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Jim Breuer is having a lot of fun right now.
The comedian, best known as a “Saturday Night Live” alum, is full of fresh material, and it’s more than just a new round of jokes he’s added to his stand-up repertoire. For months, Mr. Breuer has been hard at work on a heavy metal album with his band, Jim Breuer and the Loud and Rowdy. A dream he’s had since he was a teenager growing up on Nassau County’s south shore will come to fruition on May 27 when the band’s debut album, “Songs From The Garage,” will become available for sale. Rob Caggiano from Volbeat and Anthrax played on and produced the album, which is being released through Metal Blade Records.
Of course, Mr. Breuer isn’t giving up his day—or rather, night—job. He is still a touring stand-up comic and is making a stop at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m. He performed there two years ago, and for those who caught that show, Mr. Breuer promises something totally fresh this time around.
“I’m at my best when I’m on Long Island,” Mr. Breuer said in an interview this week in which he talked about his heavy metal album, his obsession with the New York Mets, and how family life and marriage influence his material. “I know everything about the island, so I get to improv a lot. What people will like is it’s a completely different hour; it’s more updated. I have teenage girls, so I’ll get into that, and I’m worried about hitting 50, so I’ll talk about that too. It scares the life out of me.”
Mr. Breuer, a lifelong Mets fan, became one of the most recognizable fans of the franchise last season, creating videos with game recaps that blended his trademark comedic style with the very relatable experience of the roller coaster ride of professional sports fandom. It was a particularly good year for the Mets, who made it to the World Series but ultimately lost.
Mr. Breuer is doing video updates again this season after each Mets game, but it’s clear in speaking to him that, right now, his primary passion is the impending release of his debut album.
“Metalhead” and “family man” aren’t descriptors that typically go hand-in-hand, but Mr. Breuer is both, and with his new album he’s determined to prove the terms don’t need to be mutually exclusive. The names of several tracks—“Old School,” “My Rock n Roll Dream,” “Family Warrior”— suggest that he’s right. Perhaps the most stark example is “Raising Teenage Girls,” a topic Mr. Breuer knows well as he and his wife, Dee Breuer, are doing precisely that with three daughters.
“I think that’s going to be the sleeper hit,” Mr. Breuer said of the song, following the statement with his trademark giddy laugh. “Everyone who’s listened to the album, hands down that’s been their favorite song, especially parents. It has a great hook, it’s funny and it’s super relatable.”
Relatability probably isn’t high on the priority list for most heavy metal bands, but it is for Mr. Breuer.
“The whole album I literally wrote about my life,” he said. “I’m the guy who grew up with ’80s rock, hard rock, metal, and that music still hits that energy button for me. But I can’t relate to the new music. I’m like, why doesn’t anyone sing about raising teenage girls and family life, and taking care of a dad who’s 90 years old, and make it funny but sound like Van Halen? So I finally just did it. I hope it’s going to resonate with people.”
The debut album will feature 11 tracks, and is available for pre-order on iTunes now, while one track, “Be a D**k 2nite,” is available for purchase already. The song is a perfect fusion of Mr. Breuer’s stand-up style, with spoken-word verses telling the story of a friend who ruins a guys’ night out in a cringeworthy, yet hilarious, blaze of glory (figuratively and literally—Roman candles are involved), followed by a chorus that is universally catchy. Even casual metal fans might recognize another voice on the album—AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson lent his vocals to a pair of songs. Mr. Breuer and his band will officially go on tour in the fall, but they’ll play at a few venues and festivals this summer, include stops at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on several Mondays in July.
Mr. Breuer said the fall concerts will have an extra performance art aspect to them, with a garage door at the front of the stage that will open to reveal Mr. Breuer jamming out after his wife has left him a voicemail that she’s out and won’t be home until later.
“Think of it as a play, like a modern day ‘Rock of Ages,’” Mr. Breuer described. “It’s the family man, when his wife and kids aren’t home. He’s not out chasing girls or being a drunk; he just puts his headphones on and reflects on his memories through the music. I put my headphones on and the imaginary world begins, which is the concert.”
For the Breuer fans who will see him in his more traditional role in Westhampton Beach on Saturday, the comedian promises the same level of commitment to his performance.
“I’m going to stick to what I do and crush that place,” he said.
Spoken like a true metalhead.
Jim Breuer will perform at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 16, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65, $80 and $95. Visit whbpac.org or call (631) 288-1500.
on Apr 12, 2016