Northeast Performer has been around forever. We've been sending CDs to them since well before we had driver's licenses, though back then it was just called New England Performer. Anyway, back in the June 2005 issue Benjamin Abrams reviewed The Jena Campaign's debut:

"Few string instruments are as married to a particular style as the mandolin. They may make A-squad in the land of country, folk, and bluegrass, but musicians who cut their teeth on loud guitars and vocal theatrics always have a more difficult time incorporating those subtle plinks into their tunes. Boston's the Jena Campaign not only proudly display the mandolin on their mantle, but use it as the musical centerpiece over the course of 10 diverse and sonically adventurous tracks. On their first album, songwriter Matt Maggiacomo and multi-instrumentalist Brad Mehlenbacher offer a collection of spare acoustic songs that feature a penchant for interlocking harmonies, traditional folk arrangements, and a soft-spot for the healing power of the mandolin. The first track, Holiday, begins with the sounds of a lazily strummed guitar while the melodic plucking of Mehlenbacker's mandolin sparkles in contrast. The two pay their dues to Neil Finn on The Wheel To Your Siren, a soft waltz that sheds its lighthearted country-folk seamlessly before transforming into a haunting dirge. From Here to the North Dakota's gentle interplay of arpeggioed guitar and mandolin strings is complemented by the fractured droning of a distant electric guitar. These instruments remain a constant among ten tracks, occasionally mixing with accordions, banjos and light percussion. Although the arrangements are sunny and often playful, they belie the dejected lyrics that offer a surreal counterpart to the accompanying music. The soft interplay of the two musicians' voices betrays the visions of self-loathing, disillusionment and desperation ever present in Maggiacomo's lyrics. It's clear that Mehlenbacher's ear for instrumentation and harmony is rich, but the two seem to have irreconcilable missions regarding the nature of the music and its message. In the future, they could shed the mournful subject matter and realize the triumphant vision that lays buried beneath the melancholy of this record."