Brother Jerome

This week we decided to check out a show at the new venue in Brooklyn, The Hall at MP. Right off the L line, we got there early and grabbed a drink. This is a great spot, lots of room to eat and a nice size dance floor if any bigger acts come through.
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The first band of the night, who we came to see, was Brother Jerome. For those that don’t know Brother Jerome is a reggae rock group out of New Jersey that plays in NYC frequently and bring a great mix of reggae music along with blues, jazz and rock to their set. This night they kicked off the event and had a strong hometown crowd, probably 50+ supporting them.

Beginning their set with a nice mellow vibe, the place was in a groove. Normal drummer Andy Davis was unavailable, but luckily for the fans Garret Gardner was able to fill in and did an amazing job. As the band tore into another number you could hear the righteous saxophone of Dan Chetnik rip through the crowd.

Taking a moment to comment on the recent election, they encouraged their fans not lose hope. As if taking this as a cue, the fans began dancing it didn’t stop all night. The band played their favorites from their first release and treated fans to some new material including “Let The River Run”, inspired by the classic Wailers tune “Concrete Jungle”.

They ended their set with their new single. Before they could even announce it a fan yelled “Macho Man”. They laughed saying “that’s right” and began playing the tune. Overall it was a great set to kick off the night and I can’t wait until the album is out so that we can check out all the new tunes. - Reggae City

Brother Jerome was founded by singer-songwriter Ryan Bria, as homage to his late brother Jerome “Drew” Bria, a peace-loving man who stood for righteousness, love and the transformative effects of music. These characteristics have been a foundation for the young band and inspiration for the new album. Progress is their first full length album, set to be released on April 6, 2018.

In response to Jerome Bria’s passing, Ryan has found his path. He comments, “I’ll be traversing it every single day of my life. Part of this path includes me progressing as a person: continually striving to be the best that I can be, as well as taking every opportunity I have to show kindness and compassion to the world around me. Another part of this path includes speaking out against injustices and exposing the systems that allows oppression to happen. Needless to say the current day civil rights movement that is happening in America was extremely influential in the naming and creation of the album.” For Ryan the new album Progress is about coming face to face with injustices, trying to find ideal solutions even if it is as simple as understanding addiction, to de-stigmatizing the discussion around mental illness, and as complex as breaking down the walls of identity to allow people to be their truest and best selves.

Progress is an 11 track album full of tunes that speak out against injustices and expose the systems that allow for oppression, sprinkled with a few love songs to help us remember to love and appreciate each other. The title track “Progress” embodies the current day injustices by pointing out the senselessness of racial profiling and police brutality. Another standout track is “Macho Man,” it is a deep dive into masculinity and macho vibrato to unveil the toxic effects it has on ourselves and our society, it is very danceable tune with a solid message. The lead single is “Soul Shine,” a soulful number that has a lot of fire and bounce, catchy melodies along with stunning imagery creates a love song unlike any other.

Progress was recorded at Grand Street Recording in Brooklyn, NY with producer Ken Rich and Engineer Jake Lummus. Special guest appearances include trumpet player George Maher and keyboardist Tom Bauer. Newly joined member Sean Ronan, guitar player, had previously worked with Ryan Bria on an array of other projects and the two re-united for this album. Andrew Sherman joined the album, unexpectedly, on the vibraphones for the track “Mind Over Matter.” Ryan was enamored by the texture of the vibraphone in Alabama Shakes’ track “Sound & Color” and, fortuitously, composer Andrew Sherman happened to be stopping by the studio the day they were recording. A few takes later “Mind Over Matter” was complete. Brother Jerome band is comprised of Sean Ronan (guitar), Ryan Bria (Vocals, Guitar), Stephan Lemos (Bass), Dan Chetnik (Sax, Vocals), and Andy Davis (Drums).

Brother Jerome’s live performances are outstanding, and they will be touring the East Coast in support of Progress. Whether the audience is swept up by the music or enthralled by the performance, audiences are sure to experience positive vibes at their shows. Brother Jerome has graced stages large and small and have supported and performed alongside Michael Franti and Spearhead, Dark Star Orchestra, Mike Love, Passafire, and Ballyhoo.

Ryan reflects, “This album, reminds me how blessed I am to be surrounded by so many talented and genuine people; and that is certainly something to celebrate.” Progress is due out April 6 and will be available everywhere. Keep an eye out for tour dates here. - Greatful Web

Arpeggiated guitar and chords steeped in tremolo introduce us to the debut full-length album, Progress, by Northern New Jersey-based Brother Jerome. But it doesn’t take long before this swelling intro gives way to the tight rock-reggae coupled with melodic horns that is distinctive of this young band’s brand of music. Cutting through the sharpened staccato instrumental of their latest single “Soul Shine” is the voice of frontman Ryan Bria, who’s late brother is the namesake for the band. The lyrical hook “if life was a tank and a fish was my soul, I’d need your love to keep my belly full” paints a picture of your typical lovers rocker, but it’s only a matter of time before the words dig deeper, continuing along the thematic discourse of cultural progress defined by the title of this freshman release.



