AlternativeJazz
Big Crown Records · 13 November 2026
Shoebox was a Long Beach room so small that, according to the label, five people could barely move in it. Eric Hagstrom took the space in 2016 to practise drums, and over the years Brainstory turned it into their studio. “Shoebox Days”, the EP Big Crown Records released on 13 November, is the last thing to come out of it: shortly after delivering the recordings to the label, the trio learned they’d have to leave. Some of the material dates back to 2020 or 2021, sketches the band couldn’t finish at the time and have now completed.
It’s seven tracks and just over 19 minutes, from “The Watchers” to “Necessary Loss”. According to the label, “Blend” is one of only two vocal tracks. “Home Alone” is a Kevin Martin song born of touring fatigue, on which he plays saxophone on a recording for the first time. “The Watchers” draws on an urban legend from the Inland Empire, where brothers Kevin and Tony Martin grew up, and “Twin Kitchen” is a short instrumental.
The trio came together around 2010 while studying at Riverside Community College, with Hagstrom joining through a shared love of jazz. Their last full-length, “Sounds Good”, came out on 19 April 2024. The EP is out on vinyl, with a coloured edition exclusive to the label’s store.
Text by Marçal Bonastre