# Brian Fallon
**Brian Fallon** (born 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Red Bank, New Jersey, best known as the frontman, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter of the Gaslight Anthem and as a solo artist whose music fuses the urgency of punk rock with the songcraft of heartland rock.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) Across two decades he has also recorded with the Horrible Crowes and Molly and the Zombies, and his catalog runs from the Gaslight Anthem's breakthrough *The '59 Sound* (2008) to his fifth solo album, *Not Bad for New Jersey* (2026).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [2](https://www.kerrang.com/brian-fallon-life-less-ordinary-interview-gaslight-anthem-not-bad-for-new-jersey-bruce-springsteen)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980, Red Bank, New Jersey; raised partly in Hackettstown, about 60 miles inland[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [3](https://guitar.com/features/brian-fallon-local-honey/) |
| Bands | The Gaslight Anthem (frontman since 2006), the Horrible Crowes (with Ian Perkins, from 2011), Molly and the Zombies[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-horrible-crowes-mn0002743675) |
| Gaslight albums | *Sink or Swim* (2007), *The '59 Sound* (2008), *American Slang* (2010), *Handwritten* (2012), *Get Hurt* (2014), *History Books* (2023)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [5](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html) |
| Solo albums | *Painkillers* (2016), *Sleepwalkers* (2018), *Local Honey* (2020), *Night Divine* (2021), *Not Bad for New Jersey* (2026)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) |
| Hiatus and reunion | Indefinite hiatus announced July 2015; reunion confirmed March 2022[6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/going-solo-the-rebirth-of-brian-fallon) • [7](https://uproxx.com/indie/brian-fallon-interview-gaslight-anthem-reunion/) |
| Springsteen connection | Springsteen put the band on his 2009 Hyde Park bill, joined their Glastonbury set, and duets on "History Books" (2023)[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [5](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html) |
## Early life and first bands
Fallon grew up in a working-class New Jersey household. His parents split before he was born, and he was raised by his mother, Deborah, a former folk singer who became a hospital publicist, and his stepfather Gary, a Nestle factory worker.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/01/14/brian-fallon-the-gaslight-anthem-black-cat/) A teacher showed the 11-year-old how to play [Guns N' Roses](https://www.edgepedia.org/guns-n-roses)' "Used to Love Her," and he was hooked; at thirteen he found [The Clash](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-clash)'s debut album in a Hackettstown record shop, an encounter he credits as formative.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/01/14/brian-fallon-the-gaslight-anthem-black-cat/) • [9](https://www.resistrecords.com/bands/the-gaslight-anthem/)
His first recordings came under the name No Release, with a 16-song cassette, *The Coffeehouse Sessions*, in 1997. He then joined the ska-punk band Surrogate McKenzie, who self-released four cassettes between 1998 and 2000, and in 2001 formed the short-lived Amping Copper.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) After the 2004 solo EP *Cincinnati Rail Tie*, he founded [This Charming Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/this-charming-man); when members departed and guitarist Alex Rosamilia joined in early 2006, the group became the Gaslight Anthem.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305)
## The Gaslight Anthem
The band's debut, *Sink or Swim*, arrived in May 2007 and built an underground following that widened into mainstream attention with 2008's *The '59 Sound*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) Bruce Springsteen, a major influence on the band, gave them a slot at his 2009 Hyde Park concert in London, joined their set at [Glastonbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/glastonbury) that year, and brought Fallon on-stage during his own headline performance.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305)
