Interview: Pittsburgh Pop-Rock Band Sommelier Talk About Their New Single "The Bar Bore"
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““The Bar Bore” was something that we started working on as a band right before the quarantine started. Since band practice was on hold, we thought it would be fun to record a song that would be completely different from what we hope to play live. We felt this song would sound good stripped down.”
How would you describe the band's creative process when developing new music?
J.: It’s really very collaborative, which I love. Even within the time-tested rock lineup, there are so many potential directions to take when arranging the melodies we’re writing. It’s nice for me to follow a path I may not have considered.
Congratulations on the release of your new single "The Bar Bore"; tell us about the experience of having to record the song separately due to the quarantine.
Brian: “The Bar Bore” was something that we started working on as a band right before the quarantine started. Since band practice was on hold, we thought it would be fun to record a song that would be completely different from what we hope to play live. We felt this song would sound good stripped down.
My wife is a professional cellist, so I arranged a part for her, and we recorded that in our living room. Sending individual tracks back and forth each night was a lot of fun. I would send a sample of cello and guitar, then J would demo vocals and send it back. Once we had tracks we both liked, we did the final mix.
Not to be undone by "The Bar Bore", you guys have also just released the track "Ronnie the Rhododendron", also recorded separately. How did this song end up on the "Bukit Bail Fund" compilation album?
J.: Fortunately, many players in the Pittsburgh independent music community have shown unfaltering support of those most critically impacted by police brutality. We owe it to Sheridan Woika for putting this compilation together and for including some really magical moments on it.
Will these two song releases be featured on an upcoming Sommelier EP or album? Also, can we expect music videos for them?
Brian: We hope to do some videos soon. Before quarantine, we were working on about a half dozen songs. During the lockdown, we shifted our focus to make the quarantine variation tracks.
J.: These tracks will be revisited in the format of full band recordings.
The band's creation is relatively new; tell us about how you all came together and decided to form a band, and the impact that the pandemic has had on your development.
Brian: We had only practiced for a few weeks before the lockdown began. Zach, Ben, and I were working on a project that went on hiatus in 2019 - and I wanted to start something new.
J.: And the group that I previously fronted slowed to a stop last year; it turned out that we both had similar goals, so it’s been a great fit.