Cycles Continue: The Rebirth of No Bragging Rights

Cycles Continue: The Rebirth of No Bragging Rights

No Bragging Rights have always been more than a band—they’ve been a heartbeat in the hardcore scene, a voice for the hurting, and a reminder that vulnerability and heaviness can coexist. After years of silence, shifting life paths, and the natural drift that comes with adulthood, the Riverside veterans found themselves pulled back toward the music that shaped them. Their 2022 return at Tough Love Fest wasn’t just a reunion; it was a recalibration, a reminder of who they were and who they still are.

I met vocalist Mike Perez and drummer Martin Alcedo at a Coffee Bean on the Sunset Strip, where the early afternoon sun and the hum of traffic set the backdrop for a conversation that stretched from nostalgia to rebirth. We talked about nerves, vinyl, lost venues, new music, and the strange, beautiful reality of being a band that has outlived scenes, trends, and even some of their own expectations.

What follows is a candid look at where No Bragging Rights have been—and where they’re headed next.

Coffee Bean, Sunset Strip – Early Afternoon

To start things off, introduce yourselves and tell me what you do in the band.
Martin: Hey, what’s up? I’m Martin. I play drums in the band.

Mike: And I’m Mike, and I do vocals for No Bragging Rights.

Your first show back was in 2022 at Tough Love Fest in Santa Ana with Evergreen Terrace. What was going through your mind right before you went on stage?
Martin: Oh my god, I remember exactly what happened. I was so nervous. It had been a while, so I went to my car and just sat there in silence. I was talking to myself in my head like, “Alright, you’re gonna do this. Don’t fuck it up. It’s been a long time—just go for it.” I was basically psyching myself up to get in there. But yeah… I was pretty nervous. Really nervous.

Mike: I was excited, but honestly, I was also pretty nervous. I kept telling myself, “You’ve done this more than anything else in your life.” I was just praying it would feel like riding a bike. And I think it did—kind of. I definitely didn’t move like I used to; I felt that right away. But it was just fun to be back. Being on stage again and feeling that energy was huge.

What made you decide that 2022 was the right time to reactivate No Bragging Rights and start playing again?
Martin: I think it was just a matter of our schedules lining up. We all started doing our own things in life, and for a while those things took priority over the band. There had been talks for a long time about doing something again—no exact timeline, just “when it happens, it happens.” And when it finally felt right, we went for it. Since then, we’ve been easing back into playing at our own pace.

Mike: Yeah, I feel like Martin and Tron were a big driving force in getting us moving again. And I want to shout out the dudes who put on Tough Love Fest—they made it real for us. At the time we were all scattered, and it felt like a lot to ask: flying people out, coordinating everything. But they literally said, “Whatever it takes, we’ll do it. Just tell us what you need.” So we were like, “Alright… we have no excuse now.” They had a huge hand in bringing us back for that show, and that spark kept us going afterward.

You recently played with Volumes at 1720. How did that show go, and what were some highlights?
Mike: I think the show went well. It was wild because we’ve known those dudes forever—granted, there have been member changes on both sides—but it had been something like 15 years since we’d played together. For me personally, it felt different in a good way. We had played 1720 a couple months earlier, and that day I lost my aunt to cancer. That show was rough. So this time, I felt like I could actually be there, be present, and just enjoy playing. Good turnout, good energy, and great seeing those guys again.

Martin: Yeah, it was a good time. Always cool to see those guys and play together whenever we get the chance. The turnout was great, the response was awesome. It’s cool to see that people still care about the band after all this time. We were stoked. Shout out to the Volumes guys for having us.

What has it been like to see the No Bragging Rights catalog released on vinyl?
Martin: It’s so cool, man. We’ve got Consequences, Cycles, Concrete, and the self‑titled EP all on vinyl now. It’s wild. It’s just a cool thing to have—people collect them, they post about them, and we’re like, “Damn, we’re part of someone’s collection.” That’s really cool. I love vinyl myself, so having our own first presses and test presses is just… awesome.

Mike: And Jake from Pure Noise is a legit record collector, so it makes sense he pushed for that. Shout out to Jake. Having a record is rad—it’s something my parents had when they were young.

