Rustic Overtones sets new first week sales record for local bands at Bull Moose locations

It’s been 13 years since Rustic Overtones released its debut album, “Shish Boom Bam,” under the Ripchord Records indie label. Formed in Portland, Maine, the seven-piece band quickly developed a following of devoted fans in northern New England. After a lengthy hiatus, Rustic recently released its fifth full-length album, “Light at the End.” According to employees of Bull Moose Music, the new CD had the highest grossing first week sales of any local release in the store’s history. 

Chris Brown, vice president of operations at Bull Moose, declined to disclose how many copies of the CD sold in its first week, but revealed that it sold more than 1,000 and less than 10,000 copies. By outselling all other local Bull Moose releases in its first week, Rustic broke its own record, previously set by its 2001 release, “Viva Nueva.”

Brown said the success of “Light at the End” reflects the loyalty area music fans have to their bands. He noted that members of Rustic Overtones have gone on to fill roles in a number of other popular local acts, including Paranoid Social Club, As Fast As and Roctopus.

“We sometimes use first week sales to measure how intense a band’s fans are,” Brown said in a release. “If a lot of people rush out to buy a CD as soon as it is out, we know that the band has truly reached people.”

The first Bull Moose store opened in Brunswick, Maine in 1989. The business has since expanded to include 10 locations throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Brown provided a list of the top 15 highest grossing local albums in Bull Moose history. The list combines sales from all 10 stores, and Brown qualified a band as “local” if it has origins in New Hampshire or Maine. He was unable to break down the sales by store or provide a list specific to the Portsmouth location. Although almost all of the acts on the list hail from Maine, Brown said he included New Hampshire bands in his search, as well.

Bull Moose’s top 15 highest grossing local albums 

1) Rustic Overtones         
    Light At The End (2007)

2) Rustic Overtones         
    Viva Nueva (2001)

3) Jeremiah Freed             
    Jeremiah Freed
    (2002 - major label version)

4) Ray Lamontagne          
    Till The Sun Turns Black (2006)

5) As Fast As
    Open Letter To The Damned (2006)

6) Jeremiah Freed
    Slowburn (2003)

7) Rustic Overtones
    Rooms By The Hour (1997)

8) Paranoid Social Club
    Paranoid Social Club (2005)

9) Howie Day
    Stop All The World Now (2003)

10) Rocktopus
      Something Fierce (2003)

11) Jeremiah Freed
      Jeremiah Freed (2001 - indie)

12) Paranoid Social Club
      Axis III & I (2004)

13) Dead Season
      Rise (2006)

14) Rocktopus
      I Love You! Good Morning! (2002)

15) Ray Lamontagne
      Trouble (2004)