New Brunswick Music Scene Archive

10/30/2024

Consider coming out for this free public event, put together by 2 amazing Rutgers Institute for Women's Leadership Scholars, Abigail and Mai. The NB Music Scene Archive will be representing!

09/18/2024

Less than two weeks away! If you plan to attend online be sure to register to get the link.

Join the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive, Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries, as we welcome Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females, Noun) and Joe Steinhardt (Don Giovanni Records) to read from and discuss their new graphic novel, Merriment, at Alexander Libra...

08/30/2024

Awesome new donation! From Ray Kubian, who played drums for Mars Needs Women and donated the lunch box: "The Sparking Ray Gun promotional lunch box was sent out to prospective radio stations, industry representatives, and live music venues in 1995, following the release of the New Brunswick-based band Mars Needs Women's debut album that same year on California indie label Eggbert Records. The promotional box originally consisted of a copy of the Sparking Ray Gun album on CD, a band bio one-sheet from Eggbert, stickers, an actual sparking ray gun toy, a bottle of Orbitz drink, and a packet of freeze dried ice cream. (The drink and ice cream are not included in the box donated to the archive.) The album was re-released the following year by Discovery/Warner Music. A copy of the Discovery release of the CD is also included, along with stickers and a one-sheet produced by Discovery."

08/23/2024

Save the date! October 1, 4pm. We are happy to announce Marissa Paternoster and Joe Steinhardt will be at Alexander Library to read from and discuss their graphic novel "Merriment." Copies will be available for purchase, and we'll have an exhibit of Marissa's artwork for the book. More details to follow!

05/22/2024

Just in! Issues #1 and #2, 1978 and 1979, respectively, of "Young, Fast, and Scientific," published by Todd Abramson Todd-O-Phonic Todd of Maxwell's and WFMU fame. While these won't be added to the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive, they will go to the New Jersey Zine Collection here at Rutgers. Too good not to share!

04/09/2024

Save the date! We're super psyched to be hosting a book reading by Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females, Noun) and Joe Steinhardt (Don Giovanni Records) on May 23rd, 4pm at Alexander Library in New Brunswick. Details coming soon!

02/28/2024

As the Court Tavern's next life is set to begin friend of the archive Ben Kelly takes a deep dive into the history of the venue.

The cultural landmark in downtown New Brunswick will transform from rock and roll club to vegan restaurant this spring, New Brunswick Today confirmed this week.

12/06/2023

Like so many others we were sorry to hear about the breakup of Screaming Females. But we have the music and great show memories, from the Court Tavern to catching them most recently when they killed it at the Stone Pony Summer Stage.

09/15/2023

When WRSU advertised in the Uncle Floyd Show News, March 1977.

08/07/2023

We're excited to announce the launch of the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive Digital Collection! Right now, we have a limited number of flyers from the archive for browsing, but will be adding to the collection periodically. Shout out to Rutgers University Libraries' Isaiah Beard, Digital Data Curator and Melissa DeFino, Special Collections and Formats Technical Services Librarian for their work on this project. Special thanks to Julia Farach-Colton, Rutgers History Department Public History Intern for flyer selection, scanning, and metadata creation.

Search the Collection | Advanced Search An RUcore Service This collection features selected flyers from the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive in Special Collections and University Archives. Founded in 2015, the New Brunswick Music Scene Archive documents the music scene (primarily rock, punk, and ha...

07/19/2023

Bennett Kelly just keeps helping us populate this page, this time with his mid-year New Brunswick music review in New Brunswick Today. It's a great read! (And ok some shameless self-promotion, your friendly NBMSA co-founders' bands are included. No bribes or favors were involved. Thanks Ben!)

Bands are everywhere: old, new, reunited, broken-up, reforming, touring, debuting, mixing, mastering, scheming, working.

04/25/2023

Check out friend of the archive Bennett Kelly's new article in New Brunswick Today about New Brunswick record store culture:

Last year, vinyl records outsold the ancient “compact disc,” by the score of 41 million units sold to 33 million.