The Makin Waves Song of the Week is “Light the Room,” the latest single from Asbury Park-based The Extensions. PHOTO BY CARO ROSARIO
Makin Waves Award-winning singer-songwriter Brian Erickson immediately followed two solo albums released in November with a new single by his band, The Extensions.
“Light the Room” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.
"Light the Room" is about what we show versus what we hide, said Brian, who wrote the tune.
“It’s a metaphor, which suggests that, even when we think we're being given full transparency, there's always something being hidden from us,” he said. “‘Light the room up everywhere you go’ feels like a lyric from a love song, right?”But then it's followed by ‘Give it the once-over just for show.’ Like, you're only doing this because you're supposed to, not because you want to. And when you do things out of begrudging obligation, you cut corners and you hide stuff to eliminate as much friction as possible.
“The lines of the verses reinforce whatever it is we're trying to hide from others,” he continued. “Are we spinning some story? Are we hiding a liaison? Are we afraid to age? How desperate are we, really? There's neither a resolution nor a villain, and that's okay. The song's lack of specificity allows a listener to find some of their own meaning in it, if they'd like. I'm entirely fine with others interpreting it how they see fit.
“But let me also be clear; when an author just blindly says, ‘It's about whatever you think it's about,’ I find that to be the sign of an underdeveloped writer. A work should always mean something to its creator. But I also think that creator should allow for others to find their own meaning in the work. I think that's what was accomplished here with ‘Light the Room.’ There's meaning to the creator with an opening for meaning to the listener. I'm quite proud of how it turned out. And of course, the whole band was able to put together an arrangement that really fit the mood.”
The Extensions — bassist Will Blakey, guitarist Becca Cristino, keyboardist-vocalist Lisa LoVell, and drummer-percussionist Pete Stern — arranged, performed, and produced by the song. Derril Sellers recorded and engineered at his CAKO Studios in Pen Argyl, PA; Pete Andrews mixed at his Submergent Sound, Middletown, and Elaine Rasnake mastered at her Daughterboard Audio, Philadelphia.
Both The Extensions and solo Brian are Mint 400 Records artists. Released Nov. 28, the two recent solo albums, “Everyday Forever (Brian’s Version)” and “Everyday Sketches,” feature a one-man band who recorded and produced, like all of Brian’s solo records.
“But here’s the caveat: They were both recorded in 2015, and I waited til now to actually release them,” he said. “As its title implies, it is ‘my’ version of the Paper Jets album of the same name. This recording was made three years before The Paper Jets released theirs. At the time, we used it as a guide but my good friend and collaborator Jesse Elliot had been asking me to release this one for YEARS! And the 10-year mark felt like a nice number.
“‘Everyday Sketches’ is a MUCH rougher-around-the-edges recording,” Brian continued. “It’s eight songs that didn’t make the ‘Everyday Forever’ cut. I eventually used ‘Christmas in July’ for my 2020 album, ‘Little Secrets,’ but all the others have never seen a wide release before this.”
The two new solo records commence a long-planned “Briantology” campaign, he said.
Several albums’ worth of solo material have existed on hard drives since 2003, including old studio collaborations, live performances, demos, EPs, and even full-length records.
“I actually already have the next one prepped and ready for release in the springtime,” Brian said. “None of this is replacing anything The Extensions are doing, but when you spend enough time doing something creative, sometimes you need to pause, zoom out, and go, ‘Wow! That’s my life’s work right there.’ And whenever it’s time for me to say the permanent goodnight, I’d rather do it knowing that that work is out there.”
Stream “Light the Room” here, while the solo version of “Everyday Forever” can be heard here at https://tr.ee/JivorJNFbO and “Everyday Sketches” at https://tr.ee/ZSQVNaoiT3.
See The Extensions on March 21 at Union Firehouse, Mount Holly, with Those Looks; April 18, John & Peter’s; New Hope, and May 28, The Pet Shop, Jersey City, with Above the Moon and The Successful Failures.
And see Brian solo Jan. 15 at an Asbury Music Awards Showcase at Asbury Park Brewery with Third from the Sun, Neon Rayon, Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise, Teen Idle, and Kiersten Blue; Jan. 17, John & Peters, with The Swiss Guard and Zach Russack, and March 6, The Asbury Hotel, Asbury Park.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and Instagram and contact Bob at [email protected].
