Bomb the Music Industry

Bomb the Music Industry!
Bomb the Music Industry performs in Tampa, Florida on March 26, 2012.
Background information
Origin	Baldwin, New York, US
Genres	Punk rock, ska punk, folk punk, indie rock
Years active	2004–2014
Labels	Quote Unquote, Asian Man Ernest Jenning Really
Associated acts	The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, Mustard Plug
Website	www.bombthemusicindustry.com
Members	(guitar, vocals) John DeDomenici (bass, vocals) Mike Costa (drums) Tom Malinowska (guitar) Laura Stevenson (keyboards) Matt Keegan (trombone, keys) Sean McCabe (trombone, mandolin) James Lynch Dave Solomon Jason Rutcofsky Jenna Beatty Steve Foote Sean Qualls Christine Mackie Nik Cousins Craig Howe Rick Johnson Matt Kurz Jimmy Doyle Lee Hartney Jeff Tobias Erica Harper Danny DeFalco Neil Callaghan

Bomb the Music Industry! (commonly abbreviated as BtMI!) was a band from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. They wrote, produced, recorded, and distributed all of their music under the leadership of songwriter and producer .

Rosenstock and several other contributors were previously members of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. As that band was breaking up, Rosenstock recorded the first BtMI! song, "Sweet Home Cananada," using his PowerBook's built-in microphone. "I wrote that song and put it out to see if anybody wanted it. That was how it started, people showed interest and I like recording stuff."

The band was known for their DIY punk ethic, embodied in actions such as distributing six albums worth of their own material for free on their website, and offering free stencils and paint for fans to create their own T-shirts. They also made it a point to play all-ages shows with ticket prices of $10 or less, and offered fans a chance to perform on stage if they learned a song and brought an instrument to the show. This sparked comparisons such as "the Fugazi for the internet age of punk." Over time, the band's lineup shifted from "pretty much a free-for-all" to a fairly steady five-member lineup.

In 2012, the band announced an indefinite hiatus, stating that their summer US tour would likely be their last because "the 9 - 10 months of our lives when we are not playing music are not fantastic." They added, "We are beautiful complicated fucking snowflakes that blow wherever the wind takes us and you better fucking respect that shit, maaaan." Following an international farewell tour in 2013, the band played their final show in Brooklyn on January 19, 2014.

BTMI recordings have been featured on television shows such as Weeds and The Office.

Bomb the Music Industry! played a blend of several musical styles anchored in ska and hardcore punk. The influences go deeper than ska and punk, however, as studio experimentation, synth-pop, and DC hardcore can influence the music. Rosenstock says bands such as Harvey Danger and Neutral Milk Hotel are as much an influence as evidenced by tracks such as "This Graceless Planet" (an adaptation of a song by We Versus The Shark into the musical aesthetic of Bomb the Music Industry!), "Stand There Until You're Sober", and many other songs' meter experiments (which feature, respectively, prominent synthesizer playing, backwards looping, and time signatures such as 23/4). In live performances the band has begun using digital technology to create breakdowns that are meant to sound similar to chiptunes. Tracks such as "Sweet Home Cananada" and "Future 86" strip down the arrangements to loops and guitar, with the latter (a previously unreleased Arrogant Sons of Bitches demo) featuring a full brass section but lacking the upstroke rhythms on the guitar, a key element of third-wave ska.