Brian Fallon (born January 28, 1980) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main lyricist of the rock band
the Gaslight Anthem, with whom he has recorded five studio albums. He is also a member of the duo
the Horrible Crowes alongside the Gaslight Anthem's guitar technician and touring guitarist, Ian Perkins. Since 2016, Fallon has released four solo albums and one
EP.
Biography
Fallon was born in
Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...
, in 1980. His mother Debbie was in a folk band in the late 1960s called 'The Group Folk Singers'. Fallon spent his teen years in
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 10,248.
Hackettstown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1853, from portions of Ind ...
, where he became close friends with Tom "Tommy Gunn" DuHamel of the band Communication Redlight. Fallon attended
Hackettstown High School.
When Fallon was 17, he released a cassette under the stage name 'No Release'. He also once wanted to start a small record label to be called 'Old 45 Records'.
Band affiliations and projects
No Release (1997)
At the age of 17, Fallon released a cassette titled ''The Coffeehouse Sessions'' under the name No Release. It was released under Mean Little Man Productions. There are only about 200 copies of the limited release demo. There are 16 tracks on the demo which featured Chris Eissing as lead guitar on a few tracks.
Amping Copper (2001)
With the band Amping Copper, which has been called "basically...Surrogate McKenzie version 2", Fallon was involved with the recording of the 6-track self-titled CD, ''Amping Copper'', in 2001.
Brian Fallon – Cincinnati Rail Tie (2004)
After Amping Copper, Fallon wanted to record a solo EP while maintaining the band feel. He asked a friend, Casey Lee Morgan, from the band Lanemeyer to play drums. Another friend, Mike Hemberger, played bass and produced the EP. One of Fallon's old guitar teachers, Tim Fogarty, played guitar on two tracks. Together they recorded ''The American Music EP'' in 2004, which featured Fallon's mother on backing vocals.
This Charming Man (2004–2005)
In 2004, Fallon, along with Michael Volpe, Chris Clementi and Mike Leboeuf, founded This Charming Man. Fallon and Volpe remained the only original members when Benny Horowitz and Alex Levine joined in late 2005. In early 2006, Volpe decided to leave the band and
Alex Rosamilia was brought on board, thus bringing together the future line-up of
the Gaslight Anthem.
This Charming Man's only full release was ''Every Little Secret'' in 2005, with the original lineup. Another song by the original band called "She Coulda Raised the Titanic" later became "1930" on the Gaslight Anthem's album, ''
Sink or Swim''.
The Gaslight Anthem (2006–2015, 2018, 2022–present)

Fallon has been the prominent song writer and vocalist for the Gaslight Anthem since their transition from This Charming Man. With the band he has recorded five studio albums, ''
Sink or Swim'', ''
The '59 Sound'', ''
American Slang American slang is slang that is common in, or particular to, the United States.
The term can refer specifically to:
Language
* California slang, slang used in California English, or which originates in California
* Hawaiian Pidgin, English-based ...
'', ''
Handwritten
Handwriting is the writing done with a writing instrument, such as a pen or pencil, in the hand. Handwriting includes both printing and cursive styles and is separate from formal calligraphy or typeface. Because each person's handwriting is u ...
'' and ''
Get Hurt''. In 2009, he joined
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
on stage for the headlining set at the
Hard Rock Calling Festival, performing the song "No Surrender". On July 29, 2015, the band announced an indefinite hiatus after their European summer tour, which ended with an appearance at Reading Festival on August 30.
Fallon said of the band, "People will always say, 'why are you doing a solo record?' And I'm like, 'because I don't have anything to say with Gaslight'. Those five records, that's what you got. That's the piece. I feel it's a lot like The Replacements. There's no new music because that's all Paul
esterbergand the band has to say. When the book is over, it's over. And I have like… four-and-a-half records I'm really proud of."
The Gaslight Anthem reunited on March 25, 2022, with Fallon posting: "I am very pleased to announce to you all that The Gaslight Anthem is returning to full time status as a band. We’ll be announcing a lot of tour dates in the next couple of days. We’re also beginning to write new songs for what will be our sixth LP. We’re very much looking forward to the future and seeing you all again. We want to thank you for staying with us. Stay tuned!"