Martin: Yeah, for real. It’s cool that people want vinyl from us.

Mike: Even multiple versions. When people find out there are different variants, they’ll grab the same album just to have them all.

How did Tron from To The Wind become involved with No Bragging Rights?
Martin: Oh man, we love that guy. He’s like family. We toured with To The Wind a bunch—went to Europe with them on our headliner over there. When we talked about coming back, Daniel had a family, moved to Ohio, and took a step back. So I was thinking, “Who makes sense for the band now?”

I remember driving home from work and calling Mike first. I asked, “How do you feel about Tron?” and Mike was like, “Dude, that’d be perfect.” So I hung up and called Tron right away. Mind you, we hadn’t talked in a while. I’m like, “What’s up, dude?” and he’s like, “What’s up, man?” I told him we were talking about doing a new NBR record, that Daniel was stepping back, and asked if he’d want to join and help us make this new record. He was 100% on board. It’s been great ever since.

Is To The Wind still together?
Martin: They’re not, no. I know they’ve tried to maybe do some stuff here and there, but I think everyone’s just doing their own thing now.

What made you decide to go self‑titled on the most recent release instead of giving it a name?
Mike: I don’t know… I think it was kind of like—not a reintroduction, exactly—but something in that spirit. We had a better answer for this before, but it just felt right.

Martin: Yeah, to me it was like: here’s the music. It’s not tied to a theme or a title. Just take from it what you want—how it makes you feel, what it brings up for you. We didn’t want to say, “The new NBR record is called blah blah blah,” and suddenly that title shapes how you’re supposed to feel. Just listen to it and let it be yours.

What was it like recording again after all this time? Suddenly you’ve got new songs and you’re back in the studio.
Martin: It was fun, man. Tron’s an engineer and has a home studio, so the writing process was remote. We were here, he was up there, and Daniel actually went to Tron’s house to write. They’d put together stems and send them to us, and we’d go back and forth with notes. Once the structures were solid, Mike and I flew up to Washington. Guitars were already tracked—we just had to do drums and vocals.

We rented a studio in Tacoma, where Tron’s from. He engineered everything with help from our buddy Aaron, who used to do sound for us on tour. We tracked everything there, and then my buddy Mike Saum mixed it. It was all kind of in‑house—Tron’s in the band, a friend mixed it. It wasn’t like, “Who are we gonna get?” It was, “Let’s just do it ourselves.” And we’re stoked on how it turned out.

Your 2015 cover of “Livin’ on a Prayer” — looking back 11 years later, what do you think of it? And did anyone from Bon Jovi ever hear it?
Martin: I have no idea if anyone from Bon Jovi ever heard it. If they did… whatever. That cover is funny, man. At the time we still had Rick in the band. And honestly, I think it’s still our most‑played song.

Mike: Yeah, on Spotify it has a couple million plays.

Martin: I think it’s because people search the song title and don’t realize it’s not Bon Jovi. They probably get to verse two and go, “Wait… what is this?” or “That’s not his voice.”

Mike: I just remember how that song used to change the vibe on tour. Especially in the early years, when we’d be playing some bar where nobody cared. You could feel it. And then that song would come in and suddenly the room would shift. It brought people back.

Looking back on The Concrete Flower and working with Will Putney, what do you think of it now?
Martin: Oh man, I love that record. The whole recording process—working with Will, Randy, and Tom—was incredible. For me, it was my favorite recording experience ever. We flew to Jersey, lived there for a month, stayed at our friend’s apartment, and just made this record. I’m really proud of it. The process was awesome.

Mike: It was like going to school. I learned so much—how Will approaches things, little tips on writing, how to be more concise. I can be super wordy, and he helped me figure out how to get my point across better. To this day, whenever I write anything, he’s in my head. I’m really thankful we had that experience. Being there for a month, learning something new every day—it was amazing.

Your album Because You Believe in Something Beyond Them turns 20 this year. Looking back, what does that milestone feel like?
Martin: It’s crazy. I officially joined the band in 2005, and that album was my first recording with NBR. The first song I ever recorded with the band was “Broken Bottles.” The process was wild—we actually had to record the whole thing twice because the computer crashed. We had to redo everything from scratch. But I still remember bits and pieces of those late nights working on it. It was a good time.

