Buy More Records
Remembering Andy Applegate, and new tunes from Sean Kiely
Andy Applegate was the longtime drummer of NJ’s Fairmont. After a life fraught with medical issues, including joint replacements and kidney failure, he passed away last July. January 3 would have been his 44th birthday, and to honor his memory, Fairmont (whose frontman Neil Sabatino owns and runs Mint 400 Records) has released the single “Buy More Records” on Bandcamp. Here’s a message from Neil:
Andy Applegate was my friend and drummer of my band Fairmont from 2003 until he had health problems later in his life. January 3rd would have been Andy’s 44th birthday. Andy played hundreds of shows with Fairmont all over the United States and although he was dealing with many serious issues related to his kidney the whole time, he never let it slow him down. Andy loved Guided By Voices, buying records and playing drums more than any person I’ve ever met. We wrote this song as we celebrate the life of our dear friend Andy and as well are offering merchandise with this simple mantra: “Buy More Records”. All funds raised will be donated to the Asbury Park Music Foundation to put instruments in the hands of students. Andy Applegate was a very special man that touched the lives of everyone that knew him and we hope in some small way this honors his memory for years to come.
I knew Neil as a punk-rock musician (Pencey Prep, Stick Figure Suicide) and a promoter of all-ages shows before he even started Fairmont, so we go back over 20 years. I met Andy when he joined Fairmont and he was truly a lovely person - outgoing. generous, and always happy to see you, an upbeat guy despite his medical woes.
”Buy More Records” is a song Andy would have loved, featuring a lovely melody with intertwined guitars and synth, and a vocal by Neil infused with affection. Of course, Andy being Andy, he probably would have been embarrassed that the lyrics were about him. He was a humble guy. Appropriately, the drums don’t stand out - Andy wasn’t Keith Moon, he was there to keep the beat - but they do add drama and emphasis. The song slowly builds to a crescendo until it fades out, which couldn’t help but make me think of Andy’s bravery as he ascended to a better place. The track purposefully won’t be streaming until it’s released as part of Fairmont’s new album at the end of the month, so fans are asked to buy the track on Bandcamp. If you’d like to purchase an additional remembrance, there’s merch with a “Buy More Records” logo and Andy’s initials available too.
”Buy More Records”
Sometimes it brought him down but he tried not to wear a frown,
Sometimes it was all too much, but he never used it as a crutch,
He was never one to preach, but this is what he had to teach: buy more records, man and do the best you can,
Give it everything until there’s nothing left to bring.
And when he banged the drum, it reminded me of when he was young.
It always brought him to another place, transcending time and space.
And think of him every time you hear Robert Pollard‘s voice as you drive all night until the mornings light.
Buy more records, man, join a band and get in the van.
SEAN KIELY - “This Is the Year” (Bandcamp)
The first Hudson County release of 2026 comes courtesy of Constant Listener’s “Folksinger of the Year,” Sean Kiely, who seems to have one eye on the future and the other on the weather report. “This Is The Year” pairs Kiely’s reflective poetry with Kaia Kater’s banjo and some low-key keyboards that feel more a candlelit séance than coffeehouse strum.
Kiely runs through a litany of what this mysterious year might hold — droughts, doubts, butterflies, the works — his voice calm and patient, like he’s taking inventory of hope before the feces hit the fan. It’s part prophecy, part pep talk, and completely lovely in that small, careful way his best songs tend to be.
Maybe this is the year. Maybe it isn’t. Either way, it’s worth spending three minutes inside Sean’s quiet little prognostication party.
RAHWAY - “Drowning” (Pavement Entertainment/SONY)
Rahway call themselves the “Slumlords of New Jersey,” which I suppose is one way of putting it. The band—yes, actually from Rahway—has a new single called “Drowning,” though you won’t find it on their website yet (major label deal or not, the Internet apparently moves slower in Union County). They’re about to embark on a tour that zigzags through the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Maybe if you drew it on a map, it’d look like a pentagram—that feels on-brand.
Musically, Rahway dip back into that glossy ‘90s Pop Metal sound, when bands like Def Leppard managed to please both the Clearasil crowd and the dudes in mohawks and leather jackets. “Drowning” is less about brute force and more about melody—big choruses, harmonized vocals, and the requisite screaming guitar solo. Frontman Nick Hade has the pipes for it, and guitarist David Cardenas knows his way around a solo, but there’s nothing here that’s going to get them fast-tracked to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Still, for fans who miss the days before metal got all math-y or hyphenated, Rahway deliver a straight-ahead, unapologetic throwback with Jersey swagger. And if you know a band doing something similar—and maybe with a local twist—drop me a line.