North Beach Gritty Shares ‘Maybe Don’t’

New EP from author-turned-rocker out soon

June 29, 2026June 30, 2026 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2026, Bruce Buchanan, Josh Braff, Maybe Don't, North Beach Gritty, North Jersey, Robert Randolph, Seattle

Josh Braff of North Beach Gritty (Image: Perrin Kaplan)

Seattle’s North Beach Gritty is the brainchild of author-turned-music artist Josh Braff.

Known for his work in fiction with acclaimed books like The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green, Peep Show and The Daddy Diaries, Braff — who happens to be the older brother of Scrubs star Zach Braff — began teaching himself chords when his wife brought home a guitar from her job at the Home Shopping Network.

He began playing alone, teaching himself chords and structure, writing songs quietly for years. What started as curiosity evolved into routine: he played every day for nearly a decade, slowly developing songs that reflected his background as a writer; songs with a focus on narrative structure, emotional movement and lyrical focus.

He began recording demos at home in North Jersey and flew out to Los Angeles to play his first full-band performance at the Bourbon Room. That night North Beach Gritty was born.

Braff would relocate to Seattle, connect with bassist and Alice In Chains/Queens of the Stone Age Producer Geoff Ott and began shaping the sound of North Beach Gritty at the iconic London Bridge Studio.

Cut to 2024, Braff released his first album as North Beach Gritty, which would catch the attention of veteran record producer Bruce Buchanan, who came out of retirement to collaborate with Braff on the new NBG EP, which comes out later this summer.

North Beach Gritty ‘Maybe Don’t,’ self-released 2026

To track the EP, Braff recruited a wrecking crew of sonic architects including drummers Ben Smith (Heart) and Bob Pantella (Monster Magnet), guitarists Nick Powell and Oz Noy, Grammy-winning slide guitarist Robert Randolph, bassist and producer Geoff Ott, and background vocalists Layonne Holmes (Bruce Springsteen), LaJuan Carter (Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion), Layla DaVios (Bruce Springsteen), and Jenny Karr (Jennifer Lopez, Brittney Spears).

Produced by Buchanan, the EP serves as the follow-up to the band’s debut full-length album and further establishes North Beach Gritty’s blend of narrative songwriting, classic guitar tone, and cinematic production.

Rock & Roll Globe is proud to share the untitled EP’s first single “Maybe Don’t,” which you can check out below.

“‘Maybe Don’t’ was written to be a bluesy rocker,” Braff explains. “I kept finding this cool riff in the verse and when we rehearsed the song it sounded so huge. Producer Bruce Buchanan chose it as a top contender and hoped for an especially powerful sound on drums. We had the advantage of recording at London Bridge Studio in Seattle, an especially great room for rock drums. Seattle’s Ben Smith (Heart 1997-2017) blew our minds with the power he’s famous for. We got excited of course and Bruce called Grammy winning guitarist Robert Randolph to help the song soar the way it does. ‘Maybe Don’t’ came out pretty special to our ears. I wrote the lyrics as a response to a series of political strategies I was hearing on the news that were counterproductive to my hopes for us.”

Watch this space for more news about North Beach Gritty.