Music
Press
Most singer/songwriters wind up ending their solitude and dupe some people into joining them so they can rock harder and push their limits. Bob Dylan joined up with the Band, Neil Young put together Crazy Horse, and Conor Oberst has left a half dozen backup bands in his wake. South Florida’s local strummers are no different. Propaganda (6 S. J St., Lake Worth) has put together a show illustrating the power in numbers. Evan Rowe, the political lyricist, plays his melodic, informative rock with a constantly rotating band under the name of Catalonia. Kurt Riley, the new kid on the block, just finished recording an album with Blond Fuzz (formerly Stonefox) and will play with a group to promote his new work. And rounding out the lineup is the prolific and ubiquitous Timb Krueller, playing party-rock hits with his band, Krueller. The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets cost $5. Call 561-547-7279, or visit propagandalw.com. - The Broward/Palm Beach New Times
Discography
"Brighthead" - coming soon.
Photos
Bio
Kurt Riley has been a musician since he was 14. Chess Records and the Rolling Stones smacked him upside the head and gave him identity in a world of conservatism and suburban ennui. With a rapacious appetite he learned instrument after instrument, honed his songwriting skills to a razor's edge, and set off on the path to the legendary status shared by his heroes. Inspired by the pomp of Queen, the boogie of T.Rex, the primal rhythms of Adam and the Ants, and the pop majesty of the Beatles, he wrote "Brighthead" in 2009, and recorded it with local South Florida legends Blond Fuzz (formerly Stonefox).
In early 2010, he put began assembling a live band to take "Brighthead" out on the road. Amir Sultan Roth had been in a previous band with Kurt - a new wave/post-punk/synth outfit called Champagne Days, in 2008. Soon they began rehearsing the material from "Brighthead" and auditioning other members as well.
On July 3rd, 2010, they made their live debut at the prestigious Propaganda in Lake Worth, FL. Catalonia, led by Evan Rowe, opened. Krueller, led by South Florida music scene legend Timb Krueller, was the main attraction. Timb was actually the one kindhearted enough to offer Kurt the chance to debut Brighthead at such a well-known venue.
Mark St. John had joined on keyboards, synthesizer, and rhythm guitar. Blond Fuzz frontman Jordan Asher Cruz (known at the show under pseudonym "Casino Brown") stepped in on bass guitar, replacing a former bassist who had quit unprofessionally the week before the show.
It was a resounding and unparalleled success. 25 copies of a limited-edition EP were created specifically for the show, with 5 songs from "Brighthead" contained within. Every single one was gone by night's end. The unanimous opinion was one of high praise for the intense energy and showmanship that Kurt Riley & Brighthead displayed.
From here, the sky is the limit. More shows are being booked. The B3 Network gains more fans each day. Jason Dzamba has stepped in to take the keyboards and guitar to a new level. Taylor Berryman has joined on bass, bolting down the foundation of the solid boogie they lay down. The Jango page is reaching new fans all across the globe, exponentially. Kurt Riley & Brighthead are iconoclastic in a time when pop music is almost universally understood to be at the apex of manufactured banality.
They are here to save rock n' roll.
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