Mike: It was exciting because it was the first time we’d ever done a full‑length ourselves. We released it independently, handled the artwork, got it pressed so we could sell it in local stores. It was the first time we had something real—something people could buy at shows. Not just homemade demos we were slinging. Actual artwork, an actual album. I was so proud of it.

Even though the album is kind of a mess in hindsight—it’s music from 2004 mixed with what we were writing at the time. We were transitioning from skate punk to metal‑hardcore. So you’ve got a straight skate‑punk song like “New Use for Roses,” and then “Sad Panda,” which is straight hardcore. It’s all over the place. But that’s what makes it fun. It captures what NBR had been and what we were becoming. Little glimpses of the future. It’s like our weird little greatest‑hits‑up‑to‑that‑point.

Chain Reaction recently closed. What are some of your memories of Chain Reaction?
Martin: Oh man… it became our home venue after The Showcase shut down. Just countless shows—playing there, hanging out, friendships, wild nights, all of it. And going to shows there too. It’s been iconic forever. I’ve been going there since before I was even really involved in music. It holds a special place for the band because it was our home venue for a long time. Anytime we played there, it was guaranteed to be a good time—getting drunk in the parking lot or doing whatever. It was fun.

Mike: I saw Rise Against there play to basically nobody. It was me and like eight of my friends. No Bragging Rights’ first time playing there was around 2000. I remember we got offered a show the same year Rage Against the Machine reunited at Coachella. We couldn’t believe Chain wanted us to headline—then we found out it was the same night Rage was playing and we were like, “Nooo!” So that’s a funny memory tied to that place.

And personally, that’s where I met my wife. Which is crazy. And doing our Cycles 10‑year anniversary show there—that’s still one of my favorite show experiences ever. Honestly, we could do a whole interview just about Chain Reaction.

Do you have any new music on the horizon? Anything on the way?
Martin: Yes. When we played that show with Volumes recently, the guys were down here, so we took the time to actually write songs in a room together for the first time in a long time. Before, we’d write skeletons and send them back and forth. This time, we were all there, all feeling it, all writing together.

We wrote some songs, and we’re recording them next month in February. Then we’re planning to write an EP to follow those songs. So yeah—expect new music from us this year, plus more shows.

Last question: Do you have any messages for No Bragging Rights fans who are reading this?
Mike: Thanks for sticking with us. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or you’re new, I think there’s a lot of exciting stuff coming. We’ve all lived a lot of life since our last releases, and I think that’s going to show. I don’t want to say it’s a new direction—it’s still hardcore, still melodic—but it’s going to feel different in a good way. I’m excited to see how these new songs come together, especially with different members involved in the writing now. I can’t wait to get them out.

Martin: Yeah, man—thank you to everyone who’s been rocking with us all these years. Mike started the band in ’99, and it’s still going. People still care, and that’s cool. I’m looking forward to the new music coming out this year and playing those songs live. Like Mike said, it’s still us. It’ll feel different, but not in a way that’s out of pocket for what NBR is. We love these songs, and we’re excited to hear them come to life once they’re recorded. We’re just stoked for whatever comes our way this year and beyond.

In Conclusion

No Bragging Rights have never been a band defined by hype cycles or trends—they’ve been defined by heart. Sitting across from Mike and Martin, it’s clear that the years away didn’t dull that spirit; if anything, they sharpened it. The stories they carry, the losses they’ve lived through, the venues that shaped them, and the friendships that kept them tethered to the scene all feed into this new chapter.

As they step back into writing rooms, studios, and stages, there’s a sense of purpose that feels both familiar and renewed. They’re not chasing a comeback—they’re continuing a conversation that started more than two decades ago, one built on honesty, resilience, and connection.

For longtime fans, the next wave of NBR music will feel like coming home. For new listeners, it might be the beginning of something meaningful. Either way, the message remains the same: keep going, keep growing, and keep believing in something beyond yourself.

(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Karyn Burleigh of Rock Edge Photography)

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