Native Eugene band Bad Mitten Orchestre will debut their third album, “Baby Gone Broke on Through” at their CD release party at the WOW Hall on Saturday, July 21.
The band, which has been playing together since 2006, spent the last year recording their new album. Bad Mitten Orchestre will be joined by their close friends and fellow musicians, Portland band Water Tower.
“We met a lot of challenges. The album is like a baby; we had to figure out how to raise it together. It totally represents that we worked really hard and we struggled,” said Ila Kriegh, guitarist and one of the vocalists of the band. “We are just trying to get to the point and write something that people will feel and they are going to relate to.”
Kriegh said that the band spent the last year recording their new album independently in the homes and basements of band members.
“We’re basically like a little traveling studio,” Kriegh said. “’Baby Gone Broke on Through’ is named after track 7, ‘Push on Through’, which is basically about getting through hard times. It’s about pushing through hard times and getting yourself there. It represents what we’ve gone through as a band.”
Bad Mitten Orchestre’s sound has been described as lyrical folk, with a blend of Gypsy and Americana roots. Songs on the new album include, “Mess,” “Comin’ Round,” and the slower “Song of Sad Living,” all of which deal with themes of facing hardship.
“We are really hoping that people will listen to the songs as they are on the album and appreciate the words we are saying,” Kriegh said. The harmonies of Kriegh and vocalist Naima Muntal provide a sweet and encouraging voice to the content of the songs.
On Saturday, the band will play a wider selection than their normal set.
“For this show we really want to showcase the variety of songs we’ve written,” Kriegh said. “We are still going to bring it with the energy. We want to connect with the audience on a deeper level.”
Sharing the stage with Bad Mitten Orchestre is Portland-based band and former UO students Water Tower. Water Tower changed their name earlier this year from “Water Tower Bucket Boys.”
“We decided to change directions and kick the bucket,” Water Tower bassist and vocalist Gordon Keepers said.
Keepers joined the band a year and a half ago, and since then the band has played on the same stage as Old Crow Medicine Show and Mumford and Sons. Water Tower and Bad Mitten Orchestre have often played together in the past.
“The great thing about both of our bands is that our live show is really what we’re all about,” Keepers said. “We bring a lot of energy. We try to make it a party, make it emotional, and give it everything we have. That’s we love to do, and the great thing about Bad Mitten Orchestre is that’s what they love to do too.”
This fall Water Tower will go on tour and record an album, after which the band plans to move to Santa Cruz, Calif.
“It won’t be our last show in Eugene,” Keepers said. “We will probably be coming up to play once every couple of months, but it’s going to be one of the last ones for a while.”
Tickets to the show are $8 in advance, $9 at the door. The doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m.