Tris McCall

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Tris McCall is a cult writer and musician from Hudson County, New Jersey. He is most known for his confrontational pieces in Jersey Beat Magazine and for his three indiepop albums (If One Of These Bottles Should Happen To Fall, Shootout At The Sugar Factory, and I'm Assuming You're All In Bands), which focus primarily on the culture and politics surrounding his home state of New Jersey as well as his experiences in the Williamsburg music scene. At first, Tris McCall refused to charge for his recorded music; later, he changed his policy and began accepting enough to cover shipping costs. In 2006, his more recent recordings became available on iTunes.

[edit] Music

McCall’s musical compositions draw from a variety of sources, with a strong emphasis on topical lyrics and a conceptually dense approach to record-making that echoes Bruce Springsteen. Arrangements almost always place an emphasis on synthesizers such as the Korg MS2000, which was featured prominently on 2003’s Shootout CD (his infamous Yessay proudly displays a love of the progressive rock music that is a subtle, yet essential component of his sound). Earlier projects, such as the uncharacteristically acoustic (and hard-to-find) Broken Loom CD (1996), reveal a strong Joni Mitchell influence. If One of These Bottles… was an opportunity for McCall to collaborate with another musical influence, Game Theory/Loud Family frontman Scott Miller, who produced most of the record. McCall's recent recordings were performed live with The New Jack Trippers, a rotating cast of musicians from both the Jesery and NYC music scenes.

Additionally, Tris plays synthesizer and electric piano in several Brooklyn based-bands, most notably Kapow along with members of the Negatones and Toshi Yano.

[edit] The Tris McCall Report

His sprawling website, The Tris McCall Report, was a first-person account of McCall's experiences in Jersey City, and in 2004 and 2005, it became a virtual news-source for the members of the regional arts community. McCall discontinued the daily website entries in 2006, citing disgust with local politics, but he continues to post his annual Pop Music Abstracts the results of his Jersey Critics' Poll to the site. His Christmas Abstract -- a round-up and edgy review of Christmas carols -- is a site highlight.

Newark Star-Ledger interview with Tris McCall