Rub Wrongways Records is pleased to present “Polite”, the second album from Sitting Next to Brian. Recommended tracks: Green and Fur (track 4—featuring Dennis Crommett of Winterpills on guitar and Kevin O’ Rourke of Lo Fine on harmonies) Also: Branch Out (track 1); Skipping to the End (track 7); They Become it (track 10) A Story: "Odd things have happened since I started playing music", observes Brian Marchese, the person behind Sitting Next to Brian, walking through his generation's musical landscape. "I've seen goths go hippie, country-twangers go mod, sensitive folkers go techno... Musicians seem to want genres to melt into one, but instead, writers and fans coin ten new genres every week.” And yet despite this seemingly anything-goes epoch in the arts, Brian still manages to go the wrong way down one way streets. Suddenly we hear a whistle and a stern voice commands us to stop. "Hey man, I thought it was cool...", says a confused Brian. " Turn around and go back ", replies the schlocky balladeer turned rude boy. "Your musical blends are not viable here. Nobody likes a singing drummer, and please--learn to play the guitar correctly". (It should be mentioned that Brian plays guitar upside down. Him=lefty. Guitar=not. Also, most people know him as a drummer. Just ask Mark Mulcahy. Or Chris Collingwood. Or a dozen others he's played with whose first and last names don't start with the same letter). Back to the incomparable sounds of Sitting Next to Brian… "But we cannot live without comparisons!” shouts a frantic onlooker from her apartment window, “We will surely die!" Alright. Comparisons. Sigh... Imagine, if you will: 1)It's 1970. Lou Reed has quit the Velvet Underground and is replaced by Neil Diamond. Sometimes Sitting next to Brian sounds like that. OR 2) It's 1980. Syd Barrett is OK! He replaces Ian Curtis in Joy Division. Syd Forgets he joined Joy Division and also joins XTC. They move to a country cottage to get it all together, man. Sometimes SNTB can sound like that. OR 3) It's 1970 again. Lou Reed has joined the Monkees. Mike Nesmith has decided to NOT quit the Monkees. Sometimes SNTB can sound like that too. OR 4)It's the early 21st century. Sitting Next to Brian sits very comfortably on iPod playlists, CD shelves, concert bills and music reviews side by side with such melody-happy bands as Fleet Foxes, Modern Skirts, Midlake and the Superimposers. SNTB doesn't sound like them, but I'm sure they'd all enjoy each other's company. Just as you will enjoy Sitting Next to Brian. He's fairly polite once you get to know him. Fact Sheet: “Polite” features Brian singing his songs and playing guitar and drums. Helping him out are Henning from School for the Dead, Dennis from Winterpills, Kevin from Lo Fine, Lesa from The Fawns, Trace from The Figments, Rick from Group DeVille and Jason from Bourgeois Heroes. Yes, he cashed in a few favors. Interesting things about Brian Marchese’s activities outside SNTB: --plays drums, sax and sings in Ben Katchor and Mark Mulcahy’s multi-media operas “The Rosenbach Company” and “The Slugbearers of Kayrol Island” --toured internationally as a duo with Boston/NYC singer songwriter Don Lennon --has played drums for many years with School For the Dead, whose music has been used in the background on several MTV shows. --played drums in Fountains of Wayne’s Chris Collingwood’s side project, The Gay Potatoes --tried and failed an audition for the Scud Mt. Boys when he was 19. Was rewarded later in life by playing in Haunt with Stephen Scud and in Lo Fine with Bruce Scud.