‘Bound’ to the rhythm
Norwalk councilman returns to his rock ‘n’ roll roots
NORWALK — Outside the Mad Lab on Leonard Street a few Saturdays ago, Chris Yerinides, Mitch Igneri, Tim Leffingwell and Brian Eldridge were loitering, in between practicing songs recorded for the quartet’s debut album, “Bound.”
Igneri was slumped against the building smoking a cigarette and Yerinides pulled from a coffee cup as they talked about the origins of the project, convened by Yerinides earlier this year in anticipation of a move west, to Salt Lake City. The idea was, before departing, he’d record music with some of his favorite collaborators in the state.
“Are you still moving to Salt Lake City? At all? Ever?” Igneri, who traveled from Hartford, asked.
“Maybe one day, but not for a few years,” said Yerinides, who called off the move after meeting his girlfriend.
“So, basically, it was just a ruse to get us to play on your album,” Igneri said.
“Yeah, I changed my whole life plan to have Mitch Igneri play on my album,” Yerinides laughed.
The four friends met in college at the University of Connecticut, where they graduated in 2016, and met that Saturday for their second official session before the album release on Friday and the Wall Street Takeover on Saturday when Chris Yerinides & the Rough Edges, as they are collectively known, will be joined by other Connecticut acts, like the Hosemen, James Darling & the Nuclear Heartbreak and Justin Chan & the Vices.
What was intended as a farewell party has now
involved into a sort of reunion for Yerinides, who is wrapping up his first term on the city’s Common Council and is not seeking reelection, in part to free up more time for music.
“This will be my first show since October,” Yerinides said. “I haven’t played all year. Before I was active in political stuff I was playing like three times a week.”
The songs on “Bound” were recorded over the course of three years at Ghost Hit studio in Holyoke, Mass., Gold Coast Recorders, in Bridgeport, and various basements and feature a rotating lineup of musicians. Some of the songs featured on the album were first solo records performed by Yerinides, or otherwise pulled from his former band, Crown Colony.
Much of the 10track album — which will be available on vinyl and on streaming services — has grunge and classic rock influences, on which Yerinides adopts a Dave Grohllike howl. But songs like “Breathe,” “Utopia” and “Torpedoes” are more sparsely arranged, highlighting Yerinides’ songwriting, with sources more difficult to pin down.
“Zeppelin’s my favorite band, but I can’t necessarily play like Jimmy Page, so that doesn’t always come through. But there’s a lot of ‘90’s grunge influences, like Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam,” Yerinides said.
“It’s hard comparing a couple of the spacier, softer tracks to bands,” Igneri added. “Not to sound pretentious, but it’s a pretty unique sound. Chris is definitely a pretty unique songwriter on those tracks.”
What was originally intended as a oneoff music festival has now turned into what Yerinides hopes will be a severalyear commitment to arts in the area. He hopes the takeover can become an annual event with increasing participation from area businesses.
The Norwalk Public Library will participate in the event, with indoor minigolf, Lego car racing, lifesize Angry Birds, an art display and other popup activities from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday. The Wall Street Theater will open at 7 p.m. and feature art displays and poetry in the lobby, in addition to the slate of bands set to play. An afterparty will be held at Peaches, featuring Jacques Le Coque and the Mad Doctors.
“We have tons and tons of artists and creative people that are actually really talented in Norwalk,” Yerinides said. “I think it’s a lot more impactful when everybody’s part of a big project.”
Tickets for the Wall Street Takeover is $10. All proceeds benefit the Norwalk Housing Foundation College Fund. To purchase, visit https://campsite.bio/cyerinides.