BRIXTON SAINT
M ike Broomall has always been a fan of reggae music — the distinguishable rhythm, its meaningful lyrics. “Reggae best allows
me to express my overall vision of music. One song can be
about protest and rebellion, and the next a simple love song,” he says. “The other genres of music have not provided me with that freedom.”
Born and raised in northern Delaware, Broomall entered the music industry as a teenage MC (mic controller, if you’re an Urban Dictionary fan; rapper, if you’re not) and continued to grow as a performer. He first worked with Phatboddum, a hip-hop/rock band he helped to create (“We had a strong following and interest from producers and major labels, but it eventually fell through and we broke up,” he says), before forming a second group called DeepSixx and MC-ing with the Scatologists, a ska/reggae band with which he recorded a few songs on its “Nuts & Berries” album.
In time, though, Broomall “got burned out on the scene” and moved to Austin, where, he says, he stopped playing seriously for a few years but kept writing songs and working on his overall musicianship. After about six years, he packed his bags yet again, but this time headed east — back to his roots — and he took his love for reggae along for the ride.
“I’ve always touched on elements of reggae in my music and wanted to play reggae, but it was hard to find musicians in Austin with a reggae background. Everyone was into alt-country or pop/punk,” says Broomall, who now goes by the moniker Brixton Saint. “So I moved back east to give it a shot here.”
It was just last year that Brixton Saint made New Castle, Del., his home, and the same year he joined forces with a handful of talented musicians — drummer Kev Proto, bassist Randy Waters, guitarist Mike Proto and keyboardist Randie Rosa — to form a band by the same name.
Described by the MC as “soulful reggae and dance hall rhythms combined with the passion and energy of rock and early punk,” Brixton Saint’s music has garnered an impressive following in a very short time. In February 2010, the band released its debut album, “The Cure for the Babylon Brain” (Green Eyed Lion records), which, according to the group’s online biography, “tells the stories of the working class, turning a spotlight on the issues of life — politics, crime, love, war and the over-commercialization of modern society.”
“When I wrote ‘The Cure for the Babylon Brain,’ I wanted it to be an essentially reggae album that also touched on my other influences (dance hall, rock, R&B, ska). Each song, depending on its lyrical theme, highlights one of my musical influences,” Saint says. “The album has received a great response from industry professionals and the average music fan as well. Now that people have had a chance to sit down and listen to the lyrics and the production, they ‘get it.’”
Brixton Saint seems to be in a pretty good place and moving swiftly along the trail of success. The group continues to play for fans in Philadelphia and Baltimore and at places in between. With the debut album making its way into the hands of fans worldwide, even bigger shows are to be expected.
“Finishing the album was the biggest accomplishment so far, but we have a great new lineup and some good shows lined up,” says Saint, who adds (with a smile) the band’s overall goal is “to fight babylon with music.” “We hope to achieve greater things in the near future.”
n CHECK ’EM: www.myspace.com/brixtonsaint
