Former Houserocker Marc Reisman debuts with ‘Strong Way’

10 years. Turns out he had set up a recording studio in his basement. We did a fullblown demo of ‘Hundred Souls,’ and he said, ‘What else do you have?’ and it just went from there.”

They co-wrote eight of the nine songs, varying between hard-edged blues rock (“When”), Delta blues (“Moline”), soul (“TV Eyes”), ska (“Strong Way”) and funk (“Broken Glass”). Several of them have a narrative, cinematic quality.

“Some of them came from dreams, ‘TV Eyes’ for one,” he says. “I was reading poetry for lyrical inspiration and that was probably a source of some of that quality, too. And as I got more into songwriting, I started to listen closely to film scores and how they fit with the images, and I think some of that seeped into the songwriting.”

As for not blasting the harmonica like he did in the Houserockers days, he says, “When I started this project, I did it with the idea that the instrumentation had to be in the service of the song. It wasn't about my part, it was about the song as a whole. So I used harmonica where I felt it lifted the song.”

The final track, the instrumental “Shruti Blues,” is a departure that melds blues and Indian music using a shruti box that belongs to his harmonica builder, Richard Sleigh.

The final touch on the project is a colorful cover package by one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent artists, Robert Qualters.

“I've admired his work for years,” he says. “I love his use of color and the energy you sense in his paintings. Somehow I felt it was a good match for the songs. I introduced myself in an email and asked if he would do it and he immediately agreed. It was a great experience getting to know him and seeing him render the songs onto canvas.”

The Houserockers were a six-piece band and The Pep Boys four. He rolls the album out for a show with a 10-piece band that includes the Steeltown Horns. Why so big?

“Why not?” he says. “It was such a kick to work with all the musicians and hear what they brought to the songs. And it was fun to add layers of sound in the studio. I want to bring as much of that feeling as I can to the live show.”