"I think," says Mike Reukberg who comprises one half of the retro-sounding band known as The Red Button. "I think we are rock's greatest odd couple. We don't agree on much but we do agree on music!"
"I was finishing up a solo CD in the studio and there was Mike just hanging out and we just got into a conversation about music," elaborated the other half; Seth Swirsky. "We both love the three minute pop songs and thought we can't do this. Then we thought, we both listen to and love music ranging from Smokey Robinson to Celine Dion; yes we can. I mean; why not? I've written songs for Taylor Dayne ("Tell it to My Heart"), Rufus Wainwright ("Instant Pleasure"), Tina Turner and Al Green as well as three bestselling books about baseball and I've made a documentary called, "Beatles Stories;" I think we can write some pop songs (laughs)."
So the duo set out to write the music that they enjoyed and in 2007 they released their first album called, "She's About To Cross My Mind." The album won, "Album of The Year" in many music polls which led them to release a second effort, 2011's, "As Far As Yesterday Goes."
"Mike and I didn't want to be The Ruttles," said Swirsky. We are both good at writing the three minute pop songs so that's where we went to work. I brought the pretty stuff and he usually dirtied it up (laughs). Me personally, I want to make a melody that you can't get out of your head."
"Seth and I bonded immediately," says Reukberg. "I heard his record before I ever actually met him and he was singing with an English accent; I think I made fun of him (laughs). Then we both discovered our love of the Beatles and we got into a deep discussion about, "Lady Madonna," we were like a couple of Talmudic rabbis" and as he laughed even more loudly about his analogy he went on to summarize his take on the band; "This is where we indulge ourselves, we get to go British."
Swirsky wholeheartedly agrees with his partner and both he and Reukberg are ecstatic with what they've achieved thus far and are very excited about the recent release of their latest two CD set called, "Now It's All This," featuring 33 tracks of re-mastered previous releases, six new songs and four "Unplugged Rarities."
"Marty Scott over at Jem Records is really the one to thank for this," said an appreciative Swirsky. "We had a bunch of songs recorded and wanted to get them out there, you know, to give our fans the latest and greatest (laughs); we just felt that it was time. Our first record sold like 15,000 copies and that came out of the blue and took us by surprise. We then figured, OK, maybe we've got something here so we made another one and this one revisits some of each and some new tracks with some surprises; we really like it."
Even though they've both had behind the scenes success, Swirsky writing for others and Reukberg on Geffen Records with a previous band, greeting card music, film scores and TV soundtracks, as Swirsky explained, they are quite dedicated to the product which they produce for the public. "We pride ourselves on the fact that nothing is filler. We don't just write songs to take up space on an album. When we write, we write with the intention of being really good, we never say, yeah OK that's close enough because this is what we love to do and we do it the best that we can all of the time. Albums are a lot of work, in spite of all of the dangers of putting one out, we just do it and I think it's because Mike and I have a real passion for what we do. We just want people to feel good and to us that is the coolest thing."
Favored sons on, "Little Steven's Underground Garage" radio program and with their material featured on shows such as, "Family Guy" and various satellite radio channels, you'd think they might be used to hearing themselves by now; or are they? "I was listening to the Sirius XM channel, "The Loft" one day and suddenly I heard our single, "Can't Let Candy Go" and it's very satisfying. I love hearing our music or anyone's music who we've been involved with over the car radio or in a hotel lobby, elevator or wherever; it really never gets old."
To discover more about The Red Button, please go to www.theredbutton.com.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
