Brett Newski is known for many things: serving as the frontman for alternative rock band NEWSKI, publishing a book about anxiety called “It’s Hard to be a Person,” and touring all over the world. He decided that wasn’t already enough, however, so he recently launched a whole new project called Vanity Metrics.
Newski’s quest to make “flawed music”
The songs on Vanity Metrics’ eponymous first album are 100 percent pure Brett Newski. That’s because he’s responsible for every sound that went into them.
“It’s just me in my little gnome house playing all the instruments and vocals,” Newski says. “People often think there’s a lady singing backup but that’s just me learning to do falsetto.”
Newski gave himself two rules to follow: One, songs must be recorded to analog tape; and two, at someone’s house rather than a studio. Why?
“I feel 95% of music today is so perfect sounding to the point of sounding plastic,” Newski says. “With music technology now, it’s easier to make perfect-sounding music than ‘flawed’ or ‘damaged’ music. I wanted to make something that found the middle-ground between sounding trashy but also refined.”
To keep things lo-fi, Newski bought a tape machine out of the back of his neighbor’s unmarked white van. “We call it the ‘murder van’ because it looks so scary,” he says. “The tape machine is like a magic lamp — it works great once you figure out how to jimmy it into the sweet spot.”
Even the name Newski has given this project offers a critique of contemporary American culture. “The term ‘Vanity Metrics’ is a social media reference about how the world runs on empty validation via clicks and likes,” he explains. “We constantly try to boost our numbers to no end. Our ‘one true god’ — the algorithm — owns us and keeps us on that digital hamster wheel. We don’t even realize it’s happening.”
Vanity Metrics can be streamed on Spotify, where the album has the tagline “bedroom alternative.”
Where to see NEWSKI this spring and summer
Long-time Newski fans will also be glad to hear that he has returned to the US after spending a large chunk of 2023 touring in Europe and Africa, and his band NEWSKI will soon set out on a domestic tour. Called the “Freak Flag Fly Tour 2024” after one of the tracks on their latest album, “Friend Rock,” NEWSKI will be gigging nearly nonstop this spring and summer.
In May, Newski and his band can be found at The Garage in Burnsville, Minnesota, as well as Wisconsin venues The Plus in Eau Claire, Sabbatic Brewing in Manitowoc, and Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret in Spring Green. NEWSKI will also head to Washington State to participate in the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts (JFFA) in Port Angeles and play the Bad Bar in Seattle. They will also touch down briefly in Madison, WI, to play the High Noon Saloon on May 29.
In June, the band will perform at Anderson Gardens in Rockford, IL, as well as Wenzel Plaza in Marshfield, WI, Historic West Fest in Green Bay, WI, and Leach Amphitheatre in Oshkosh, WI. In July, they will play two house shows in Delaware: one in Dover and the other in Rehoboth Beach.
August dates include a gig at NEWBO Market Amphitheater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as well as multiple shows in Wisconsin. Fans can catch NEWSKI at Tumbled Rock Brewing in Baraboo on the 17th, in Horicon’s Kiwanis Park on the 21st, and Viroqua’s Concerts in the Park on the 28th.
Newski is particularly excited about playing with one of his favorite bands this summer in Milwaukee. NEWSKI will open for indie rock band Guided By Voices at the 14th annual WMSE Backyard BBQ on August 24, which he says is “a big one for us.”
If that wasn’t already enough, NEWSKI also has a new album in the works. “‘…And You’ll Feel it When You Feel It’ is an LP of all the singles we made during the pandemic,” Newski says. “Kind of a ‘best of’ of the past four years.”
However, not everyone will be able to get a physical copy, of the LP, as Newski is planning a limited run of only 150 CDs. “It’ll probably come out in June, but I’ve got to ask the print shop overlords,” he says.
Bringing realness and authenticity to the world
Newski’s mission to bring realness and authenticity to the world through 90’s style indie rock has made him an unstoppable force for the beauty of imperfection and honest, raw humanity. No matter where fans catch up with him, the only thing they should expect is the unexpected.
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