| Tris McCall | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971/1972 (age 45–46) |
| Origin | Hudson County, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Power pop, indie rock, synthpop, electropunk |
| Occupation(s) | Music critic, writer, rock musician |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Melody Lanes, Jersey Beat |
| Associated acts | My Teenage Stride, Kapow!, Overlord |
| Website | www |
| If One of These Bottles Should Happen to Fall | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Tris McCall | |
| Released | 1999 |
| Genre | Indie pop, power pop |
| Length | 46:38 |
| Producer | Scott Miller |
| Shootout at the Sugar Factory | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Tris McCall | |
| Released | 2003 |
| Length | 33:55 |
| Label | Melody Lanes |
| Producer | Jay Braun and Tris McCall |
| Let the Night Fall | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Tris McCall | |
| Released | 2009 |
| Length | 44:11 |
| Label | Melody Lanes |
| Producer | Jay Braun and Tris McCall |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Author | Tris McCall |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fiction |
| Published | August 2012 |
| Publisher | Schrafft Books |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 302 pp. |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 861542450 |
Tris McCall is a music journalist, novelist, and rock musician from Hudson County, New Jersey, described by The New York Times as "the plugged-in, Internet-era muse of Jersey City." In 2010, he became the music critic for the Newark Star-Ledger.
Describing the prominence of New Jersey life and politics in Tris McCall's songwriting, The New York Times wrote, "Mr. McCall's songs are the opposite of a Jersey joke. In his songs, New Jersey is the center of the world, without apology."
In a 2005 profile, The New York Times wrote about McCall's intertwined career as a local activist and pop musician, noting McCall's "seemingly contradictory" activities of running a Web site with news and opinion coverage of local political issues, while also releasing "obscure but quite dazzling rock, or what's been described as 'synth-driven, dance-floor-conscious indie-rock'". Despite negligible sales at the time, McCall's CDs had made him a cult figure among fans of independent pop music.
If One of These Bottles Should Happen to Fall, released in 1999, was produced in New York by Scott Miller, a California pop musician who was McCall's "musical hero."
While selecting songs from McCall's demos, Miller drew McCall toward the "conceptual unity" of a set of songs centering on the political, emotional, and civic life of New Jersey. Many of McCall's songs contain references to New Jersey politicians; examples include "Dear Governor Kean" and a litany of names mentioned in "It's Not The Money, It's The Principle." A glossary identifying the names of Hudson County politicians and local haunts was included with the If One of These Bottles CD.