Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 01/14/2024
(WASHINGTON, DC) -- Brian K. Pagels and Stephen Russ, the DC-area duo that make up Brian K & The Parkway, released their debut single "Wind The Clock" on January 12, 2024. The song, which opens with a lilting guitar riff and drum groove, is a commentary on tribalism and the extreme black and white thinking that has materialized in society today. It offers a means to expel the frustration of it all while expressing a spirit of hope and solidarity with those actively fighting for a better world despite all the forces working against them.
“I wanted it to be an anthem for ‘my people,’ those who value peacebuilding, justice, equality, democracy, and universal human rights,” says Pagels.
The duo are set to release their debut album, Killing The Bear, March 29, 2024. The nine-song collection, a nod to the ‘70s rock sound of artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Warren Zevon, is guitar-based, roots-oriented rock, infused with a healthy dose of soul and R&B. Piano and organ play a critical role in establishing the sound along with some horns thrown in for good measure. The duo dubs their sound “coastal heartland rock,” reflecting the fact that their major influences are artists that hail from coastal areas such as New Jersey, Florida, and California, but are known for their own mix of classic heartland rock.
Pagels and Russ formed Brian K & The Parkway in 2021. Pagels is from Springsteen’s hometown of Freehold, NJ, Russ is from the Carolinas, both share an innate connection to The Boss and are acutely inspired by him. Although the guys refer to the band name fondly as “very Jersey,” it denotes Pagels‘s name and the fact that The George Washington Memorial Parkway connects the route between their Northern Virginia homes; Pagels lives in Alexandria, Russ lives in Arlington.
Killing The Bear’s overarching theme is about our ever-increasing inability as humans to deal with the source of our problems and instead, look to surface-level, near-term solutions, and then declare immediate victory. The songs serve as vignettes about the things we do to cope, for better or worse.
Most of the work on Killing The Bear was done by Pagels and Russ, but it was mastered by Justin Perkins (North Mississippi Allstars, The Replacements, Lydia Loveless), co-engineered by Zac Thomas at The Jam Room in Columbia, SC, and co-produced and mixed by Collin Derrick. Cat Popper of Puss N Boots (her band with Norah Jones and Sasha Dobson), also known for her work with Jack White, Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson, among others, makes a guest appearance on one of the tracks, “Straight Through.”
With their debut coming, Brian K & The Parkway can’t wait to get out on the road to play it for audiences up and down the east coast beginning this March. They will be kicking off their east coast tour with a special all ages album release party at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA on March 29.
TOUR DATES:
March 29 - Jammin Java, Vienna, VA – All ages album release show
April 25 - Tin Roof, Charleston, SC
April 26 - Curiosity Coffee, Columbia, SC
April 28 - The Pinhook, Durham, NC
May 3 - The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel, Asbury Park, NJ
May 4 - Faces Brewing, Boston, MA
May 5 - Sleepwalk, Brooklyn, NY
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