Band rises like the city

Local band A Whisper Rising, like the city of Pittsburgh itself, is the product of growth and renewal. A Whisper Rising

Lieutenant Dan’s Kick-Ass Christmas Party/CD Release Show featuring guests Once Mighty Giants, These Lions, Rosslyn, Until The Gates

Saturday at 7 p.m.

Mr. Smalls Funhouse

All ages

Tickets: $10

866-468-3401

Local band A Whisper Rising, like the city of Pittsburgh itself, is the product of growth and renewal.

Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Chris O’Neal, keyboardist/lead vocalist Luke Anderko, lead guitarist Joe Molnar, drummer Corey Saracco and bassist and Pitt senior Ben Bowers, the band has made leaps and bounds in its sound since O’Neal and Saracco began playing together in high school.

“We started off playing completely different music than what we do now, it’s just as our music taste matured we progressed,” O’Neal said.

A Whisper Rising’s members had an eclectic mix of early interests — from Bowers’ early affinity for Hootie & the Blowfish to the self-proclaimed “Linkin Park nerdiness” of Saracco. As for its current sound, the musicians cite hardcore genre heavyweight August Burns Red as one of their bigger influences.

When it comes to writing songs, O’Neal said A Whisper Rising employs a collaborative approach.

“Usually one of us will just bring something up and we’ll all work it out and develop a rhythm and eventually a song,” he said.

A Whisper Rising has undergone several lineup changes, as well as the inevitable growing pains. Its full-length album — The Approaching Storm, to be released Saturday — has been in the making for more than a year.

“We’ve been writing the songs for this CD for over a year and recently have been working on perfecting the songs for the stage,” Saracco said.

During that period, the band gained a new bassist: political science major Bowers.

“I saw these guys play and was amazed by the sheer talent present and I knew I wanted to be part of this,” Bowers said.

Bowers, who will graduate from the School of Arts & Sciences this December, said his time at Pitt was conducive to the growth of his music.

“Pitt isn’t an easy school, so definitely in being a student here I developed a work ethic and organization skills that have carried over into the band,” he said.

Bowers also noted that being a Pitt student allowed him to network successfully.

“Being a student here, you meet a lot of different people who can help you in various ways,” he said.

The band itself has recently seen an astounding growth in local music involvement.

“Right now the music scene in Pittsburgh is the best that there’s been in years. There are more venues opening — especially the new Stage AE on North Shore that will definitely bring a bunch of bands. Overall, good things are happening in Pittsburgh music,” Anderko said.

As for the online music community, Bowers called social networking sites “a band’s best friend,” although O’Neal said the Internet often detracts from a focused fanbase.

“We are exposed to a much larger audience, but there’s so much on the Internet nowadays that people may not pay as much attention to your music as you’d like,” O’Neal said.

Whatever the case, A Whisper Rising is grateful for all its new fans, and hopes its upcoming Christmas extravaganza — featuring band members dressed as Santas and sexy elves selling merchandise — will be, in Bowers’ words, a “sheer epic” show.