The Horrible Crowes (2011–present)
On January 20, 2011, Fallon announced on his blog that he had formed the group
the Horrible Crowes with his guitar tech, Ian Perkins.
The first single, "Behold the Hurricane", was made available for streaming throug
RollingStone.comon July 13, 2011. On September 1, ''Rolling Stone'' streamed the album in its entirety. On September 20, the video for "Behold The Hurricane" was uploaded to the Horrible Crowes' website.
Their debut album, ''
Elsie'', was released on September 6, 2011, in the US.
Molly and the Zombies (2013–present)
Molly and the Zombies is an Americana/folk group that was formed in 2013 by Fallon with guitarist and
Plow United frontman Brian McGee, former
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals bassist
Catherine Popper, and
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...
drummer Randy Schrager. The band performed their first show in December 2013 in
Asbury Park
Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188 ,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
, opening for the
Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-h ...
at
the Stone Pony
The Stone Pony is a New Jersey music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.[Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...]
's ''
Highway 61 Revisited
''Highway 61 Revisited'' is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 30, 1965, by Columbia Records. Having until then recorded mostly acoustic music, Dylan used rock musicians as his backing band on every ...
'' album. The band's name comes partially from the
Roky Erickson
Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.
Biography
Ericks ...
song "I Walked With a Zombie" and a 1943 horror movie.
Molly and the Zombies performed at
The Bell House in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
, New York, on June 5, 2014, with Jared Hart of the Scandals and
Dave Hause
Dave Hause (born March 12, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter. He currently performs both solo and with his band The Mermaid. His music draws from heartland rock, folk rock and punk rock. He has also played in multiple Philadelphia, PA area ...
as opening acts. They released 5 songs for free online: "Long Drives", "Lucky", "Red Lights", "Sketchy", and "Smoke".
Solo career (2016–present)
Fallon released his first solo album, ''
Painkillers'', on March 11, 2016. He toured in support of the album with his backing band the Horrible Crowes. On April 16, 2016, Fallon released a three-song EP entitled ''
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
''. The EP was a
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
2016 exclusive limited to 2,000 pressings on 10"
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from viny ...
. Fallon's second album, ''
Sleepwalkers'', was released on February 9, 2018. He toured in support of this album during 2018.
''
Local Honey'', Fallon's third album, was released on March 27, 2020. Fallon's fourth album, ''Night Divine'', was released on November 5, 2021. The album consists of Fallon's recordings of classic
Hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn' ...
and
Christmas carols
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
.
Personal life
Brian Fallon is a Christian, but he avoids using references to his faith in his music. As he stated in an interview with spinner.com referring to the Gaslight Anthem's 2010 album ''
American Slang American slang is slang that is common in, or particular to, the United States.
The term can refer specifically to:
Language
* California slang, slang used in California English, or which originates in California
* Hawaiian Pidgin, English-based ...
'', "There are no religious songs and there never would be because the four of us, we all have different views, completely different religions...I'm very cautious not to push that on the band."
Much of the lyrics on the Gaslight Anthem's 2014 album, ''
Get Hurt'' were inspired by his divorce. Fallon said “Sometimes, I don’t even know how it happened. I don’t even know how it got like this. All I know is that it did. And I now have to figure out: What do I do now?"
Fallon has since remarried and welcomed his second child.
Discography
;Albums
* ''
Painkillers'' (2016)
* ''
Sleepwalkers'' (2018)
* ''
Local Honey'' (2020)
* ''Night Divine'' (2021)
;Extended plays
* ''
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to t ...
'' (2016)
References
External links
Official Brian Fallon websiteOfficial Band website
SideOneDummy (record label)Fan Forum: Dimestore SaintsFan Site: The Gaslight Anthem Record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fallon, Brian
1980 births
21st-century American guitarists
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American rock singers
Singers from New Jersey
Living people
People from Hackettstown, New Jersey
People from Red Bank, New Jersey
The Gaslight Anthem members
20th-century American guitarists
People from New Brunswick, New Jersey
Guitarists from New Jersey
21st-century American singers
Island Records artists
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers