Ohio-based rock outfit Brian Lisik and The Unfortunates will release their new album, We’re Sorry, on September 15th. Recorded in a whirlwind six days inside the former Gardner Pie Company factory (a space that also doubles as a scuba diving training facility and occasional rehearsal space for Black Keys’ guitarist, Dan Auerbach) the album’s spontaneity and the room itself act as the visceral sixth member of the band, as Lisik and company tear through the album’s 13 tracks like it’s their last day on the planet and they’re going out with the biggest, most raucous bang imaginable.
We’re Sorry opens with the Rolling Stones-esque “Hey Zelienople!”—which kicks off the party with a false start, as the band counts off the intro three times, endearing us to this album before it even truly begins.
“‘Hey Zelienople!’ is about as matter-of-fact, narrative-type song as I get,” explains Lisik. “Unlike a lot of my stuff, there is no hidden message or metaphorical significance at all. It’s the true story of stumbling upon a place called Fishers Bar in Zelienople, Pennsylvania and playing a great, impromptu set after a particularly disastrous outing in a neighboring city—basically it’s ‘Turn The Page’ and ‘Hotel California’ with far less gravitas.”
The song is a face-melting testament of bluesy swagger, perfect for a blue collar bar or a top-down convertible ride on the road of rebellion. “I like that a lot,” Lisik says of the muscle-y guitar power of the song. “Especially how our guitar player, Ray Flanagan, took the original ‘Woman From Tokyo’-sounding riff I’d written for the song and kind of beat it into a much more self-respecting pulp. This really was the most fun I’ve had making a record in I don’t know how long. Plus, we did 90 percent of it in about three or four days. And ate a lot of heavy Eastern European cuisine from this Polish deli down the road. This in turn forced us to stay largely out of each other’s way during the recording process,” he adds. “So maybe that all helped too.”
Without further ado, East of 8th proudly presents “Hey Zelienople!” by Brian Lisik and The Unfortunates:
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