New music from Working Breed, Reliable Child, Benefits and more
Working Breed works hard at being offbeat and unpredictable on its debut album, “Hieroglyphica.”
Erika Laing fronts the Pittsburgh rock band with a rangy jazz- lounge delivery, while guitarist Michael Dugan, bassist Jonah Petrelli, keyboardist Chloe Wiecz and drummer Jeremy Papay stand ready to take off on wild, quirky tangents on songs that run the spectrum from torch ballads to surf- rock.
Laing also pitches in with trombone, trumpet, musical saw and the polyphonic Chinese sheng. “I’ve always been drawn to unusual sources of sound,” she said in a statement, “particularly those that are historical or come from nature.”
For “Sensitive plant,” the band worked with the “minute magnetic fields” of a Mimosa pudica plant, which Laing described as “a bit like white noise, but organically soothing.”
That’s a small part of a record dominated by more familiar sounds recorded at Hollywood Studios of Pittsburgh with audio engineer Matt Vaughan and mastered by Frank Arkwright of Abbey Road Studios ( Elton John, The Smiths, Joy Division).
“[ For] all the genres we cross through, it’s still a very guitar- centric album,” Dugan noted. “Almost all of the tracks have a solo on them, which is something to be proud of in today’s day and age.”
Working Breed will perform “Hieroglyphica” in its entirety at the release show at the Thunderbird Music Hall, Lawrenceville, at 8 p. m. Saturday with emcee Ian Insect, Cello Fury, and the Stranger Dangerous Circus Sideshow, doing sword swallowing, human blockhead, straitjacket escape and West Nile Challenge. Tickets are $ 12; $ 15 day of show; 21+; roxianlive. com.
MORE NEW RELEASES
Mike Berginc breaks away from his band As Ladders for a solo project under the moniker of Reliable Child with the six- song EP “Some Blue Imagination.” If you’ve sworn off Ryan Adams ( until the redemption), this is a good place to turn, as Berginc works in an alt- country/ Americana vein with a lot of feeling and a similarly elegant voice. “Some Blue Imagination” begins with a standout single, “Grayside,” with echoes of “Nashville Skyline” Dylan and then floats along in a somber, low- key way with thoughtful lyrics and intricate guitar work from Aris Paul. On streaming services.
“Power pop for now yinzers” is the mission of Benefits, which showcases just that on the new four- song EP “Introduction to Digital Recording.” Led by octave- leaping frontman Michael Balzer, Benefits flashes some classic influences, sounding like Big Star crossed with The Ramones on opening rocker “Sugar Castles” and the Beach Boys meeting XTC on “Take a Powder.” “Crisp Bills” is a good thrashy garagerocker, and “45 Steps” has shades of The Who while Balzer’s voice climbs higher and higher. On streaming services.
Pittsburgh surf- rock band The Turbosonics has a new five- song EP highlighted by the single “Bedrock Stomp,” which they
call “a tribute to teenage dances, or Surfer Stomps, in 1960s Southern California.” That also means paying tribute to the late Dick Dale, who often headlined those stomps, and Davie Allan, known for his work on soundtracks to teen and biker movies in the 1960s. On bandcamp.
RECENT PRESS
The Commonheart, Billy Price and The Clarks all drew national press in the past week.
Popmatters called The Commonheart “one of the most uncommon and unstoppable contemporary bands of their kind” and said the new album “Pressure” is “a brilliant ray of light in dark times, one intended to uplift the soul and inspire acts of kindness.”
“Dog Eat Dog,” Price’s latest project with producer Kid Andersen, debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Glide Magazine wrote, “There are very few deep soul singers left. Thankfully Billy Price is still at the top of his game.”
Under the headline “The Clarks: Rock Star Marketers From Pittsburgh,” The Clarks were lauded in Forbes magazine for their marketing and business prowess, and for surviving through a tough climate for musicians for 33 years with the same lineup. Forbes pointed to their fan- friendly ticketing practices, rotating merch and 360- degree videos while saying that the main selling point is the “four world- class musicians.”
CODE ORANGE AND THE FIEND
Code Orange’s first new blast of music for 2019 is “Let Me In,” the official entrance theme for WWE’s “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
It’s not the Pittsburgh hardcore metal band’s first entry into the WWE fray. Previously, Code Orange appeared at WWE’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, doing wrestler Aleister Black’s entrance theme.
“Let Me In” is an interesting combination of heavy industrial sludge, monstrous gang chants and the softer melodic vocals of guitarist Reba Meyers.
Drummer Jami Morgan told Newsweek, “What happened was I saw that Bray had followed us on Twitter, and we’ve been following him since a couple of years ago when our record ‘ I Am King’ came out, and that’s around when he kicked off at the same time with his vignettes and vibe. And so I just messaged him and said, ‘ Hey man, I think we should do something together and it makes a lot of sense’ and he hit me back.”
They recorded with producer Will Yip in Philadelphia and then went through the process of getting it approved by the WWE, which usually does its themes in- house.
It’s the first new release from the Grammy- nominated Code Orange since the 2018 EP “The Hurt Will Go On.
“Let Me In” is available now on all streaming platforms.
EXCUSEAPALOOZA AND SUMMER RECESS
“A little metal, a little punk, a little old and a little new!” That’s the pitch for this annual sampling of heavy Pittsburgh rock at Excuses, South Side. Taking the stage to benefit The Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh will be The Cheats, The Legendary Hucklebucks, Royal Honey, Stone Cold Killer, Gutter Rich, Lize, Borstal Boys, The Motorpsychos, The Molecule Party, Argus, Sci- Fi Idols, Dawg’s Middle Finger, Egomyth, Gahara and 13 Saints. It begins at noon Saturday and rocks all day. $ 10; excusesbarandgrill. com.
The Spirit Summer Recess Outdoor Food and Music Festival in Lawrenceville does a little punk, a little metal, a little hip- hop and more with Astrology Now, Benji., BjORDAN and Friends, The Burnrides, Bouquets, Century III, Dan Koshute, Douglas & the Iron Lung, edhochuli, FUTURE PUNX, Giggly Boys, Jack Swing, Jellyfish with Chadkid & Andrew, Muse ( visuals by KEEB$), Jordan Montgomery, Lady Beast, Las Hormiguitas, late., Mrs. Paintbrush and Kaleta & Super Yamba Band. There will be food by Round Corner Cantina, Spirit, Caffe d’Amore Coffee Company, Leona’s Ice Cream, Bitter Friendship, Brassero Grill, Chef Bae and S& D Polish Deli. There will also be live mural painting. It runs Saturday from noon to 9 p. m. outside and 9 p. m. to 2 a. m. inside. $ 7; 21+. spiritpgh. com.