Local Motive's sophomore album, titled “Slice of Life'' is a collection of highly emotional and lyrical funk, soul, & rock ‘n’ roll from their principal songwriter & band founder, Mike Vinopal. The album title is a double-entendre, with “Slice of Life” also referring to how deeply and painfully life can cut us with experiences of loss.
The instrumentation is syncopated and butt-shaking, paired with introspective and often devastating lyrics like “Please don’t leave my life forever” and “Are you happy to be free now or are you sad to be alone?” for a deeply moving listening experience.
In keeping with the band’s history, all of these songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by engineer Noam Wallenberg (Alan Parsons, Mac Miller) at Rax Trax Recording (Buddy Guy, George Clinton). The sessions began just before the pandemic hit. Returning to production in late 2021, the songs took on the added weight of the immense losses the band and communities around the globe were, and in some cases, are still processing.
There is a haunting sonic quality to this album as well. The band, along with the skillful Wallenberg, artfully pulled from their previous album’s sessions (2017’s Grams LP) to conjure and create ghosts of the band’s original ensemble performances. Both the audio and the visual experience of the artwork aim to pay tribute to the people who have shaped the band and the music they create.
Music lovers will be able to listen to “Slice of Life” on all streaming platforms as well as purchase it directly from the band via Bandcamp. Visit their Bandcamp!
This coming January, Local Motive will celebrate the release of “Slice of Life,” with their debut performance at world class Hey Nonny on Wed. 1/11. Vinopal grew up in Arlington Heights where Hey Nonny is located and this will be his first hometown performance with his band of 10 years. To mark this special occasion, Vinopal will open the show with a special solo acoustic set of original material he plans to release as his first solo album in 2023. Get tickets for this special performance before they sell out at: https://www.heynonny.com/shows/local-motive-w-mike-vinopal
