Crazy and The Brains

Surfacing from the house parties in northern New Jersey, Crazy & The Brains poured into the punk scene as an acoustic guitar/xylophone duo. Founding members Jesus Christoph and Jeffrey Rubin made their rounds through the Lower East Side Manhattan open mic scene before manifesting into a full band and recording their debut album, Let Me Go, in 2013.

Fiercely independent the lyrics confront social and political constructs, explore the dark territories of mental health, champion sexual freedom, and express a devoted love for junk food. Sonically, Crazy & The Brains draw comparisons to the early days of New York Dolls while replacing every guitar lead with a xylophone solo.

The group released Good Lord in 2014 and Brain Freeze in 2015 followed by a string of singles and covers including a bratty and politically charged reworking of The Velvet Underground classic “Sweet Jane”.

Forever evolving, the group has had multiple arrangements and line-up changes with the current configuration passing off guitar duties to newcomer Ernest Young, freeing up Christoph to spill himself out into the crowd while Rubin and bass player Brett Maverick maintain the stage adding Shangri-La-esque background harmonies. Drummer Jon Lango brings his ska/rocksteady zest to the party, also being a member of Vic Ruggiero’s (The Slackers) solo band. Lango’s high energy perfectly compliments the group's distinctively bizarre charm.