Tour brings Egypt to the Strip

Much like the titled character in “Alice in Wonderland,” Egypt Central has come out on the other side of a difficult situation, including a period of drug addiction and the loss of band members. Egypt Central, Cold, Kopek, Shattered

Altar Bar

Today, 6:30 p.m.

$20

ticketmaster.com

412-263-2877

Much like the titled character in “Alice in Wonderland,” Egypt Central has come out on the other side of a difficult situation, including a period of drug addiction and the loss of band members.

Tonight the band will perform along with bands Cold and Kopek as part of “A Tour of the American Dream.” Local band Shattered will also be playing. The bands will showcase their music at the Strip District’s Altar Bar tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Kopek bassist Brad Kinsella said the dynamic between the three bands has worked personally and on stage because of their similar musical styles.

“Each band is bringing something new to the table and musically pushing each other nightly,” said Kopek vocalist Daniel Jordan in an e-mail. “Musically, I think it blends well.”

Egypt Central, a Memphis-based band whose first album came out in 2005, is preparing for the release of its latest CD, White Rabbit, which will be available on May 17. The single, also titled “White Rabbit,” which bassist Joey Chicago explains as a song that uses an “Alice in Wonderland” metaphor to describe people around him who, like the story’s characters, are not what they appear to be.

The band emerged from its song-inspiring nightmare and Chicago emphasizes that though the band is looking forward in its career, the members refuse to forget the past.

“White Rabbit is about the struggles in life and this record helped me get through that,” Chicago said. “I had been getting to a point that it was hard to bring music to fans, and it seems to all have started from that.”

Chicago conveys this with lyrics like: “We follow like Alice / And just keep diving down the hole / I won’t be pushed aside / I will be heard / I will get what I want / What I deserve.”

“We developed a friendship that kept us going,” Chicago said. “At this point, we have a motto of adapting the tragedy. It’s a gift and a curse.”

White Rabbit is another result of friends coming together, according to producer Skidd Mills.

“I have known the guys now for year — we both lived in Memphis — and we had talked about working together on several occasions, but it never seemed to work out,” Mills said in an e-mail.

Mills describes the collaboration as well-timed. After Egypt Central approached him about producing White Rabbit, he knew after its first meeting during which they wrote and played the song together.

Chicago is excited about visiting Pittsburgh again because the band’s previous stop didn’t allow it time to appreciate the “football rivals and friends,” offered by the sports-focused Pittburghers.

One of the other bands performing, Kopek, also enjoys discovering new cities.

The Irish band, who began its career in Dublin, does anything but stay local. Touring globally from 2002 until 2009, the band is yet again back to rolling from city to city.

Bassist Kinsella describes the group’s music as “honest, gritty stories that have badass beats, bass lines and guitar rifts that will make you feel like you wanna join the modern hard rock revolution.”

The bands taking the stage on Thursday night seems to thrive on live performances. Whereas Chicago described the natural high Egypt Central reaches while on stage, Kinsella spoke about Kopek’s love for being on the road.

“The energy I get from the crowd really determines how the show goes,” Chicago said. “There is an intimate relationship between us and the fans and the show is gratification for both parties.”