Pela is without a doubt my favorite new band in the last 5 or 6 years. After hearing a sampling of some of the new material on the record slated for release sometime this year, I have been salivating for anything and everything Pela. Fortunately for me, there is a really great interview with lead singer / songwriter Billy McCarthy.

Rise Ye Sunken Ships, the title of Pela’s new album, is said to feature a bigger rock & roll sound. One particularly striking note on the record comes from learning that Billy’s brother is in prison and served as inspiration during the writing process:

The album was also written amid personal tragedy for Billy whose brother has been fighting a long battle with schizophrenia which resulted recently in a serious run-in with the law. Although Folsom Prison is merely a Johnny Cash song theme to many, it is a reality for Billy’s family. This is where his brother is serving a life sentence. The album was primarily written during this time of personal and collective darkness. Despite all of this, Billy describes his band as “optimistic” and that they could not write a “morose” album. That is why the album title is so fitting. Billy describes the album as “uplifting” and full of hope. Like a sunken ship rising to the surface so too does this disc rise from its dark context.

Head on over to The Ignatius Record Review to read the entire fascinating interview.

Photo by Bob Sanderson