Dollar Store Riot

Once upon a time, four former New Yorkers transplanted themselves in the sleepy Jersey suburbs where child-friendly jam bands and cover acts smothered the music scene with competent predictability. Brian Boehm (bass/vocals), with his Melvin’s sensibilities, and Paul Haley (guitar/vocals), with his hardcore punk and Brit/power pop pedigree, came together seeking something more. But when they got together for the first time, Brian had his doubts. “I opened my front door and Paul was standing there in a ‘Sick of It All!’ t-shirt,” recalls Brian. “Then he began playing Stone Roses covers on his acoustic and I knew there was hope.” Will Kramer (drums) and Paul stumbled upon each other at a PTA wine and cheese event. They didn’t see exactly eye-to-eye on politics, but they found common ground in their musical interests. Will, too, liked his alternative rock simple, loud, and scrappy, a result of spending his high school and college years watching the Del Fuegos, Dogmatics, and Mission of Burma in Boston, and Nirvana and Beat Happening in Olympia, Washington. Soon the three boys gathered in Will’s basement, where three songs quickly came to life: “Smile (Once In A While), “Most Likely from Ohio,” and “It Must Be Tuesday.” A couple of band name changes later, Dollar Store Riot exhaled its first collective breath. The music was coming together but something was amiss with the vocals. As luck would have it, Brian and Thea had kids in the same class and one thing led to another when Thea and Brian’s wife started talking about the Sex Pistols at a first grade gingerbread cookie party. A singer/song writer and self-described “metalhead” whose tastes range from Alice in Chains to Alanis Morrisette, Thea brought powerful vocals and additional guitar licks that gave Dollar Store Riot the extra boost it was looking for. Over the last five years, the band has managed to consistently play shows in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey while holding down the responsibilities of jobs, families, and suburban lawn care. Update August 2016: Brian Boehm has left the band to pursue a solo music project, but has been replaced by John Ramsburg on Bass! Dollar Store Riot continues to play live shows and plans to release a new 5 song EP set to be released in Fall 2016. You can hear some previous recordings on the music page at www.dollarstoreriot.com. Thea Kearney – Vocals/Guitars John Ramsburg – Bass/Vocals Paul J. Haley – Guitar/Vocals Will Kramer – Drums Former Members: Brian Boehm – Bass/Vocals dollarstoreriot.com