On the topic of “Soul Shine,” Bria states:

“Having never owned my own fish tank before, upon walking into the apartment where I currently reside, the fish were a frequent topic of conversation. After playing some music with saxophone player/vocalist Dan Chetnik, I was observing the fish and began to play with some lyrics, likening their life situation to mine. “Soul Shine” was the outcome.”

Creative songwriting approaches aside, the end result of any track is often stemmed from more than lyrics alone. Bria continues:

“In the years leading up to that day I expanded my pallet for American Reggae. One of my favorite artists out there is SOJA. I didn’t realize it at the time, but their song “Tell Me” was definitely an inspiration for “Soul Shine.” But the main influence was love, which continues to permeate my songwriting today.”

For an artist at any stage in their career, the calling is often there to stand as a beacon for societal change. To stand for progress. While that drive may be obvious, the execution of this goal is often times easier said than done. Keep an eye on Brother Jerome as they continue to develop their posture as a voice for what lies at the heart of all cultural growth: progress. - Rootfire

When you listen to reggae, you can expect a couple things. One is groovy rhythms that are easy to dance to. Another is thought-provoking lyrics. On the new album Progress, Brother Jerome provides healthy doses of both.

Right from the beginning of the album, it's hard not to be drawn in by the lyrics. In "Keep it Burning", Ryan Bria sings, "I believe that everybody needs to choose their own route so they can seize the chance to be different than the other." While he's hitting you with those heartfelt lyrics, the song moves along to a rhythm that will get your head moving. Like the first track on an album should be, this one hooks you into listening further.

"Progress" is an examination of the state of things in society today. Specifically it examines police brutality, which is a pretty tough topic to explore in song. The lyrics and the melody of this song are both captivating. It's rare that a song can make you move while you're in deep thought about the lyrics. This song accomplishes that. While it is a heavy theme, Bria does see some hope when he sings, "We will overcome this hate and dismay someday."

"Mind over Matter" is an inspirational song for a couple reasons. First, the melody is so bright and bouncy that it's hard to be in a bad mood when you hear it. On top of that the message in the lyrics is that you have the power to control your own destiny. No matter how bad things get, you have to use the most powerful thing you have to combat it: your mind.

Reggae songs about marijuana are nearly as ubiquitous as rockabilly covers of "Folsom Prison Blues". Brother Jerome adds its own to the mix with "Change it All". The melody is mellow and is reminiscent of Rebelution. Bria sounds pretty calm but delivers a strong message that he is done with the "pharmaceutical regime" in favor of the healing herb. It's a pretty thought-provoking song - much like "Legalize It" by Peter Tosh.

This is an album full of catchy and positive songs. If you find yourself feeling down, this album is the perfect antidote. Progress was released on April 6, and is available everywhere now. - AXS-Gary Schwind

New York-based reggae-fusion band Brother Jerome has officially launched their debut full-length album Progress as of today! In celebration of its release, this funky reggae four-piece is premiering on Top Shelf Reggae their inaugural single off the album, "Hustle" – a track about, well, hustling. In this life, we need to take time to smell the roses, as lead singer Ryan Bria tries to do every day after his brother's unfortunately passing. Ryan's brother, Jerome "Drew" Bria, encouraged against everything unjust and inhumane, and these same core values now stand as the band's peace-loving foundation. Let's promote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through socially-conscious, yet uplifting music.

In this life, we need to take time to smell the roses...
First thing's first: the general public needs to know that they are running themselves ragged chasing a neverending rat race. Capitalism is called out loud and clear in "Hustle" as the main premise behind why we Americans hustle from the time we wake to the "dead of night". We never slow down, for how can we ever make ends meet if we slack off? With the cost of living climbing astronimically in major U.S. cities, we've acclimated to "working a double shift" in order to stay afloat. Well, Brother Jerome challenges how do we have time to take care of ourselves, let alone take care others, with that mentality? We can appreciate life to the fullest and maintain a feasible standard of living. Time is a central theme of the track, with several stop times whenever its lyrically mentioned, reinforcing the metaphor that we fully believe there simply aren't enough hours in any given day. Plus, those dropped beats not only break up the rhythm, but further put the listener on edge that a second of time might've been wasted. Time is of the essence, after all! If only we could tweak our aggressive life ethos to a more 'quality over quantity' approach... perhaps we would get along a little better with each other.

Frontman Bria says this about the single, "In American culture, and many cultures around the world, it is expected that a person works upwards of forty hours a week in order to be able to provide basic needs for themselves and their family. 'Hustle' is plea for people to put as much levity into their personal and mental well being as they do in their finances. Even if it's just taking a yoga class once a week or setting aside 20 minutes a day to read, we need to show our children that taking care of our personal well being is a priority."

Brother Jerome is promoting their new album with an east coast tour, kicking off shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy the world premiere of "Hustle" below: - TopShelf Reggae

2019 Best Emerging Artist Award- Brother Jerome - Richmond International Film and Music Festival