Dollar Store Riot
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Dollar Store Riot

Maplewood, New Jersey, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF

Maplewood, New Jersey, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2011
Band Alternative Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"Meet Dollar Store Riot"

Dollar Store Riot is about mixing things up and sometimes being unpredictable—much like a riot and a dollar store. - Marcia Worth - South Orange Patch


"Review Stalker"

Single/Video Review by Jerry Lardieri | Nov 16, 2015

It’s pretty safe to say that the 90’s were one of the best decades for music in the last century. It’s the decade that just won’t die. From the endless stream of reunion tours to the pop culture references in movies and television, the hits just keep on coming. Need more proof? I’ve got two words for you – cassette revival. I don’t know anyone who lived through it the first time that longs for the days of tangled tapes jamming matchbooks into the car stereo, so it must be the music that draws everyone back.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all perfect. There were plenty of crimes committed against our auditory wills. Those dreadful line dance songs that your aunt always requested at weddings. Nu-Metal. Auto-Tune. That horrendous Barbie song – a turd polished so brightly it could have blinded a mole from space. But there was a period of time in the early part of the decade where the pop confections of the day sat awkwardly on major radio playlists right along side some wonderful, fuzzy guitar drenched bliss, dished out by the great unwashed, proudly bashing away in their Chuck Taylors and flannel shirts. Can you imagine The Breeder’s “Cannonball” airing on top 40 radio stations today? I certainly cannot.
As we drift further and further away from this unusual time, it’s only normal that musicians and fans alike begin to look back on it fondly and revisit these sounds. But it’s not the kids (or rather than generalize, I should say it’s not MOST of the kids. As you were, Rock N’ Roll Hi Fives). Things have changed and there’s no going back. While my neighbors had to deal with the pounding of drums and squealing guitar amps in the garage, I live in relative peace and quiet in modern suburbia. Still, tranquil and utterly boring peace and quiet. Kids don’t want to “play guitar” any more; they want to “play” guitar.
I know, I sound like some crusty old codger complaining about “these kids today”. Excuse me while I chase a few of them off my lawn.
Where was I? Right, the 90’s…

SINGLE REVIEW: Luckily, all is not lost. There are still plenty of musicians like the affable and capable Dollar Store Riot, who have found that making music purely for the joy of it can be its own reward. Their new single “What’s It To You?” attacks with the familiar abandon of those long lost gems of the Clinton presidency. Thea Kearney’s direct and forceful vocal delivery echoes Joan Jett at times (in all the best ways) and there’s a clear hint of Sleepyhead in the songwriting and delivery. Brian Boehm, Paul Haley and Will Kramer propel the song forward with pleasing abandaon. It hits like a late summer wave, pushing you back on your knees a bit until you can steady yourself and sway in its swirling flow – until another time shift hits like the breaker you didn’t see coming.
Just like it’s loud and proud retro sound, the video shot at Maplewood’s Woodland Hall immediately recalls late nights on the couch waiting for 120 minutes to start. Shot as a live performance with a bit of comic relief added, it’s a reminder that you can be serious without taking yourself too seriously.
Let’s do the time warp again.

-JL

Jerry Lardieri Is in the NJ band Brixton Riot and a humble host of the excellent radio show Audible Affects, which broadcasts (not-so) live every Tuesday morning at 9 AM on Stevenson University’s Wild Stang Radio. - What's It To You? By Dollar Store Riot


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Bio

Dollar Store Riot

Once upon a time, four former New Yorkers transplanted themselves in the sleepy Jersey suburbs where child-friendly jam bands and cover acts smothered the music scene with competent predictability.

Brian Boehm (bass/vocals), with his Melvin’s sensibilities, and Paul Haley (guitar/vocals), with his Hardcore and Brit/Power Pop pedigree, came together seeking something more.

But when Brian and Paul got together for the first time, Brian had his doubts.

“I opened the door and Paul was standing there in a ‘Sick of It All!’ t-shirt,” recalls Brian. “Then he began playing Stone Roses covers on his acoustic and I knew there was hope.”

Will Kramer (drums) and Paul stumbled upon each other at a PTA wine and cheese event. They didn’t see exactly eye-to-eye on politics, but they found common ground in their musical interests.

Will, too, liked his alternative rock simple, loud, and scrappy, a result of spending his high school and college years watching the Del Fuegos, Dogmatics, and Mission of Burma in Boston, and Nirvana and Beat Happening in Olympia, Washington.

Soon the three boys gathered in Will’s basement, where three songs quickly came to life: “Smile (Once In A While), “Most Likely from Ohio,” and “It Must Be Tuesday.” A couple of band name changes later, Dollar Store Riot exhaled its first collective breath.

The music was coming together but something was amiss with the vocals.

As luck would have it, Brian and Thea had kids in the same class and one thing led to another when Thea and Brian’s wife started talking about the Sex Pistols at a first grade gingerbread cookie party.

A singer/song writer and self-described “metalhead” whose tastes range from Alice in Chains to Alanis Morrisette, Thea brought powerful vocals and additional guitar licks that gave Dollar Store Riot the extra boost it was looking for.

Over the last five years, the band has managed to consistently play shows in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey while holding down the responsibilities of jobs, families, and suburban lawn care.

Dollar Store Riot continues to play live shows and plans to release a new 5 song EP, set to be released in Spring 2016.

You can hear some previous recordings on the music page at www.dollarstoreriot.com.


Thea Kearney - Vocals/Guitars

Paul Haley - Guitar/Vocals

John Ramsburg - Bass Guitar

Will Kramer - Drums


Former Members:  Brian Boehm - Bass/Vocals


Band Members