Native Alloys is a three-piece rock power trio from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania made up of Bryan Lepri (vocals and guitar), Joe Pisciotta (bass), and Nick Kowalski (percussion). The band is a traditional rock outfit with their own interpretation of what rock ‘n’ roll should be: both celebrating its roots and evolving with the times and technologies. They make music aimed at to be relatable and make the listener feel good. Asked to describe the band, front man Lepri says:
“It’s good rock and roll music, it’s fun, it’s dark, you can dance to it, you can rock out to it, you can sing along to it. If it were playing at a bar, people in the bar would like it. It’s there for you, it’s there to bring you in, not push you away. I think you’ll like it. I’d be surprised if your initial response was a shrug.”
The band was pieced together in summer 2014. Lepri and Pisciotta were working together in a band that would not congeal and was weathering roster changes. They played a show with an experimental noise band that featured Kowalski and knew right away that wanted him. Lepri and Pisciotta wanted to see what he could do in a band with more of a structure. Kowalski was glad to return to his traditional rock upbringing. The band meshed personally and professionally immediately. The first Native Alloys show was just weeks after the initial meeting in July of 2014. Since then, they have played venues and festivals throughout the Midwest and East Coast and in their hometown of Pittsburgh. Pisciotta remarked
“The lineup almost immediately was clicking together. It felt like each of us was complimentary to the other. It wasn’t comfort per se, more like iron sharpens irons.”
One contributing factor to the success of Native Alloys is the trust and respect the members have for each other individually and the band as a whole. They love what they are doing; they are proud of what they are doing and want to share that with listener both via recordings and live performances. Each member is considered an equal part in the band; in the song writing process, in the live show, in the record sessions, in the enterprise as a whole, it’s a singular creative collaboration. Lepri explained
“We’re all invested from the first note of every song we play. We create these songs together, we record them together, we release them together. So everyone has an opinion that shapes the record. It’s a really collaborative band, and that’s vital”
Native Alloys have released two albums: “Naked Light” and “Hallelujah, Baby!” The debut “Naked Light” was a 6-song EP released in 2015. The sophomore effort “Hallelujah, Baby!” was released in Summer 2018. Naked Light was a calculated, exacting romp. “Hallelujah, Baby!” was recorded live in a remote lakeside chalet-turned-studio over an intense 4-day session. The sessions were described by band members as “moody” and “dark” but the end product turned out up-beat and exciting, more so then the band thought.
The feature single from “Hallelujah, Baby!” is a blazing track called ‘No One Cares.’ It’s a blunt, punchy, rocker that matches the vibe of the weekend they recorded. The band did not have high expectations for the song going into recording, but upon playback, they found it captured the essence of the project. Lepri says,
“The single is really fun, it’s kind of brutal. but it’s really fun... I think it’s going to explode out of your headphones. We thought the whole album was going to be a brooding, slow record, but we heard … playback and (the songs) were pretty up beat. We’re not nearly as depressed as we think we are… at least when we’re playing music together,”
Naked Light was tracked individually in a studio setting. Each member was never in the same room or with another member when recording. The band felt they had lost a certain edge by recording that manner since a signature element of the group is creating together. Lepri says
“We’re set up to continue to make records that are going evolve as we evolve. Every record we put out is going to be different. This record is completely different… this record sounds completely different then the last record. And were set up to continue to make our interpretations of what we think good rock and roll should sound like,”
“Hallelujah, Baby!” has a more signature feel. Members traveled to the lake chalet and lived and recorded together for 4 days. In that span, Lepri, Pisciotta and Kowalski recorded over 120 takes of 16 songs. Kowalski reflects:
“This style of recording is much more immersive… it captures the moment; Really working the craft and doing it in the right way. Sloppiness is more real, you can’t go in and fix every little thing; it is more than just a record, it’s an experience,”
Lepri described this recording process via metaphor;
“You can’t make a good pasta sauce by putting things together after the fact. An authentic Italian chef would let it simmer; let it sit in the same pot together. You can’t put your finger on why its better, but there is something about being in the same room together that makes it blow out of the speakers to hear it.”
The band fights self-awareness and is conscience of trying to take themselves seriously as musicians but also still having fun. They want to be challenged musically and test themselves and each other to get out of their comfort zone. There is a communal desire to not stick with what they know and expand their boundaries. Says Lepri;
“We want to play music, put music out there, and play it in front of as many people who are willing to listen to it. That has always been our goal, but I think in this day and age there is expectation and almost requirement to do more”
Native Alloys want to the music to speak for itself, Kowalski pointed out
“We make a conscious effort to maintain artistic integrity. We try to follow a path of: ‘Hey If you like it then that’s great.’ There is no target demographic, the target demographic is people that like the art... I don’t think of our output as a consumable product, I think of it as art.”
For the live show, the band wants it to be a big, loud, fun event. The albums the band makes hope to mirror that energy. As Lepri noted
“We are a loud band… you can feel the sound, feel it inside and out. It should be (a) physical (experience), right at or past your comfort level.”
Each member’s distinct musical taste along with the shared interest form a unique tapestry. The individuals cite acts ranging a 50-year span across multiple genres as influences: REM, Neil Young, Black Sabbath, Television, Yo La Tengo, The Smiths, William Onyeabor, Bob Dylan and Blues Explosion. Collectively, they each cited Radiohead, The Kinks and David Bowie. The band also said they have woven together the sounds to The Replacements, Crazy Horse and Sonic Youth into their sound. Pisciotta summarized
“This is our view of the best music that we can conjure up ...we are proud of our work, we think it stands up on its own”
