has always been driven by a passion for music. Onstage and in conversion he’s an ebullient force, a frontman who embodies the urge for connection.
Perhaps best-known for his three decade role in The Gaslight Anthem, the songwriter’s gripping work blends Heartland anthemic with raw punk rock.
New solo album ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ is out now, a homage to his roots that bristles with life.
“From the beginning I knew I had to fully lean into the passion and lunacy of all these songs I felt inspired by – there wasn’t much room for subtlety,” says Fallon. “There was so much childlike joy in writing and recording all these songs. The whole album came together so naturally, with a level of creative fulfillment I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.”
As part of our regular Rock & Rules series, CLASH sat down to absorb some creative observations from The Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon…
Stay enthusiastic. Stay a fan of music. The biggest thing is to stay grateful as a listener. To remain unjaded. That’s my superpower with music – I can listen to things, and embrace them for what they are. I stay genuinely excited when I find new music. It’s probably one of the best parts of my day.
You’re always drawing from other musicians. There are some incredibly talented people out there. You listen to them, realise your shortcomings, and try to improve on them. You get inspired from those transmissions as a fan, but also as a musician. As a student, you get a whole other set of challenges. I like learning things.
A big thing is not running the battery out. Especially when something is successful, people want you to keep going. And you have to be careful. It can be tempting to keep going, but there’s always a price to pay, and that’s burnout. With artists – talent, inspiration… those aren’t human things. They get beamed down to us. And we have to be ready to receive those things. If you aren’t ready to receive them, then they might go to somebody else.
I’m a fan of collaboration. It’s just more fun to do this with friends! When you’re young, you think you can do everything yourself! But it’s much more fun to have a few laughs with your friends, rather than sitting alone, being miserable and waiting for inspiration. Doing this with other people is just fun.
For me, it’s not the genre of music that I find attractive. It’s the yearning! It exists everywhere – it’s there in indie music, rap, rock… whatever. It doesn’t seem strange to me to work with people from different genres. The emotion is the attractive thing.
You need to be around people you can be vulnerable with. When you’re a songwriter, you’re exposed in a different way. It’s a lot like letting people see you in your underwear! It’s scary, letting people see your insecurities and your flaws. But that’s the beauty of it – taking an insecurity of yours and turning it into a strength.
The moments in my career that have really resonated with people are the moments where I’ve felt really embarrassed to share them. I think putting those at the forefront – whether it’s a painting or a song – that’s what makes art resonate with people. You’re admitting that you’re not complete or strong, but in that weakness is a beautiful thing.
It can help to isolate yourself. There are so many distractions. You’re a bank – everyone you speak to is either making a withdrawal or a deposit. If your bank is empty, then you’ve got nothing left in your life. You have to protect that.
IT CAN BE CORNY – BUT THAT’S OK
There’s a piece of advice that Bruce Springsteen gave me a really long time ago. He said – you have to remember that part of the joke is always on you. There’s a corny element to what we do, but there’s also a romantic element to it. All these parallels live in the same thing. At some point you just have to trust yourself that what you’re doing is sincere and everything after that is just window dressing. It’ll all be OK if the sincerity comes through.
AVOID BURN OUT AT ALL COSTS
No great performance was ever done by somebody who was burnt out.
Brian Fallon’s new album ‘Not Bad For New Jersey’ is out now.