crazy directions, but his traditionalist nature keeps him from doing that. He wants to be huge but doesn't want the fame and scrutiny that goes along with it. He sometimes says "I'm just the guitar player" while playing live less and less and focusing on his singing. He's an intriguing character.

Yeah, it's a long list of contrasts...but they all kinda fit to Brian's statements. I also regard it as strange that Brian first announced "there’s no termoil or anything with Gaslight, we’re going to be writing too", before doubting the future existence of TGA a few months later. Alex talked about an album in 2014 too..

Maybe there's just all these contrasting interviews, because Brian is a nice guy and wants us, who have no lives, to have something to care about

StitchesOnTheRadio wrote:

Steve70s wrote:

JimmyB wrote:

Steve70s wrote:

Wouldn't going on hiatus be a strange career move one album into a major label deal?

Takes some guts but if it's needed then so be it.

On the issue of evolution, I think U2 showed just where you can go when it's time for a change.

Bruce did...okay it was 3 albums in and it was "court ordered"....

Tell me more...I am intrigued!

He's talking about the legal battle Bruce got in with Mike Appel, his former manager. Basically while that was going on, Bruce wasn't legally allowed to enter a recording studio and make another record.

And yeah I'm not sure that situation really compares at all.

I don't think this will be a big deal to the label unless they let like 3 years go by with no talk of making a record, in which case, who cares about the label, I'd be more concerned about the band. I'm wondering though if the solo record will be with Mercury, Side one dummy, or somebody else?

Pretty sure it won't be Mercury, 'cause I think the name Brian Fallon itself does not attract as many people as The Gaslight Anthem, who needed years to get their music out into the "entire" public (which is not a bad thing). A relatively high amount of Gaslight Anthem listeners doesn't even know the singers/band members name(s). That's why his solo stuff probably will not gain this much publicity from the beginning. But major labels want their artists to hit the masses of listeners from the very first second ...

SideOneDummy would be a good deal for Brian, if you ask me...

It's always been a thing with Gaslight that they've relied too heavily on lyrical content. The skill level the instruments are being played at is a only few years ahead of a beginner (I've been playing bass for less than six months and can already play every Gaslight bassline), which, while it worked very well when they were still a punk band, doesn't translate so well to what Brian seems to want to take on. I'm pretty sure more can be asked of the instrument section seeing as they're all experienced musicians; it just takes experimentation, that all.

He does seem to slowly be incorporating women and more adventurous melodies, though: Blue Dahlia and Halloween contain good examples of one or both of those things. That woman from Blood Red Shoes who I believe did the backing vocals for Halloween would be a good addition seeing as Blood Red Shoes has kind of flopped.

Blues With the Dogs wrote:

It's always been a thing with Gaslight that they've relied too heavily on lyrical content. The skill level the instruments are being played at is a only few years ahead of a beginner (I've been playing bass for less than six months and can already play every Gaslight bassline)

If there's a bassline you can't learn in six months, it's probably accompanying a song none of us would enjoy listening to in the first place. Welcome to rock and roll bass guitar.

Blues With the Dogs wrote:

...That woman from Blood Red Shoes who I believe did the backing vocals for Halloween would be a good addition seeing as Blood Red Shoes has kind of flopped.

Like, to the band? As in, adding her as a permanent backup vocalist?  I'm all for adding different vocals on the record (although I do think Brian does a great job doing his own backup vocals) but I don't know about adding someone as a full time member...if that's what you're getting at.

Springsteen wrote the biography of The Gaslight Anthem before they were born – four Chuck Taylor-wearing kids from blue-collar families dreaming of making a living in rock ’n’ roll. Bruce is to New Jersey what JFK was to Boston.

http://www.redbull.com/en/music/stories/1331623102235/the-gaslight-anthem-s-brian-fallon-comes-clean