By Gary Wien
originally published: 08/30/2007
Sometimes it's refreshing when a band simply works their tail off week in and week out and you can see them trying to improve with each show and build their fanbase one person at a time. Lexington Down is that kind of band. They've been plugging away up and down the East Coast for several years now and will be celebrating the release of their first full-length CD, "Partial Possession Claim", at The Saint in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Saturday, September 15th.
Keith Hann, Dan Palyca, Gerry Matthews and Chris Farrell comprise Lexington Down. They're regular players in both the Asbury Park and Atlantic City music scenes - a combination you don't see too often. It came about from having band members live in Monmouth and Ocean County and going to college at Richard Stockton in South Jersey.
"We knew a lot of people from school," explained Gerry Matthews. "We would play shows down there and a lot of people would come out. Plus there's a couple of other bands that we know that have a bit of an all-ages scene going on down there in some fire halls and churches. We do really well with a younger audience."
It's partly because of their younger fans that the band decided to make their new CD available online as a free download. It wasn't the easiest of decisions because they knew they had spent a lot of time working on the record and put a lot of money into the project, but when they looked at things closely they knew giving the music away would be better in the long run.
"The truth is that if we are going to get to a point where our music sustains us - and I don't mean millions of dollars but being able to quit our day jobs and be able to work our asses off like we do now but not be on empty all day long - the amount of music we give away now will only lead us to that," explained Matthews.
The plan seems to be working as the band's songs were played roughly 40,000 times on Purevolume.com and over 110,000 times on the band's Myspace site.
"It's one of the beauties of web promotion," said Matthews. "A girl from Huntington Beach, California wrote us and said she downloaded our entire album and she loves us. That's just one person, but one person is enough when before that it was no people. And without us doing anything other than making it available, our album got on the West Coast.
"Nobody knows who you are. You might feel like you've accomplished something and we do feel that way, but it's not that big in the true scope of things. People aren't that willing to take a chance on buying a band that they don't know and kids don't have credit cards for online orders anyway."
Lexington Down is like an old school band that wants to earn everything they get. While some bands stick close to their base - playing largely in front of their friends - Lexington Down enjoys winning over the crowd. Matthews said some of the band's favorite shows took place in the train stations and Elks Lodges of West Virginia where hundreds of kids would pack the place. All total, the band has played nearly 200 shows in the last three years.
"We just want people to be able to listen and see what we're all about," he adds.
The band's sound has been compared to bands like Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab For Cutie, and Fugazi. "Partial Possession Claim" is full of tunes that should find their way on to college radio stations in the next few months. The CD was produced by The Churchills, who have once again produced an incredibly slick, radio friendly disc. Check out the tunes yourself at www.lexingtondown.com and chances are you'll become a fan as well. The list is growing one name at a time, just the way they like it.
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
Joe Russo's Almost Dead
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJJoe Russo's Almost Dead is Marco Benevento, Dave Dreiwitz, Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger and Joe Russo. We're a Grateful Dead cover band.
Mccarter At The Museum: An Evening With Jason Robert Brown
Thursday, November 12, 2026 @ 7:00pm
Princeton Art Museum
45 Elm Drive, Princeton, NJJoin 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].
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts & Events Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJThe legendary Rhode Island multi-platinum rock’n’roll group JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND began their career in 1973 and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with the “Eddie & The Cruisers – Motion Picture Soundtrack”. The hit single “ON THE DARK SIDE” held the “#1” position on the Billboard Rock charts and the MTV video charts for five consecutive weeks.
Griffin House
Friday, November 13, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ“If you are looking to be blown away by raw talent, then look no further than Griffin House.” —American Songwriter
Floyd Pink - Celebrating The Music Of Pink Floyd
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJFLOYD PINK is a Pink Floyd tribute band from the New York metro area, celebrating the music of Pink Floyd.
EVENT PREVIEWS
State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey and Relix present Joe Russo's Almost Dead on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 7:30pm. The band was formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013. While they are a Grateful Dead cover band, they are known more for interpreting songs by the Dead rather than attempting to replicate the band's work.
NJPAC presents Gregory Porter with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell
(NEWARK, NJ) -- With a voice that can fill a concert hall and make every listener feel personally embraced, Gregory Porter has become one of the most beloved artists in contemporary jazz. On Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm, the two-time GRAMMY® winner returns to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) with special guests Madeleine Peyroux and Catherine Russell for an evening of soulful expression, exquisite storytelling and remarkable vocal artistry, presented as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival.
Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday
(TUCKERTON, NJ) -- The Lizzie Rose Music Room presents Griffin House on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 7:30pm. Griffin House is an American singer-songwriter and storyteller who has been making records for over 20 years.
KANSAS to perform at Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday
(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- One of classic rock's most iconic bands, KANSAS, will perform at the Scottish Rite Auditorium on Friday, November 13, 2026 at 8:00pm. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner, and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide. A limited number of tickets remain.
NJPAC presents Jesse Cook on Saturday
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents Jesse Cook on Saturday, November 14, 2026 in the Victoria Theater at 8:00pm. A global artist in every sense of the term, Jesse Cook redefines music's power to connect people across cultures and continents.
Forte Piano Music Company presents Exquisite Contrasts: Haydn & Schubert Piano Trios
(PARAMUS, NJ) -- The Forte Piano Music Company presents a Piano Trio Concert - "Exquisite Contrasts" - Haydn & Schubert on Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:30pm. This program brings together two landmarks of the piano trio repertoire, revealing the evolution of the genre from the Classical era to early Romanticism.
Mahwah Museum Hosts "Les Paul from Start to Finish" with Jim Wysocki
(MAHWAH, NJ) -- Come to the Mahwah Museum on Sunday, November 15, 2026 for a discussion of a 29-year friendship, rare memorabilia, and the story behind Les Paul's home with Mahwah Mayor Jim Wysocki from his nearly three-decade friendship with legendary musician and inventor Les Paul. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition to take place on Sunday
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- You can get your holiday shopping done on Sunday, November 15, 2026 when Anchor Rock Club hosts the Atlantic City Punk Rock Flea Market - Holiday Edition. The event runs from noon to 6:00pm.
Song of the Meadowlark takes place on Sunday in Hopewell
(HOPEWELL, NJ) -- Song of the Meadowlark takes place Sunday, November 15, 2026 at Highland Design Farm. This is a meditative rock odyssey weaving reimagined contemporary songs, stream-of-consciousness poetry, and live painting. Doors are at 2:00pm, showtime is 2:30pm.
Avenel Performing Arts Center presents Chris Smither
(AVENEL, NJ) -- Chris Smither will perform at the Avenel Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7:30pm. Born in Miami, during World War II, Chris Smither grew up in New Orleans where he first started playing music as a child. The son of a Tulane University professor, he was taught the rudiments of instrumentation by his uncle on his mother's ukulele.
