Equal parts chiptune artist, guitarist and experienced singer-songwriter, Shael Riley and his band The Double-Ice Backfire, unlike many acts unwittingly branded with the silly and somewhat ignominious label of ‘nerdcore’ music, don’t simply aim to appeal to an audience of geeks jonezing for lyrics jam-packed with videogame references. Sure, there are parts where a working knowledge of the Mortal Kombat franchise comes in handy. But instead of making it the soup du jour, DIB’s first album, Songs From The Pit uses this and other decidedly ‘nerd-friendly’ themes to add character and charm to a much larger portrait of deeply personal and highly relatable quandaries of young adulthood.
Distributed originally in very limited quantities on audio cassettes, Songs From The Pit never really had a proper release. But with the help of some generous fans, Shael & Co. will be giving the album 10 new tracks and, a professional sound makeover and a physical release very soon. Their project page on Kickstarter has already reached the fundraising goal of $3,750 to cover the costs of professional engineering and mastering. But with just a little more scratch (~$4.5K), the band will be able to cover the album’s duplication and distribution costs as well. There’s plenty in it for you, of course — A limited edition 3-disc special edition (Songs From The Pit: Trilogy), a chance to help co-direct a music video for one of the album’s songs and many more goodies await those who pledge to the ongoing campaign, which ends September 13th. So show your support, and claim some neat limited-edition swag from this hugely talented ensemble while it lasts.
Listen: Shael Riley & The Double-Ice Backfire
Donate: Ultimate Songs From The Pit
