The Witzard

Brackish Live Scenario Photography (CREDIT: Jared Wood) I first heard anout Brackish from either my older cousin, Josh (who, actually, knows frontman/guitarist Connor Byrne) or Darko The Super (a self-procliamed super-fan of now-defunct band YJY .) I'm pretty sure that would have been right around the same time as the release of Coming Down (2017) when Byrne and the band were in the midst of a period of great transition. Brackish's next release, Worlds (2018,) showcased Byrne with a more fully-formed revitalized band featuring guitarist Tim Fitzpatrick, bassist Nick Rosica. and drummer Zach Miller. Fitzpatrick was, actually, part of YJY until their dissolution a few years back and amongst them, Brackish's memebrs are/were affiliated with Dot Square, Five Hundred Bucks, GEL, The Great Explainer, mt.ida, Not Yer Baby, Scarier Area, and SICK SH*T. In recent months, Brackish have been sharing singles—two, produced, mixed, and recorded by Arthur "Ace" Enders (Th...

Brackish & Friends - L-R: Riley Byrne, Zach Miller, Connor Byrne, Ace Enders, Tim Fitzpatrick & Nick Rosica (CREDIT: Jared C. Wood) Brackish, as described on their own Bandcamp page, make "songs about New Jersey from Philadelphia since 2015." So, it makes perfect sense the Philly-based Punk/Post-hardcore band decided to work with one of New Jersey's finest Punks on their latest pair of tracks. Brackish's Connor Byrne, Tim Fitzpatrick, Zach Miller & Nick Rosica recruited Arthur "Ace" Enders (The Early November, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business) to help produce, record, and mix both "What Makes You Say" and "For Your Own Good." Brackish guitarist and frontman Connor Byrne tells The Witzard: "I wrote this song sometime around 2009-10 back when I was a solo acoustic artist opening shows in Philadelphia. Some friends mentioned after a show, it really stuck out to them as a favorite and so, it's been one of mi...

FRND CRCL are a Vineland, New Jersey -based Pop-Punk/Rap-Rock band consisting of vocalist/guitarist/piano player Zac Johnson , vocalist and bassist Adam Skirvin , guitarist Dom Giacalone , and drummer Aaron Smith . Full disclosure: I actually, used to work with Aaron at Shop Rite until about three years ago and I went to high school with a couple of his band mates' older siblings, as well. It's great to see FRND CRCL getting some well-deserved attention and success on a local level and it appears as though the South Jersey Punk/Hardcore scene I used to be a part of is back on the rise! Oddly enough, FRND CRCL are influenced by a lot of the same bands—both local and mainstream—my friends and I used to listen to while we were skateboarding or attending local shows all around South/Central Jersey back in the early 2000's, including: Blink-182 , All Time Low, and Green Day , as well as Eminem , Mac Miller, Beastie Boys , and The Dirty Heads. FRND CRCL initially for...