New Brunswick, New Jersey, Goodbye -
Bands, Dirty Basements, and the Search for Self
A book by Ronen Kauffman available from Hopeless/SubCity Records.
New Brunswick, New Jersey, Goodbye is a memoir set against the New Brunswick, NJ punk and hardcore scene of the mid/late 90's. More than just an engaging personal account, it’s a story about personal growth, coming of age, and the real power of punk and hardcore. Gain an insider's look at a truly influential underground movement.
Preview the book with Amazon's Search Inside !
CRITICS CELEBRATE!
"Awesome wit and a natural aptitude for storytelling... Ronen's delivery is flawless." - AMP Magazine
"Vivid and often hilarious. For a reader who knows little about punk rock, the book is enlightening..." - TimeOff (Princeton)
"Kauffman succeeds at turning the personal into the universal... proudly sits on my bookshelf alongside Cometbus, Burn Collector, Doris and other classic representations of the "underground scene" as it is." - Punknews.org
"The perfect summer punk rock read; smart, funny, and a total breeze." - Pastepunk.com
"Kauffman captures the camaraderie and bonding that an underground scene can nurture... It's honest, sincere, funny, sad." - Jersey Beat
"This book had me from page one... compelling, entertaining and enlightening." - PlaybackSTL (St. Louis)
"This book is hard to put down." - The Big Takeover
"The Wonder Years with a punk rock twist... we hope more books will follow this format." - Blistering.com
"High fives to Ronen Kauffman for head stomping all over my pretentious attitude about what good literature should be... this book made me fall in love with punk all over again" - ScenePointBlank.com
"Elegant and passionate language that never gets too high above the 'plain English' bar to get annoying... a worthy and indispensable addition." - Hails & Horns Magazine
"Kauffman is the kind of guy that gives me hope... For anyone who needs to be reminded that you can carve out a meaningful existence without giving in to mainstream values, this one's for you." - SLUG Magazine (Salt Lake City)
"Expressive... Ronen lays his life out there and has an interesting story to tell." - Hardware Media and Radio
"Far more compelling than any historical manual on the scene could ever hope to be... (Kauffman is) a talented writer." - InSite (Atlanta)
"Even the most skeptical reader is unlikely to find anything suspicious about Kauffman's sincere remembrance of what's arguably this decade's most successful DIY movement." - Revolver
Order here and receive a free digital download card that unlocks over 30 free downloads from bands like Thursday, Bouncing Souls, Nora, The Gaslight Anthem and many more! Bands old and new, famous and obscure. Powered by DropCards .
Check out the complete track listing here!
Bookmark also included - $12 postage paid
Sub City Records and Ronen Kauffman will donate 5% of the SRLP of this release to the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation . MHOF donates new and refurbished musical instruments to underserved school and community music programs and individual students nationwide.
With a foreword by Jack Terricloth
( The World/Inferno Friendship Society / Sticks & Stones )
Photos and jacket design by Zak Kaplan ( Rogue State Design )
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM:
READERS RESPOND:
"A very powerful book. If you've ever been in a band or been involved in any kind of scene that felt like it meant something, this book will be a nostalgic trip. " - reader review, via Facebook"Such an excellent read… Its hard to describe but truthfully I got emotional when you were relaying these stories… Congrats. You should be quite proud of your work. " - Barry, via MySpace
"I read it cover to cover the first time I picked it up. Thank you for writing something that kids can actually relate to." - Der, via MySpace
"This book almost fully encapsulates what it was like to grow up with the hardcore scene as a driving force in your life." - Matt, Amazon review
"I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how much I appreciated your work…It seems like your book was something I had always looked for." - Kenzie, via MySpace
"More than a mere history of a music scene... I can honestly say that this is the best book i've read in a while. " - MJ, reader review on Goodreads
"Aside from it being really interesting to find out about what it was like to be involved in such a great music scene, I found it to be really inspiring. I really got a lot out of it and I can honestly say that it's exactly what I needed to read at this point in my life." - Brett, via email
"I read and thoroughly enjoyed your book, and that it made me wish I had been there, as well as given me fresh hope that there's always time to make my life even radder." - Alex, via email
"A good memoir makes you understand something about your own situation, makes you revisit your own history, and this one certainly did." - Corrine, reader review on Goodreads
"I totally laughed out loud… am thoroughly enjoying this read." - Denise, via email
"I feel like I owe you a drink after reading the book." - Paul, via email
"You did what every musician and/or vocalist hopes to do with every song they write, and that is to say it in a manner that hits home and leaves you in a state of, 'I couldn't have said it better!' Well done!" - Crumbs, via email
"This is the real story of the transformative power of punk rock." - Ross Siegel, Reignition Recordings
"This book reads like a portion of my own adolescence and I can relate intimately to much of it. It's an exciting take on a subculture based around different bands playing music with the same passion... An easy but involving read and definitely worth the time." - Carl Severson, Ferret Music
Author RONEN KAUFFMAN writes, teaches, and occasionally sings for the band Zombie Apocalypse. Recently his reviews, features and commentary have appeared in outlets like Alternative Press, Outburn and AMP.
Ronen also produces and hosts the popular podcast Issue Oriented . The show features interviews with notable guests from across independent culture, and has been called "the best podcast in indie music." Issue Oriented has thousands of listeners from around the globe - listen on iTunes or MySpace .
Check out Ronen Kauffman's personal website, KamikazeWords.com
Published by Hopeless/SubCity
Publicity inquiries: Derek Meier at Solid PR .
ISBN-10: 0967728746
ISBN-13: 978-0967728742