Meridians take debut album to Peter’s Pub

A costumed Halloween mosh pit and a dive-bar sing-a-long in Elwood City are among the… A costumed Halloween mosh pit and a dive-bar sing-a-long in Elwood City are among the Meridians’ top 10 highlights of 2007. But this year looks even more promising already, with a tour in the making, a new-and-improved microphone stand (no longer an empty six-pack) and the release party for Heavy Silver, the band’s first album, 10 p.m. Friday at Peter’s Pub.

The Meridians, with members Erin Dragan, Phil Norbeck, Josh Momper and Chad Purnell, express a shared excitement about the release taking place at Peter’s, a bar they’re no strangers to. The 21-and-older show costs only $5 for entry.

Though the album release is a first for the band, its members aren’t exactly suffering from pre-show jitters, having taken in quite a bit of the limelight already. Last fall, Pitt students voted them worthy to open for Brandi Carlile at Pitt Program Council’s Fall Fest. Not to mention that the members have all spent pre-Meridian time in trysts with other music acts. Their past experience ranges from school orchestras to solo gigs to garage bands.

It was more than two years ago that bassist Norbeck met lead singer Dragan in an elevator. The pair hit it off when he commented on the two guitars she was lugging into Pennsylvania Hall.

Dragan and keyboardist Momper started playing as a duo after Momper’s response to her Facebook group, “Wanna Start A Band?” and when they decided to add some guitar, Norbeck, the Fender-lugging neighbor, came to mind first, an obvious addition after that fateful elevator ride.

The Meridians’ first drummer left “for respectable reasons,” according to Dragan, and the group picked up Purnell, now a first-year Pitt medical student.

With the band assembled, it was time to write and perform the hits – not a problem for Dragan.

“I don’t believe in writer’s block,” she said in an interview with The Pitt News, “but rely on a constant ebb and flow of creativity.” Dragan writes 95 percent of the band’s lyrics, while the music itself is 90 percent collaborative, many times starting with a riff or a harmony of Momper’s creation.

Dragan, a songwriter since age 12 and a solo guitarist before teaming up with this crew, is quick to sing an old Tracy Bonham melody while she’s lost in thought, to let her fellow band members know about new advancements in their advertising and booking efforts – she’s the manager as well – and to end phone conversations with “Rock and roll!” She lives rock ‘n’ roll, and describes The Meridians’ band practices as “loud and unruly.”

A senior religious studies and poetry major at Pitt, a P.J. Harvey fanatic, a part-Italian, margarita-loving musician, Dragan says of her music, “This is how I define my existence, there’s nothing else I feel nearly as passionate about.”

The boys tend to agree, even if their backup plans are more evident – they have belief in the music, their performances and the fan base they’ve been collecting.

What do they want in the future? Band? No band? While Dragan’s ultimate future goal is singing with P.J. Harvey, Norbeck blurts out his own goal: “Two Ferraris!”

Purnell decides, “a house in Belize.” And since they’re talking cars, Dragan adds “Princess Vespa” to her own future reveries.

With The Meridians’ seriousness (most times), a collaborative approach to writing music and a shared true love for performing, The band is plunging toward its summer tour, although there are a number of variables to consider yet (like the van the band is trying to get its hands on).

On Heavy Silver, Dragan’s vocals sometimes harken back to Stevie Nicks on “Days in Dust,” and at other times sound more like power pop in tracks such as “The City Shows You How.” “Two Sisters Talking” boasts guitar mastery, while Momper’s rolling piano in the “Danu’s Song” plays off sounds of a storm in the background – a juxtaposition sure to mesmerize listeners.

“A Ship at Sea” closes the band’s CD with a slower ballad, a piano solo and the guitar’s harmony for a dynamic, beautiful tune.

The band plays two sets on Friday: one with songs from Heavy Silver and another with favorite covers sure to keep the upstairs of Peter’s Pub rockin’ and rollin’.