The Briggs

The Briggs
The Briggs performing in Jacksonville, FL
The Briggs performing in Jacksonville, FL
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Years active1999–present
Labels
Members
  • Joey LaRocca
  • Jason LaRocca
  • Jake Margolis
  • Alex Patterson
  • Adam Porris
Past members
  • Matthew Stolarz
  • Chris Arredondo
  • Charlie Curtis
  • Ryan D. Roberts
  • Derik Envy
  • Trevor Jackson
Websitehttps://web.archive.org/web/20060402220528/http://thebriggs.org/

The Briggs are a punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 1999 by brothers Joey and Jason LaRocca and bassist Matthew "Duck" Stolarz under the name I Decline. Two years later, after drummer Chris Arredondo joined the band, they changed their name to The Briggs. The band's first album, Is This What You Believe?, was released in 2001. Their subsequent releases included Numbers (2003), Leaving the Ways (2004), Back to Higher Ground (2006), and Come All You Madmen (2008). The band also appeared on several editions of the Warped Tour and toured with punk bands including Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.

History

Formation and early releases

Joey and Jason LaRocca formed the band with bassist Matthew Stolarz in Los Angeles in 1999, initially performing as I Decline. Drummer Chris Arredondo joined the band, which then adopted the name The Briggs in 2001 after learning that their original name was already taken. In a 2007 interview, Arredondo said that the new name came from a street sign.

The Briggs released Is This What You Believe? in 2001 through Northeast Records, and credits Joey and Jason LaRocca as the principal songwriters. The band followed it with Numbers in 2003, released on Disaster Records, the label of U.S. Bombs' frontman Duane Peters, who also produced the album. OC Weekly ranked Numbers ninth on its 2015 list of the 10 Best Skate Punk Albums of All Time. On March 2004, the Briggs released a split single with Boston's The Kings of Nuthin'.

Later releases

The Briggs toured extensively during the 2000s, including appearances on the Vans Warped Tour in 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008, and shows with bands such as Dropkick Murphys, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, and Flogging Molly. During this period, the Briggs released the EP Leaving the Ways in 2004 and their third studio album, Back to Higher Ground, in 2006, both on SideOneDummy Records. Back to Higher Ground was produced by Joe Gittleman. The band cited The Clash and Social Distortion as influences, and Joey LaRocca described it as the band's "most popular record". Their song "Harder to Stand" was included on the soundtrack of Rob Schneider's 2007 film Big Stan. Their fourth studio album, Come All You Madmen, released on June 17, 2008, was also produced by Mighty Mighty Bosstones' bassist John Gittleman. The album was reviewed by Exclaim!, which described the band as drawing on 1970s punk rock while incorporating elements associated with street punk. Glide Magazine described the album's first half as energetic and infectious, while its second half adopted a more subdued tone and explored themes of mortality and repentance. The song "This Is LA" was adopted by the Los Angeles Kings as an anthem and was played at Kings games. After a two-year hiatus, the band released the single "Panic!" through This Is LA Records in May 2012. In 2015, the band released a self-titled EP, The Briggs (2015, This Is LA Records), and in 2022, Gridlocked: On Tour with The Briggs, a documentary following the band on a ten-day West Coast tour, was released. On September 22, 2026, the single "The Last One Standing" was released.

Band members

Current members

Past Members

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • Leaving The Ways EP (2004, SideOneDummy Records)
  • The Briggs EP (2015, This Is LA Records)

Live albums

  • Westlake Sessions (2007, SideOneDummy Records)

Music videos

Films

References

  1. 1 2 Bronson, Kevin (June 19, 2008). "This pop ingenue's slightly Warped view". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hopkin, Kenyon. "The Briggs Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  3. ↑ Greenwald, David (November 15, 2011). "L.A. Unheard: The Active Set's jittery rock". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Gorman, Bobby (November 9, 2007). "The Briggs". ThePunkSite.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  5. ↑ Walden, Jennifer (September 10, 2022). "Mixing It Up With Jason LaRocca". Mix. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Is This What You Believe?". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 LaRocca, Joey (June–July 2025). "The Briggs | Come All You Bowlers" (PDF). Absolute Underground. Vol. 21, no. 124. Interviewed by Hunter, Ira. Victoria, BC, Canada: Hidden Forces Publishing. p. 93. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 31, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  8. ↑ Mason, Stuart. "Numbers Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 26, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ Hiller, Joachim (June–August 2003). "Briggs | Numbers CD". Ox-Fanzine. Archived from the original on September 12, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Chesler, Josh (September 29, 2015). "10 Best Skate Punk Albums of All Time". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  11. ↑ Floyd, Jake (June 2004). "BRIGGS / KINGS OF NUTHIN' – split EP" (PDF). Maximum Rocknroll. No. 253. p. 114. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Disaster Records" (PDF). Mordam Records. 2004. p. 78. Retrieved September 13, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Kings Of Nuthin' / The Briggs". MusicBrainz. May 23, 2015. Archived from the original on May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ Gorman, Bobby (September 23, 2007). "Vans Warped Tour 2007 – Live (July 5th, 2007)". ThePunkSite.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  15. ↑ Ralph, Caitlyn (February 18, 2018). "A look back at Warped Tour 2008". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  16. ↑ Connal, Christoher (June 20, 2008). "Interview: The Briggs". Verbicide. New Haven, CT: Scissor Press. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Jones, Janelle (July 29, 2004). "Leaving the Ways: An Interview With The Briggs". Rebel Noise. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  18. 1 2 Stegall, Tim (July 19, 2022). "The best punk albums of 2006, from My Chemical Romance to +44". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Wessel, Lauri (January 2007). "Briggs | Back with a bang!". Ox-Fanzine. No. 69. Archived from the original on September 12, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ Trumbull, Ty (June 17, 2008). "The Briggs: Come All You Madmen". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  21. ↑ Apar, Corey. "Come All You Madmen Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  22. ↑ Lange, Bob (August 17, 2008). "The Briggs: Come All You Madmen". Glide Magazine. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 17, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  23. ↑ Shrum, Tony (July 31, 2015). "Interview: The Briggs Step Out of Low Key Status with New EP". New Noise Magazine. Archived from the original on December 7, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  24. ↑ Dyreson, Mark (2018). ""I Love LA": The Sporting Culture of Los Angeles". In Wilson, Wayne; Wiggins, David K. (eds.). LA Sports: Play, Games, and Community in the City of Angels. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 3–18. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1x76cvb.5. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  25. ↑ Lawton, Adam (May 17, 2012). "Joey La Rocca talks about new single with The Briggs". MediaMikes. Orlando, FL: Mike Gencarelli und Mike Smith. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  26. ↑ Faulkner, Cole (June 10, 2015). "The Briggs – Self Titled EP". ThePunkSite. Archived from the original on June 11, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  27. ↑ Talbot-Haynes, Michael (February 15, 2022). "Gridlocked: On Tour with The Briggs". Film Threat. Archived from the original on February 12, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Last Ones Standing". Bandcamp. September 22, 2026. Archived from the original on September 27, 2026. Retrieved September 27, 2026.
  29. ↑ Matview, Emily (July 15, 2015). "Stripped Down Session: The Briggs". Punks in Vegas. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2026.