From St. Louis to Syracuse, and Oregon to Vermont, radio stations throughout the nationare showing love to"New Roaring Twenties."
That's the new release from The Forty Nineteens, the California garage-rock bandpowered by the drumming prowess and tireless promotional skills of Monaca native Nick Zeigler.
"New Roaring Twenties" arrives April 23 on major digital platforms; a collection of 11 originalsbrimmingwith positivity for the new decadeand thepost-pandemic renaissance certainto follow. You can find it atbigstirrecords.com.
From album kickstarter "It's For Fun (That's All We Are Living For)" to propulsive, melodic rave-ups like "Little GTO" and "We're Going to Las Vegas," The Forty Nineteens promise better days are in sight, with the spirit of timeless rock 'n'roll as our guide.
On "Tell Me," Zeigler thumps a beat inspired by mid-'60s garage-rockers The Strangeloves on their Top-20 hit "I Want Candy," as singer John Pozza shares a tale ofeavesdroppingfrom his barstool as a woman on her cellphone pleads for a lover to start showing her more affection.
"I couldn't turn away, trying to imagine what I would say," Pozza sings.
More Tady:
For "Late Night Radio," Zeiglersecuredguest guitarworkfromTony Valentino of another influential'60s garage-rock group,The Standells.
Songs like The Standells'"Dirty Water" populate the satellite airwaves of SiriusXM's Little Steven's Underground Garage channel, whichregularly spins Forty Nineteens tunes. Underground Garage weekend deejay Drew Carey (yes, the TV star) is a big Forty Nineteens fan, even appearing in an episode of Zeigler's "Rock Talk" YouTube interview series.
Pozza and guitarist Chuck Gorian are both defense attorneys in California, supplying the band's inside joke of a name (A Forty Nineteen in California penal terms is a reduced sentence for a prisoner who demonstrates good behavior.)
The Left Coast is home, but many western Pennsylvania musicians, radio deejays and music journalists appreciate the constant support and encouragement Zeigler provides them from afar on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Like the character in "Time Marches On," another of The Forty Nineteens' new tracks, Zeigler might have moved west for better weather and job opportunities, but he's remained a Beaver County guy at heart, making sure to debut the band's songs on Beaver Falls' WBVP-WMBA (99.3), and regularly bringing his bandmates here for a series of shows.
The Forty Nineteens will headline the July 16edition of the Cabin Fever Music Series at Beaver Station Cultural & Event Center in Beaver. Reserve your seat at www.beaverstation.org
At 11:35 a.m. on July 15, Zeigler and bandmates will do a liveinterview on WBVP on the "Notes on Local Entertainment" show co-hosted by me and Eddy Crow.
On July 18, The Forty Nineteens will play a 2 to 4 p.m. set at the Performing Arts Legend Museum setto openthis summer in Ambridge.
Dublin via Chippewa
Adam Merulli takes us to Irelandon his new albumout April 23.
The Blackhawk High grad already released the YouTube video for one of the seven tracks, "D'Olier & Grafton," a country-folk singlerecalling how study abroad adventures landedthe singer in Dublin, where he simultaneously missedhome but felt reinvigoratedbya new city.
"I understood how much bigger the world is," Merulli, leader of the Pittsburgh musical projectA-Money and the Downtown City,explains prior to the dual-camera, live solo performance of the song for whichhe nimbly strums acoustic guitar, playsharmonica and singsin awarm, welcoming voice.
"D'Olier & Grafton" appears on A-Money and the Downtown City's new intimate, acoustic-based "Schoolhouse Sessions Vol. 2."
Last October, I shared with you details on"Schoolhouse Sessions Vol. 1," most notablythe single and video "Art of The Night" recountingagallery crawl through Paris.
More Tady:Tady: Frank Vieira's new album is a pleasant trip; and live, funky jazz hits New Brighton
WDVE-FM's homegrown show played "Art of The Night," and I'd recommend the Pittsburgh rock station also give a spin to "D'Olier & Grafton."
The new albumalso includes "Hold My Hand While the Sun Goes Down", which Merulli said he challenged himself to write "in a David Bowie type of way."
More Tady:Scott Tady: Oscar buzz for Boseman's Pittsburgh-made film; Blackhawk grad releases music
"Electric Serenade" infuses a hip-hop cadence and thick layer oforgan to its socially conscious lyrics that promote love and forgiveness.
Establishing himself in the Pittsburgh music scene, Merulli started out playing Beaver County places like the Blue Violet Cafe in Rochesterand Copper Dog in Bridgewater.
Scott Tady is thelocal Entertainment Reporterfor The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He's easy to reach at stady@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @scotttady
