Alcoa, the solo project of Derek Archambault of Defeater, is gearing up for the release of Bone & Marrow on February 26th. Cover art for the debut LP was revealed today, done by NH-based tattoo artist Steve Minerva (http://www.minervatattoos.com/), who also appears on the album and in Alcoa’s live lineup as well. Song premieres and pre-order information for Bone & Marrow will be posted soon via Bridge9.com.
Alcoa started ten years ago while Derek Archambault was on tour with one of his many bands at the time. He’d found himself listening to more and more artists like Gram Parsons, Elliot Smith, and Johnny Cash and
…wanted so badly to be able to write songs like that. I didn’t know how to at all, but it didn’t stop me from trying and churning out a bunch of shitty songs that I was too afraid to sing. One day, while driving through Alcoa, TN, I decided on the name and started the process of figuring out how to not write a loud punk or four-chord jangly pop song
Defeater had done an acoustic track on our first full-length, Travels, that was received really well by fans. Singing that song almost every night for two years, then releasing the acoustic album on Empty Days, definitely made me much more comfortable with my voice.
Bone & Marrow was recorded in mid-2012, first in Derek’s hometown of Portsmouth, NH, then at Mike Moschetto’s The Office Recording (N. Andover, MA) and at Jay Maas’ Getaway Recording Studio (for vocal tracks and mastering). This debut album will feature eleven pop/country-tinged songs about life, love and regret. Also prevalent on the album is the addition of instrumentation like upright bass, banjo, fiddle, pedal steel, piano/organ, and charming guy/girl dueling vocals (featuring Archambault’s fiance Alyssa Eygnor), making it Alcoa’s most complete and mature effort to date.
Check out songs from Alcoa’s demo, It Keeps My Friends Worried, at Soundcloud and “like” Alcoa on Facebook .
