Enter Death Threat Radio - the next chapter in the story of Matt Witte, the talented songwriter and performer from the Jersey Shore who made a name for himself in the bars of New Brunswick. Death Threat Radio is Matt's new band.
"It's definitely different," said Matt Witte. "It's not like the old band. It's not like the stuff I was doing six or seven years ago. It's a bit more R&B now. When we play out we try to stay in the same vein and not be so diverse where before we kind of got lost."
The experience with New Blood Revival, the record deal, and touring across the country has taught Matt a few lessons about the industry. One thing he learned is that it's hard to tour with a lot of people. So, instead of going with another large band, Death Threat Radio is a more manageable three-piece unit.
"It's three guys and they're all fucking cool guys," said Witte. "We're going to have some sampling and in the studio we're going to have a lot of string arrangements that will be run through the computer and that will basically be the fourth member of the band. We're only going to keep three guys in the band. The music is real laid back. Most of the stuff is pretty dark."
"The energy's real cool, I think. We all get along - not that the other band didn't get along, it's just a lot less people to deal with. I think that last time it didn't enable us to take so many people on the road and be comfortable. This time I would want to make sure everything was laid out."
Another thing Witte learned is that he absolutely loves being on tour. He loves the road and can't wait to go back. Death Threat Radio, which only started a little over two months ago, plans to start playing out locally and eventually moving to shows across the northeast. You can currently see them in places like New Brunswick, Asbury Park and New York City. In fact, the Bitter End - a very important NYC club - has been the site for several of the band's earliest shows.
"We did three weeks there," explained Witte. "We did once a week for three weeks. We didn't really expect that to happen. We got together real fast, had everything kind of mapped out for the most part but we didn't expect to get that far that fast."
Part of the plan includes heading into the studio sometime in the next couple of months. After the band has a record, the touring will move to new areas. There's a big base of support built up from the NBR days, so Death Threat Radio has an opportunity to take advantage of the NBR following.
New Blood Revival finished off with a pair of farewell shows in November at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick and the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. If you missed those shows keep your eye out for one final reunion which should take place in 2006.
"The Court show was so much fun, it was great!" he said. "We didn't have our original bass player - he was actually at a wedding so he couldn't make the show - so we're going to do another show with the old band in the next 6-12 months. It'll probably be at the Court."
You can catch Matt's new band, Death Threat Radio on Saturday, December 10th as part of the New Jersey Music Hall Of Fame's "Artists On The Brink" show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
