Billionaire Boys Club

Sharing origins with other New Jersey outfits such as Thursday, Saves the Day, Armor for Sleep, and My Chemical Romance, Jersey City’s Billionaire Boys Club has perfected a post-punk approach that tilts from emo toward screamo, a claim supported by their documented track record. Guitarist/vocalist Reef, guitarist/vocalist Mark Sunderlin, drummer Matt Lewis, and bassist Leigh Nelson assembled the lineup in 2002; the shaggy-haired quartet, known for its close harmonies, adopted the name of an obscure 1980s B-movie that starred Judd Nelson. Momentum built quickly after the 2003 debut EP Career Opportunities, which led to two appearances on Last Call With Carson Daly and the distinction of being the first act featured on the front page of the teen-oriented site myspace.com. VH1 later selected the unapologetically catchy single “Don’t You Wanna.” Although the band’s style draws heavily from Weezer, blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and the Replacements, BBC has stayed largely regional, handling opening slots throughout the New York/New Jersey circuit for Fountains of Wayne, Cake, the Dandy Warhols, and Superdrag. That local focus may shift: the four members, all in their twenties, issued their first full-length album, the super-caffeinated, rocked-up What Happened Last Night, on Quit Your Day Job Music in January 2006, with production handled by Sal Villanueva, whose credits include Thursday and Taking Back Sunday.