**Springsteen comparisons.** The band's New Jersey roots, working-class imagery, and Fallon's gravelly voice drew persistent comparisons to Springsteen, which Fallon at times resisted, once writing to fans, "My name isn't Bruce."[5](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html) In 2013 he stopped a show after an audience member repeatedly heckled "Bruce!"[10](https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/does-rock-n-roll-kill-braincells-the-gaslight-anthem-brian-fallon-3495130) The relationship later became a collaboration: Springsteen sings on "History Books," the title track of the band's 2023 comeback album.[5](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html)
*Handwritten* (2012), recorded over five weeks at Blackbird Studio in Nashville with producer Brendan O'Brien, took the band to a major label, [Mercury Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/mercury-records), and became a chart-topping release.[9](https://www.resistrecords.com/bands/the-gaslight-anthem/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) *Get Hurt* (2014), moved to [Island Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/island-records) after a corporate reorganization, was a song cycle informed by Fallon's divorce; it debuted inside the top 5 in both the US and UK, but drew sharply divided reviews that Fallon said "crushed" him.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/going-solo-the-rebirth-of-brian-fallon) • [11](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/brian-fallon-interview-sleepwalkers-album-release-date-gaslight-anthem-59-sound-anniversary-tour-dates-bruce-springsteen-a8194401.html)
In July 2015, after a European tour, the band announced an indefinite hiatus. Fallon later described the decision as collective and tied to his own untreated anxiety and panic attacks: "We have to stop, because I won't survive this."[6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/going-solo-the-rebirth-of-brian-fallon) • [2](https://www.kerrang.com/brian-fallon-life-less-ordinary-interview-gaslight-anthem-not-bad-for-new-jersey-bruce-springsteen)
## Side projects
In 2011 Fallon formed the Horrible Crowes with Ian Perkins, the Gaslight Anthem's guitar tech, naming the project after the folk ballad "Twa Corbies." Inspired by [Tom Waits](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-waits), Nick Cave, and [Mark Lanegan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-lanegan), the duo made slower, darker music than the band; their debut album, *Elsie*, was released in September 2011.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-horrible-crowes-mn0002743675) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) During the break between *Handwritten* and *Get Hurt* he also played in Molly and the Zombies with guitarist Brian McGee, bassist Catherine Popper, and drummer Randy Schrager, releasing live tracks online but no studio material.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305)
## Solo career
Fallon's debut solo album, *Painkillers*, produced by [Butch Walker](https://www.edgepedia.org/butch-walker), was released in March 2016, preceded by the single "A Wonderful Life."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [12](https://www.vice.com/en/article/brian-fallon-a-wonderful-life-interview/) Reviewers heard a shift toward [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) and singer-songwriter material, with country and folk coloring the punk-rooted voice.[13](https://www.universal-music.de/brian-fallon/biografie) *Sleepwalkers* (2018) followed, then the more personal *Local Honey* (2020), for which he took guitar lessons again to develop his fingerpicking.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [3](https://guitar.com/features/brian-fallon-local-honey/)
**Night Divine and the return to rock.** His fourth solo album, *Night Divine* (2021), was a self-produced collection of Christian hymns and carols, reflecting a faith that has also surfaced in his band's writing.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305) • [14](https://www.loudersound.com/features/brian-fallon-gaslight-anthem-albums) After finishing *Local Honey* he felt a chapter had closed and wanted, in his words, to "turn up something to 10 and play" again, which fed into the Gaslight Anthem reunion.[7](https://uproxx.com/indie/brian-fallon-interview-gaslight-anthem-reunion/)
In May 2026 he released two new solo singles, "Not Bad For New Jersey" and "Better Before," his first solo music in five years, announcing the album *Not Bad for New Jersey*, backed by his solo band the Painkillers.[15](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/brian-fallon-shares-first-new-solo-music-in-five-years) • [16](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/brian-fallon-and-the-painkillers-announce-us-uk-and-european-tour-dates) Sources differ on the release details: Louder reports a September 10 release on his own Lesser Known Records,[16](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/brian-fallon-and-the-painkillers-announce-us-uk-and-european-tour-dates) while MusicRadar reports September 11 via Nash York Records.[17](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/brian-fallon-on-the-roy-buchanan-trick-that-bruce-springsteen-taught-him-on-guitar) The album draws openly on 1980s rock, with guests including [Def Leppard](https://www.edgepedia.org/def-leppard)'s Phil Collen, Marc Ribot, and the Killers' Brandon Flowers, and Fallon describes it as his most "free" record.[18](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey) • [2](https://www.kerrang.com/brian-fallon-life-less-ordinary-interview-gaslight-anthem-not-bad-for-new-jersey-bruce-springsteen)
