Play It Backwards, by The Harry Von Zells

Play It Backwards

by The Harry Von Zells

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Full length album on black vinyl, complete with a lyric sheet - and a locked groove!

Includes unlimited streaming of Play It Backwards via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Play It Backwards 02:58	buy track
2.	Wait Up 03:34	buy track
3.	Ode To Me In The Form Of You 01:44	buy track
4.	Dear John 05:36	buy track
5.	Reinvent Myself 03:24	buy track
6.	The Ultimate Treason 05:21	buy track
7.	Stardom Because 03:55	buy track
8.	Morning After Next 05:06	buy track
9.	Thermos Full Of Hemlock 05:49	buy track

about

Most of these songs have been around the block several times, some in different neighborhoods, so say the liner notes to this album. What that means is that Mike Shanley wrote some of these tunes while playing in bands like the Love Letters or the Mofones and never got to record them. (He was also in Bone Of Contention, the band that launched Igor Records.)

The Harry Von Zells only played a few shows before the sessions for this album started. Along with Shanley, the band features guitarist Erik Cirelli (Emily Rodgers Band, Skelontonized, and others), keyboardist Michael Cunningham (formerly of Neighbours) and drummer Nate Figlar. Wendy Eisenberg guests on three songs, adding banjo and some frenzied guitar solos. Additional vocals were added by Erin Dawes (also of the Love Letters), Jennifer Schmidt (Catamount) and John Young (the Optimists).

Play It Backwards straddles noisy and catchy - overdriven bass lines give way to jangly riffs, morphing into drones. Some of the lyrics border on plotlines - discussing relationships, musical obsessions and the strange feelings that accompany writing (a recurring Shanley subject). If that wasn't enough, the band also covers "Stardom Because," a song by Big Dipper, the great, underrated band from late '80s/early '90s Boston.

credits

released April 29, 2023

Mike Shanley - Vocals/ Bass/ Piano
Erik Cirelli - Guitars
MIchael Cunningham - Vocals/ Korg Triton Pro/ Piano/ Fender Rhodes
Nate Figlar - Drums

Wendy Eisenberg - Banjo on "Wait Up" and "The Ultimate Treason"/ Guitar on "Thermos Full Of Hemlock"
Erin Dawes - Vocals on "Dear John," "The Ultimate Treason" and "Morning After Next"
John Young & Jennifer Schmidt - Vocals on "Stardom Because"

Recorded by Jon MIller at Bowstone Studios between Fall 2021 and Summer 2022
Mixed by Jon with help and consistent meddling from Mike Shanley
Mastered by Garrett Haines at Tree Lady Studios

Nate Figlar uses Soultone Cymbals and No Nut Percussion

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about

The Harry Von Zells Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Named for the late great radio/TV announcer, the HVZs straddle pop and a heavy delivery, with bassist Mike Shanley providing the vocals. Since the record was made the lineup has shifted a little but the focus remains the same - loud and catchy.

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