Locals LoveBettie look to the national stage

‘ ‘ ‘ Everything from the president to the year itself is new, so why not a new sound for the… ‘ ‘ ‘ Everything from the president to the year itself is new, so why not a new sound for the alternative rock scene? ‘ ‘ ‘ The Pittsburgh-based band LoveBettie is ready to step up.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I would say our music is rock with a bluesy, soulful, edgy kind of flair to it. There’s pop in there, too,’ said Alexandra Naples, the group’s lead singer and pianist, about the band’s sound. ‘Our songs are our own style, our own flavor, our own thing. But at the same time, we want them to be memorable.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ And We’re Never Coming Back, the band’s debut album, takes its title from the chorus of the main track, ‘The World is Falling.’ The album was released on Nov. 26 and will be available for purchase on iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon in early January. ‘ ‘ ‘ Band members expressed pride in their ability to blend with any group, a major asset when planning shows with a variety of other groups. LoveBettie has opened for national acts, including Lifehouse and Ingram Hill.Guitarist and vocalist C.T. Fields put it this way: ‘We aren’t punk, we aren’t metal. We’re whatever we want to be. We like it that way.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But being indescribable can be a caveat as much as an asset at times. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s so hard for even us to describe our sound. We’re excited to see what everyone else has to say,’ said Fields.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ And now LoveBettie is on the brink of going from a regional act to one with national recognition. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We kind of feel like we’re at the lifting off point, and we don’t ever want to come back to sort of where we are now,’ said Naples, referring to the album’s title. ‘ ‘ ‘ Since arriving on the regional scene in early 2005, LoveBettie has performed frequently at local venues and has been generally well received not only by standard rock audiences but by groups other than the demographics one might expect. ‘ ‘ ‘ Band members attribute this wide success to the fact that they are not part of a niche band. In LoveBettie’s biography on its Web site, the band describes itself as both ‘marketable and original,’ a balance that’s difficult to strike. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It takes a lot of effort,’ said Fields. ‘We blend so many styles into one ‘mdash; our style really ranges from song to song. I think that’s what gives us a really wide fan range, everyone from little kids whose parents bought the CD for them to our parents’ and grandparents’ friends.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Though all four members ‘mdash; Naples, Fields, J. Banks and Matt Sharrow ‘mdash; originally hail from the Greensburg area, the band is now based in Pittsburgh. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Pittsburgh is a tough [music] scene,’ said drummer Banks. ‘There aren’t a lot of venues, but at the same time there are a lot of people here starting in the music industry right now. I think that kind of works with the general Pittsburgh scene, the hardworking mentality.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Naples explained the story behind a band name even more puzzling to decipher than most. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We had a name for almost a year before we realized that it had a national tie and we couldn’t use it,’ she said. ‘So we had a bunch of friends come over one night, threw a bunch of words in a hat and picked out combinations.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ LoveBettie was the unlikely winner because the musicians ‘wanted something fun and good-natured, but something you couldn’t tie down to a specific genre,’ said Fields. ‘Sometimes we still think, ‘Oh God, what did we pick that for?’ A name can be so cool and so stupid at the same time. You have no idea how hard it is to pick a band name!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But of the many such challenges a new band might have to struggle with, gender stigma has not been among them. LoveBettie has performed several shows with female bands touring the area, including the Hell on Heels tour. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Believe it or not, I’d say being female-fronted has helped us,’ said Fields. ‘It’s ironic because a lot of people think this is a male-dominated industry, but it’s definitely not.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ LoveBettie is currently focusing on publicizing its album, released by its own indie label, Symbiosonic Records, and pushing for major record label representation. The band looks forward to planning an East Coast tour for 2009. ‘ ‘ ‘ Naples said of playing live concerts, ‘For me, the best part is when you see that everyone is singing the words with you. When we’re playing a show, and the crowd is really into it with us, it’s like this magic happens. All the stresses and worries just melt away. It’s like, ‘This is what I love, this is why I’m doing this.”