Jeff Rosenstock

Biography

Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock (born September 7, 1982) is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Long Island, New York. He is known for his former bands Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as well as for his work as a solo artist and as a composer for Craig of the Creek. He is the founder of Quote Unquote Records, the first donation-based record label.

Early life

Jeffrey Ernest Rosenstock was raised in Baldwin on New York's Long Island. He was born to a Jewish mother who worked as an art teacher and a German Catholic father who worked as a lawyer. Rosenstock identifies as Jewish. His sister is TV writer and playwright Kim Rosenstock.

Career

Rosenstock formed his first band, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (ASOB) in 1995, when he and his friend Joe Werfelman chose not to attend a friend's funeral due to feelings of discomfort, spending the day playing Green Day covers instead. In the midst of ASOB's breakup in 2004, Rosenstock recorded a solo song under the moniker Bomb the Music Industry, which evolved into his next musical project. Bomb the Music Industry became known for their DIY ethic and commitment to accessibility, earning a reputation as "the Fugazi for the internet age of punk." Following the release of Bomb the Music Industry's first full-length record, Album Minus Band, Rosenstock founded Quote Unquote Records, the first donation-based record label, distributing all the label's releases digitally through a pay what you want model.
Rosenstock began his solo career in 2012 by releasing his debut solo "mixtape" I Look Like Shit×I Look Like Shit23 October 2012 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Twinkle4:192Dishes3:033The Trash the Trash the Trash3:434Snow Charges3:38580’s Through the 50’s3:436Little Blue Pills2:117The Internet Is Everywhere.3:268Bonus Oceans3:189Amen5:5910I Don’t Wanna Die4:17 two months after Bomb the Music Industry! had announced their intention to break up. This was followed by the Summer Seven Club project in 2013, which granted purchasers of Rosenstock's 7-inch single "Summer×Summer4 July 2013 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Teenager2:352Go On Get3:533Not Too Soon2:404I Always Dread the End of Summer3:135Eastern Coast3:136MCI1:487See the Sky About to Rain7:338Nausea (acoustic demo)3:159Anything We Want3:39" exclusive access to new songs periodically released over the following months. All the songs from Summer Seven Club were later collected and made available as the Summer + compilation album. Rosenstock's first studio album as a solo artist, We Cool?×We Cool?15 February 2015 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Get Old Forever3:192You, in Weird Cities3:393Novelty Sweater2:414Nausea2:445Beers Again Alone3:146I’m Serious, I’m Sorry2:477Hey Allison!1:518Polar Bear or Africa3:459Hall of Fame2:1910All Blissed Out3:3311The Lows3:0612Darkness Records3:23, was released in 2015. His second solo album, entitled Worry, was released on October 14, 2016. On New Year's Day 2018, Rosenstock released the ten-track Post-, his third studio album. His fourth studio album, No Dream×NO DREAM20 May 2020 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1NO TIME0:542Nikes (alt)1:513Scram!2:514N O D R E A M3:505State Line3:006f a m e4:107Leave It in the Sun2:328The Beauty of Breathing2:579Old Crap3:2410***BNB3:3111Monday at the Beach0:5612Honeymoon Ashtray4:2913Ohio Tpke5:49, was released on May 20, 2020. A ska version of No Dream, titled Ska Dream was released on April 20, 2021. He released his fifth studio album, Hellmode×HELLMODE1 September 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1WILL U STILL U3:212HEAD1:313LIKED U BETTER2:504DOUBT4:285FUTURE IS DUMB3:486SOFT LIVING4:467HEALMODE3:228LIFE ADMIN2:439I WANNA BE WRONG2:3410GRAVEYARD SONG4:31113 SUMMERS7:09, on August 31, 2023 worldwide - a day earlier than the scheduled September 1.
Rosenstock has performed with many other ska and punk rock bands, including Mustard Plug, The Bruce Lee Band, and AJJ. He had also performed with his Bomb the Music Industry! band-mates Laura Stevenson and Lee Hartney. Some of Rosenstock's musical influences include Tom Waits, Pulp and The Beach Boys.
He has worked as a producer for other artists such as Mikey Erg, The Smith Street Band, Laura Stevenson, and Dan Andriano. He is also a member of Antarctigo Vespucci, a collaborative project between himself and Fake Problems frontman Chris Farren. Since 2014, he had also been a member of ska band Bruce Lee Band alongside Asian Man Records founder Mike Park.
Since 2018, Rosenstock has composed music for the Cartoon Network animated series Craig of the Creek. Rosenstock released a cover of the show's theme song on the 2019 live album Thanks, Sorry!×Thanks, Sorry!18 October 2019 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 29 tracks1Live From New York!0:562USA6:493Pash Rash2:474Wave Goodnight to Me2:555I’m Serious, I’m Sorry3:436All This Useless Energy3:087Yr Throat2:378TV Stars5:099Craig of the Creek0:2610Festival Song4:1911Beauty of Breathing2:4812Hey Allison!1:3713Bonus Oceans3:4714The Internet Is Everywhere2:5815Hall of Fame2:2416Beating My Head Against a Wall1:3417Melba4:1618Nausea2:3619HELLLLHOOOOLE2:3720June 21st1:0121The Fuzz1:5922…While You’re Alive1:5123Perfect Sound Whatever2:1124Let Them Win9:4225KKK Hiway0:5126Twinkle3:47279/103:5128You, in Weird Cities8:0729We Begged 2 Explode4:05 performed by his solo band under the moniker Death Rosenstock. In 2020, the first full musical episode of the show was released, for which Rosenstock wrote all the music and lyrics; the soundtrack was released later that year. The soundtrack album for the Craig of the Creek animated film, Craig Before the Creek, released in 2024, with Rosenstock once again credited for writing all the music and lyrics.
In 2024, Jeff Rosenstock had a residency at the Warsaw in Brooklyn, where he played shows until they stopped selling out. He is currently scheduled to have a similar residency in Chicago at the Metro in July 2026.

Personal life

Rosenstock married his longtime girlfriend, Christine Mackie, in 2015. The pair had been living in an apartment in Brooklyn, but in January 2020 they moved across the country to Highland Park, Los Angeles.
On November 8, 2024, Rosenstock came out publicly as non-binary on Bluesky, having previously privately identified as such for eight years.