MUSIC
SENDING AMESSAGE
Bro4, who rose to popularity after performing at this year’ s White House Easter Egg Roll, has a song called“ Bruises” that addresses the effects of bullying. was performing while the shift was in progress – while several thousand kids were in the process of being replaced by several thousand other kids – it might very well look like the group was performingtonobody.
Guess what photograph showed up on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the following night.
“ It looked like there was nobody in front of the stage,” Levisays.
“ That’ s the game,” Levi says.“ That’ s what they do. It wouldn’ t be funnyifhe didn’ t do that. We laughed, but it’ s just kind of crazy how they can do that.”
Far from mockingthemout, CaseyJones thinks that Kimmel may have consciously been trying to do them afavor.
“ Jimmy Kimmel is a really smart guy,” he says.“ I highly highly doubt that he was doing this, not knowing he was going to give us some crazy exposure.”
And in fact, Bro4’ s profile has risen quite abit in recentmonths. They’ ve performed original songs like“ Bruises” and“ Dreaming” at venues like Starland Ballroom, Webster Hall and The QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning. Recently, ataSussex County Miners game at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, they performed the National Anthem, and came back to do“ God Bless America” at the seventhinning stretch.
“ We didn’ t know we were going to get all the exposure we did,” Levi says.“ We didn’ t knowwewere going to be on Jimmy Kimmel. That wasn’ t done by our team. That just happened.”
It’ sasweet moment for four brothers( there is a fifth Alam brother, John Daniel, 27, who is not part of the group), who have known some not-sosweet moments growing up.
All of them grew up in Ridgefield Park and cycled throughthe same schools, including Ridgefield Park High School( Skyler graduated in 2008, Levi in 2009, Madison in 2012and CaseyJones in 2014). At any given time, as many as three Alam brothers were going to Ridgefield Park High at the same time.
Thatproved to be ablessing, since all of them – atone time or another – had issues with bullying. Of all of them, Madison got it the worst.
“ I grew up primarily, I guess you can say, in a tall and rap-based town,” Madisonsays.“ Growing up Iwas very short – I’ m still very short – and I wasn’ t really into rap music … I was mostly into classicrockand boy bands. When you’ re singing‘ I Want It That Way’ [ by BackstreetBoys ] in the hallways, and people are singing‘ Candy Shop’ [ by 50 Cent ], it’ s very, very different.”
By the ninth grade, Madison began to be plaguedbydepression; eventually he got suicidal. He tried slashing his wrists.“ I startedgettinginto cutting, thingsI really shouldn’ t have,” Madison says. It was his brothers who got him through. That, and music. When the foursome created Bro4 two years ago, they made bullying a kind of cause, with songs like“ Bruises” that address it directly. As amatter of fact, it may have been this preoccupation that brought Bro4tothe attention ofthe Trump team; bullying is first lady Melania Trump’ skeynote issue.
In any event, the Alam brothers can only hope that Bro4 helps other kids the way that, through the years, they’ ve been able to helpeach other. ●
26 AUGUST 2017 |( 201) FAMILY