New Jersey Stage 2016 - Issue 3 | Page 7

For many artists who have been with a band for a long time, releasing that first solo record is a bit scary. Do you think you needed a little fear like this? Yeah, for sure. Fear is a great motivator. Not like the creepy news fear — ‘Is something you’re eating poisoning your children? Details at 6!’ Not like that, that’s just weird fear. But I think a little healthy dose of nervousness is a great motivator, especially when it comes to art. In many ways, this is like a first album. Oh yeah. I mean, this wasn’t an automatic go with the label. I didn’t just say to them, ‘Hey, I’m going to put out a solo record.’ I had to go through the whole signing process again. They didn’t sign me as a solo artist. They signed me as Gaslight Anthem and that was all four of us, so we were all signed. I had to go to them and say, ‘I want to do a solo record. Do you want to put it out?’ And they were like Watch the video for “A Wonderful Life” by Brian Fallon SUBSCRIBE 2016 - ISSUE 3 Table of Contents 7