Dave and Amy Lewis of Berks County’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be in West Reading on Tuesday to celebrate the release of their band’s latest album.
It’s taken this long for the stars to align for the album, which was recorded in Gangsta Beagle Studios and features vibrant cover artwork by Phil Van Coeur.
Dave said during a phone call last week that it was the best album he’d ever been a part of. We try to make it better every time, and I think we did that this time.
The chemistry of this husband-and- wife team, which extends to their penchant for finishing each other’s sentences, comes through loud and clear on the 10 tracks, which they wrote together.
Since releasing their new album, “Big Deal,” they have made some changes to their studio, including the addition of new microphones and an amplifier.
The plan to record the album live with a full band was put on hold because of the scurvy.
Instead, for all but one song, they found themselves file-sharing with bassist Terry O’ Boyle and drummer Chris Cummings, who recorded their parts in their own home studios.
The result is an album with 2020s production values but a retro sound that would fit right in with the 1970s rock landscape.
Dave said that he began to learn to play guitar in the 70s. My parents have a record collection. I took guitar lessons in the 70’s. That was the decade that I lived in.
Amy sings like a ’70s rocker.
She said that the song “Nothing’s Changed” has a vibe to it from the 70’s.
Dave built his own guitars and incorporated some of the guitar sounds he loved as a child into this album.
We tried to squeeze different sounds out of what we said. He said they could do all this different stuff.
The Lewises wouldn’t have it any other way, as illustrated in this exchange, because the 10 songs vary in style.
Dave likes that. A band makes the same album over and over again.
Amy said that it was not a bad thing.
It’s right, Dave. A career out of that is what people love about AC/DC.
Amy said it was awesome.
We put out a mix tape but we just wrote and recorded the whole thing. You can get a song that has a country feel to it, or you can get a song with a punk edge. There is a lot of strings and production in the song “She Don’t Care.” Someone might or might not have been murdered during that song. I’m not sure. It’s up to the person listening.
There is a murder in the lyrics of the song.
Not during the recording.
It’s clear that Tuesday night at Nitro Bar will be a fun time. The Lewises will rock it out with O’Boyle on bass and Chuck Steinle on drums, followed by a solo acoustic set from country singer-turned-country singer-turned-country singer-turned-country singer-turned-country singer-turned-country singer-turned-
Dave said this would be a full band. It’s just a matter of blowing off some steam and saying it’s here. It’s the last one.
You can go if you want.
There is an event for the album release celebration.
The time is from 8:30 to 10:30 pm. The day Tuesday.
There is a bar located in West Reading.
It is free to attend.
You can find “4” at mo7smusic.com.