Mandrake Project getting vocal

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

First impressions being what they are, Youngstown, the enigmatic city, sure pulled a fast one on cinematic rock act The Mandrake Project when the Pittsburgh-based band made its debut a few years ago.

“I think the first time we went there, we were playing at Barley’s, and when we got into town, there was nobody in the whole city at all,” said guitarist Kirk Salopek, calling from the Steel City. “We thought it was really weird and wondered if something happened. I mean, we didn’t see one person, like nobody. We got to the club and it was closed, and then we waited around for a minute, and this sound guy showed up. We were like, ‘Oh boy, this is going to be terrible.’

“And then at 10 o’clock it got packed. It was totally insane and a crazy night. And we went to this club [Skeeter’s Jazz Club] next door. We were hanging out in there having some drinks and got to talk to the owner. He ended up bringing all of the people from his club to Barley’s to watch our show. They were going crazy. And at the end of the night, we gave him a disc and it was playing in his club, like cranking out his doors and windows. You could hear our music playing out in the streets. It was an odd experience. But every time we go there, we have a good time. It’s always a warm reception. People are great there.”

The Mandrake Project — Salopek (guitar, loops, gadgets), David Chapman (10-string Chapman stick, drums, moog), Ryan Science (guitar, saxophone), Anthony Pecora (bass, drums), Ben Zerbe (drums, mallet percussion), Rick Nelson (violin, viola, cello, bass) and Denny Karl (keyboards) — returns to Barley’s on Friday with change on the horizon.

Predominantly an instrumental act since its 2002 inception, the large outfit has announced a summertime release for new EP “Wanting To Is Having To,” which Salopek describes as being the beginning of the group’s conventional (i.e. singer) lineup.

“We’ve been battling back and forth on what to do,” Salopek said. “On the last record, we had a vocalist playing on three tunes, and it really, really garnered some positive attention from not only the guys in the band but critics. They felt favorable about that, so we decided to make another run with that.

“I think it opens it up to a much wider audience.” Though ex-New Invisible Joy frontman John Schisler appears on the EP, singer Gary Nusisko appears to be joining the band in a full-time capacity. The group also is releasing a new full-length effort, which is a follow-up to 2009’s “Miraculous Container,” later this year.

“We’ve been compared to bands like Sigur R ≥s,” Salopek said. “That’s a common one with how epic our stuff gets, and even some Radiohead. Also, Pink Floyd, but I don’t like throwing that out because that’s such a huge name. We do get it a lot, and also King Crimson.”