Gothic Theatre
Brookside
Long Island has been known for breeding amazing talent through the years, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping now. The new kid on the block making all the noise is a 4-piece melodic pop-punk/rock group called Brookside. The story goes as such: Brookside forms in December 2000, begins writing songs and records their first demo entitled “Glory Lasts Forever” with Brian Lane (Brand New) and Brandon Reilly (Movielife/Nightmare Of You). From August 2001 through April 2002, Brookside took to the local circuit, sharing the stage with Brand New, The Starting Line, Taking Back Sunday, Finch, Allister, Autopilot Off, Something Corporate, and Coheed and Cambria. During that time, Brookside entered Runaway Studios in Sands Point, Long Island to record its first EP, entitled “This Only Happens in the Movies.”
After a brief hiatus, Brookside returned in January 2003, poised and ready to bring their emotional live set and powerful, hook-ridden songs back to Long Island. In addition, the group started to expand and play shows in the Northeast. With a new demo, entitled “This Is Me…Now,” the group once again hit the island full-force, sharing the stage with The Starting Line, Thursday, Allister, Fall Out Boy, Don’t Look Down, The Rocket Summer, and Steel Train. In August 2003, the group embarked on its first tour. The self-funded, self-booked tour took the group through the Midwest and out to the West Coast for the very first time.
Brookside, fresh off a national tour, returned to the Long Island circuit, sharing the stage with Fall Out Boy, Matchbook Romance, Acceptance, Boys Night Out, Armor For Sleep, and Hidden in Plain View. In January of 2004, the group embarked on an East Coast tour, taking them as west as Illinois, down to Florida and back up the coast.
In April 2004, Brookside entered The Animal Farm to record their second EP “This Means Goodbye.” Almost immediately out of the studio, the band hit the streets once again, embarking on their second United States tour. This tour, lasting five weeks, brought the group to almost every state, returning to previous places, as well as playing many new cities. The band returned home from tour, and played the Tri-State Sound Showcase for WLIR on Long Island, and also received substantial radio play on that same station. In August 2004, fresh off its second national tour, the group did a weeklong Midwest tour to end out the summer.
In the fall of 2004, Brookside played consistently throughout the Northeast and East Coast every weekend. In addition, the band drove out to Chicago in October 2004 to play the Jam Over There Benefit, which helped raise money for inner-city Chicago schools. In November 2004, Brookside drove out to Greencastle, Indiana to play a benefit show to help out two friends whose parents passed away from cancer. On the way out there, the van in which Brookside was travelling in had overheated, and they stopped to try and fix the problem. Much to their dismay, the overheating problem did not stop, but the group soldiered on, knowing that their arrival was uncertain, but refusing to break the promise of helping out their friends. The group arrived, 22 hours after leaving home, headlined the show, and helped to raise over $12,000 for the two boys. Fast forward to present day. Brookside now has two national tours, countless trips up and down the East Coast and to the Midwest, radio airplay, online promotion through MySpace, Purevolume, and their own website, and a following that is building every day nation wide. The group has its sights set on keeping up its expansion and making great music. Staying true to that, Brookside has just emerged from The Animal Farm in March 2005 with a new EP whose potential is limitless, and is bound to grab listeners here and abroad and make them believers.
Brookside, consisting of Matt Baard(guitar/vocals), Brett Newman(drums), Ryan Sherrill(guitar), and Eric Holden(bass) continue to grow musically and personally everyday. The group has been writing and working non-stop since the first time they got together to practice. In March 2005, the group will hit the road for a 10-day Midwestern tour, then come home and continue to play around the East Coast, then embark on its third United States tour this coming May and June. With its hard-work, determination, and never-ending refusal to write the best songs possible, Brookside has the promise and potential to be a staple in the music world for years to come. One listen to the catchy hooks, and one glimpse of the powerful live set, will turn anyone into a fan, a follower, and a believer.