## Reunion and History Books
[The Gaslight Anthem](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gaslight-anthem) confirmed their return in March 2022, with plans for a reunion tour and a first album since *Get Hurt*.[7](https://uproxx.com/indie/brian-fallon-interview-gaslight-anthem-reunion/) Fallon has said the reunion began slowly: he set himself a test of writing four songs he considered quality, sent iPhone demos to his bandmates, and restarted with drummer Benny Horowitz before contacting the others.[7](https://uproxx.com/indie/brian-fallon-interview-gaslight-anthem-reunion/) *History Books*, the band's first album in nine years, appeared in 2023, its title track pairing Fallon's voice with Springsteen's harmonies.[5](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html) • [14](https://www.loudersound.com/features/brian-fallon-gaslight-anthem-albums) As of 2026, Fallon plans to focus on solo work that year and write the next Gaslight Anthem album for 2027.[19](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey)
## References
1. [Brian Fallon Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brian-fallon-mn0000462305)
2. ["I was like the Cyndi Lauper of punk rock!": The Life Less Ordinary of The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon, Kerrang!](https://www.kerrang.com/brian-fallon-life-less-ordinary-interview-gaslight-anthem-not-bad-for-new-jersey-bruce-springsteen)
3. ["I wanted to be able to do things I couldn't do": Brian Fallon on taking guitar lessons again, Guitar.com](https://guitar.com/features/brian-fallon-local-honey/)
4. [The Horrible Crowes Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-horrible-crowes-mn0002743675)
5. [The Gaslight Anthem were labeled 'Bruce Springsteen copycats.' Now the Boss is on their new single, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/news/bruce-springsteen-ap-fallon-brian-fallon-los-angeles-b2379290.html)
6. [Going Solo: The Rebirth of Brian Fallon, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/going-solo-the-rebirth-of-brian-fallon)
7. [Brian Fallon Explains Why The Gaslight Anthem Have Reunited, Uproxx](https://uproxx.com/indie/brian-fallon-interview-gaslight-anthem-reunion/)
8. [Middle Class Hero: Brian Fallon, The Gaslight Anthem, The Washington Post Express](https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/wp/2010/01/14/brian-fallon-the-gaslight-anthem-black-cat/)
9. [The Gaslight Anthem, Resist Records](https://www.resistrecords.com/bands/the-gaslight-anthem/)
10. [The Gaslight Anthem on Bruce Springsteen comparisons and reunion, NME](https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/does-rock-n-roll-kill-braincells-the-gaslight-anthem-brian-fallon-3495130)
11. [The quiet, eventual optimism of Brian Fallon, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/brian-fallon-interview-sleepwalkers-album-release-date-gaslight-anthem-59-sound-anniversary-tour-dates-bruce-springsteen-a8194401.html)
12. [The Reluctant Solo Career of The Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon, Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/brian-fallon-a-wonderful-life-interview/)
13. [Brian Fallon Biografie, Universal Music](https://www.universal-music.de/brian-fallon/biografie)
14. [Brian Fallon and The Gaslight Anthem's Best Albums - A Buyers' Guide, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/brian-fallon-gaslight-anthem-albums)
15. ["Somehow I'm still here, and I'm still in one piece." Brian Fallon shares first new solo music in five years, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/brian-fallon-shares-first-new-solo-music-in-five-years)
16. [Brian Fallon and The Painkillers announce US, UK and European tour dates, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/brian-fallon-and-the-painkillers-announce-us-uk-and-european-tour-dates)
17. [Brian Fallon on the Roy Buchanan trick that Bruce Springsteen taught him on guitar, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/brian-fallon-on-the-roy-buchanan-trick-that-bruce-springsteen-taught-him-on-guitar)
18. [Brian Fallon on how '80s rock lit the fuse for his star-studded solo album, MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey)
19. [Brian Fallon on what makes for guitar greatness, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/brian-fallon-not-bad-for-new-jersey)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical practice and theory › Popular music genres › Rock performers, groups, and musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license