Moon band Chip & the Charge Ups prepare for album-release party this weekend
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Chip Dominick, singer and guitarist for Pittsburgh rock group Chip & the Charge Ups, isn’t just making a band pun when he said he misses the electricity between the band and audience at live shows.
“We have a passion for our music and our fans have a passion for what we do,” Dominick said.
That’s why Dominick and the rest of the band are excited to finally host a long-delayed album release party Oct. 3 at Jergel’s in Warrendale for their third record, “Lightning in Our Veins.” The original release party was scheduled for early April, before the coronavirus pandemic shut down live entertainment across the country.
The band also includes Dominick’s daughter Maleena, who struck out on her own this summer with her first solo album, “Bruises to Prove It.”
Maleena said getting back into her role as bass player and singer with the Charge Ups has been a transition.
“For my solo project, I was kind of the director,” she said. “I’d tell the musicians the sound I wanted, but for this, all four members of the band contribute in different ways.”
Speaking of transitions, the album also includes one of Dominick’s favorite musical tricks, the mash-up. “Lightning in Our Veins” features a mash-up of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” and Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”
“The average person would never detect the compositional similarities of ‘Bark at the Moon’ and ‘Bad Romance,’” Dominick said. “But it’s insane how perfectly they sit on top of one another.”
The band itself has also transitioned, with DJ Carothers stepping into the lead guitar role and drummer Jeff DiPerna returning from elbow surgery.
A video for the album’s lead single, “Feel the Electricity,” debuted Tuesday on YouTube.
“It’s got a little more of a metal, heavier sound to it than our usual songs,” Maleena Dominick said. “It’s got some big energy to it. It’s definitely something I think will hype our audience.”
The album also includes a punk-style cover of the Paragons’ 1967 ska hit, “Tide is High,” and even a holiday tune, “Black and Gold Christmas,” peppered with references to Pittsburgh places, sports and idiosyncrasies (“Comin’ back to the 412/I got all my presents bought/Mom got all the pierogies made/Put a chair in my parking spot”), featuring verses sung by fellow Pittsburgh-area songwriters Liz Berlin, Doug Carnahan, Jen Craven and Char Fields.
Chip & the Charge-Ups’ album release show will be at 8 p.m., Oct. 3 at Jergel’s, 103 Slade Lane in Warrendale.
Dominick said he can’t wait.
“We’ve always been determined to power through any difficulties because the electricity that gets generated when the band and the fans connect is something magical,” he said.
For more, or to purchase the album “Lightning in Our Veins,” visit TheChargeUps.com.