Ferocious Designs, the project of Central Jersey-based singer-songwriter Brian Kelley, pictured, has dropped a video for the anthemic Peter Gabriel-like call to social justice, “Lay It on the Line,” in anticipation of a just-released five-song debut EP.
Ferocious Designs, the music project of Central Jersey-based songwriter Brian Kelley, has released the debut EP, “A Matter of Time,” featuring the single, “Lay It on the Line.” Originally released as part of Bandcamp’s Juneteenth social justice fundraiser, the Peter Gabriel-like anthemic call to arms’ statement against apathy also recently was conceptualized as a video that aims to inspire participation in Black Lives Matter and other worthwhile causes.
The five-song “A Matter of Time” features Brian out front after years of collaborating with singer-songwriter Christian Beach’s backing band and in bands throughout the ’80s & ’90s that played such venerated venues as The Green Parrot in Neptune.
Here’s a look at the video, which features photos of Black Lives Matter rallies taken by Eugene, Ore.-based photographer David Geitgey Sierralupe:
About “Lay It on the Line,” he said, “As a white male, I was horrified by the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 — as well as the fascist response by police during the subsequent protests. I was watching the livestreams and seeing these militarized police advancing on protesters and arresting journalists. Yet, when I went through my Facebook news feed, none of my friends were even talking about it, let alone disgusted by it all.
“I started sharing links to the livestreams and the stories about what was going on,” Brian continued. “But most of the people who reacted either didn’t care or apparently supported an authoritarian police state, so the lyrics are essentially a call to action to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and to address injustices carried out by those who are supposed to uphold the law.”
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].
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.
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