Opinion of New Brunswick, New Jersey

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

It seems the people actually from NJ don't seem to like it, lol.

But any way I had a mini-obsession with this place in high school. For awhile my dream was to move there, LOL. Definitely a Freedom City.

[patrick1]

I was only there a few times to see clients or driving through.  Can't say I would see the attraction. While officially a city, I wouldnt describe it as such.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Unless the population density is really misleading for some reason I don't see what else it'd be. You don't see the attraction because you don't listen to emo. It was to emo and melodic hardcore in the late 90s/early 00s what Seattle was to grunge in the early 90s.

[patrick1]

Population densities are not the be all and end all.  My hometown is a "city" and has one of the highest densities in the country. Id consider NB to be a large town. 50k people with a few largish downtown office and university buildings doesnt make a city to me.

[Boris]

I wonder if Lifetime has played "Theme Song From a New Brunswick Basement Show" in the Canadian province of the same name

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I wonder if Lifetime has played "Theme Song From a New Brunswick Basement Show" in the Canadian province of the same name

I'm not sure if they've even ever toured Canada, and if they did I doubt they went there. American bands usually don't bother with anywhere outside of Ontario, BC or sometimes Quebec (maybe Winnipeg or Calgary.) It's actually easier to tour Europe than Canada from what I've read, because touring Canada and bringing across your equipment makes it almost impossible to hide that you're a touring band and having to pay taxes on all your merch unless you hide it somehow or get someone to smuggle it across the border before you go there. Bands usually rent equipment overseas, hence going to Europe isn't that big of a deal.

Thursday would be more likely to play there, though I don't think they play "Dying in New Brunswick" that much anymore.

[minionofmidas]

Good music grows out of frustration with the vile place you're stuck in. I've told you that before.


Apparently I somehow managed to post that into the "have u ever regretted" thread instead of here. Must have confused some people...

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Good music grows out of frustration with the vile place you're stuck in. I've told you that before.

Is anyone really stuck there though? I suppose most can't afford to move to NYC but Philly shouldn't be that hard. As for that theory what about Husker Du and the Replacements?

[minionofmidas]

Good music grows out of frustration with the vile place you're stuck in. I've told you that before.

Is anyone really stuck there though?

People can move out of the hellhole they grew up in, but still be inspired by it musically.

I've never listened to the Replacements. At least one member of Hüsker Dü was raised in Dakota County.

[Linus Van Pelt]

I have been there quite a number of times, and really it's not very interesting, though it's not the dump that some terrified N.J. suburbanites think it is. Downtown there's basically one strip of restaurants and stores along George St. that isn't that interesting, a few tall office towers with a lot of parking, and then the rest of the city is basically 75% like any other kind of sad-sack but not completely ghetto post-industrial city and 25% either Rutgers campuses or the immediate few blocks around them with students. It doesn't have a trendy, countercultural vibe, and if I hadn't read this post I would never have thought it was the center for any kind of "scene". Even the Rutgers grad students I know, not exactly a suburb-loving crowd, generally prefer to live in Highland Park.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I have been there quite a number of times, and really it's not very interesting, though it's not the dump that some terrified N.J. suburbanites think it is. Downtown there's basically one strip of restaurants and stores along George St. that isn't that interesting, a few tall office towers with a lot of parking, and then the rest of the city is basically 75% like any other kind of sad-sack but not completely ghetto post-industrial city and 25% either Rutgers campuses or the immediate few blocks around them with students. It doesn't have a trendy, countercultural vibe, and if I hadn't read this post I would never have thought it was the center for any kind of "scene". Even the Rutgers grad students I know, not exactly a suburb-loving crowd, generally prefer to live in Highland Park.

You ever listen to Thursday? I think "Division Street" was actually one of their singles. Because that refers to the real Division Street in it. I also did a search for it on another forum and got 161 hits, most tour dates or people trying to book tours. In comparison Minneapolis as a far larger city gets 214 hits.

Of course I'm sure a big factor in this is simply location, I can't think of a better place to play on tour between Philadelphia and NYC.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Looks like the day I visit this place may finally come...

[This user has not been convicted of 34 felonies]

NEW JERSEY!!!