BRING ON THE NOISE
NIGHT VAPOR SPEWS ‘MUD,’ A FOLKIE TEACHER RELEASES SECOND ALBUM AND MORE NEWS
Albert C. Hall opens the new Night Vapor record sounding like he’s crawled out from a sewer, growling, “This must be what hell is like.”
For the typical music fan, that would probably describe the new album from the Pittsburgh noise-rock quartet that makes no real effort to be likable. “1,000 Miles of Mud” is a level of metallic sludge and grime you don’t get from your garden-variety noise band, rife with atonal guitar work, lurching rhythms and the most guttural utterances.
“Generally, I like to explore the darker sides of the human condition,” he says, “drawing influence anywhere from my own internal conflicts, to the BDSM community, to delving into the thoughts of a failed magician. I try to paint a picture with my lyrics, but always one that is left to the listener to interpret.”
On the bio from the Michigan-based Corpse Flower Records, the band was effusive in hyping “1,000 Miles of Mud.”
Aaron Myers-Brooks (guitar): “I’m on this one.”
John Roman (drums): “You’re just going to have to hear it.”
Mike Rensland (bass): “I just show up when they remind me an hour prior when we have a show.”
Mr. Hall (vocals): “I like this band, I just show up to shows with my cowbell and occasionally help load equipment.”
The band debuted in 2015 when Mr. Roman (of Microwaves and The 1985 fame) paired with bassist Mike Rensland, whom he’s crossed paths with in Brown Angel and Magic Wolf, and experimental guitarist Brooks. The singer got involved after approaching Mr. Roman about putting together a Captain Beefheart cover band for a Halloween show, which explains a lot about the vibe of Night Vapor.
“One of the things that makes this band different from other bands I play in is that everyone is responsible for writing at least 93 percent of their own parts,” Mr. Roman says. “Sometimes, it might take six months to write a song, but so be it.”
Thus far, it has drawn raves in the noiserock community.
Moshpitnation wrote, “‘1,000 Miles of Mud’ is an album perfect for all you unruly weirdos out there.”
Svbterranean said, “With its discombobulating mixture of sludge grit, noise rock angularity, and unabashed eccentricity a la Captain Beefheart and The Residents, ‘1,000 Miles of Mud’ is an odd, engaging, and bludgeoning release throughout.”
“We were a lot more patient and took our time coming up with these songs. After months and months of writing what will amount to usually about two or three minutes of music, Albert will add vocals. I think he likes to go on how the music feels and come up with lyrics from there. There was only one song where he had lyrics before the music was written, and no, we didn’t write the music to fit the lyrics. It all just ended up going together.”
They play a release show at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Brillobox, Bloomfield, with Come Holy Spirit, Tanning Machine and TV2000 open. brillboxpgh.com.
A FOLK TEACHER
A complete 180 degrees from Night Vapor is Dan Petrich, a singer-songwriter proudly and melodically rooted in the acoustic folk tradition.
The second album and first in nine years from the Mt. Lebanon native is the pastoral “Of Devils, Gods, and Men,” which rolls along with supple fingerpicking and Mr. Petrich’s tender vocals and contemplative lyrics, which he says “explore doubt, moral fallibility and the hope for renewal.”
Being a Mt. Lebanon High School English teacher, he tosses into the title track a reference to “To Kill a Mockingbird” protagonist Atticus Finch.
It was produced by Alex Herd at Thunderbird House in Lawrenceville and mastered by Joe Hutchinson at Garage Masters in Nashville. Read Connolly, of the Beagle Brothers, adds a sweet touch of pedal steel guitar, former students Annie Hoffman and Rachel Wiles chime in with backup vocals, and Sam Petrich (his son) plays trumpet on two songs.
Check it out on his bandcamp page.
DREAM IN CORAOPOLIS
Adam Koisor, frontman of The Wire Riots, has launched a gofundme campaign to bring live music to Coraopolis.
He hopes to raise $295,000 to purchase and renovate the former Saint Paul AME Zion Church, which has been on the market for three years.
“It was brought up in a Pittsburgh musicians network meeting that there is no music venue outside of the current ones, nothing out here for the west of the city,” he says. “It’s difficult for kids that live out this way to get to the current venues that exist, like South Side, Lawrenceville, Millvale, etc. It would also be used as a co-op and community center.”
The gofundme is at www.gofundme.com/9zgc8p-bring-a-music-venueto-coraopolis.
FRZY FRIDAY
“I’m supposed to be aG, I can’t be crying ,” FRZYsai don Friday, while accepting recognition from Allegheny County Councilman Tom Baker at Star 100.7 studios proclaiming it the county’s FRZY Day.
It honored the East Liberty-born rapper Harvey “FRZY” Daniels for his work as a hip-hop artist and for his community outreach work with local students.
“Even in this Instagram Age, 60 seconds can make you famous, but you have to be great every time you borrow that 60 seconds of their time,” he told the PG. “As an artist, if you get enough time in your career you’ll get 90 minutes, a whole album to show your talent and tell your story. But not a lot of people, let alone artists, get their own 24 hours — like 24 hours to celebrate what I’m able to do with my time.”
The proclamation also recognized him for the regional Emmy he won last year for his hip-hop tribute to Fred Rogers on WQED. He had gotten the call the participate in “The Sweater Sessions” while he was doing a speaking gig at the Berklee College of Music.
“I wrote it while in Boston, flew back a few days later and hopped in the booth at Studio 84, and we banged it out super quick, and then WQED had me come to Studio A where they shot ‘Mister Rogers’ and we did the performance vid. It was so much fun, it just felt right. And we got it done in a snap, or should I say two snaps.”
FRZY, who has been in the rap game for about 10 years, released his double-disc debut album, “God King Slave,” in 2016. He just followed that up with the new single “Come Back” and recently was part of the WPXI Holiday Parade and A Concert for Unity: To Rebuild and Reopen Tree of Life, with Dan + Shay.
Of his outreach work, he says, “I’m doing FRZY University. With all grades. I’ve gone to over 100 classes and 50 schools in Pittsburgh and just spoke at Harvard Law, CMU and Berklee College of Music in Boston and a writing workshop at Higher Voice Studios. It’s all about helping them with whatever they want to do in music and being the best and executing it the best way possible: writing workshops, business workshops, showing them that, whether you’re signed or not, you have to have your ducks in a row, practice like you play. I have a saying ‘If you’re not asking for help, your dream isn’t big enough,’ so I’m here to help those that need it and those that want it.”