You can be sure that watching Cabinet peform means a great night out. But Cabinet tours so often that you might not have noticed that the band also spent the past five months recording its self-titled album. J.P. Biondo, vocalist and mandolin player, believes that recording the new album was the natural next step for the band.

"Although three or four of us had never been to a studio before, everybody was just on fire, giving a fresh feel to the music," Biondo said.

Biondo explained that it was the contrasting atmosphere of Eric Ritter's studio, The Windmill Agency in Mt. Cobb, that really inspired the band, giving it an entirely new musicial experience by stepping off the stage and into the studio.

"I think that besides the state of the art recording equipment, the best part of the studio is that it is actually a barn," Biondo said. "Between songs, we'd all go outside and hang out on the farm. The great atmosphere definitely helped ease the long recording process."

Biondo said that the band wanted to "keep the feeling of (our) live sound" throughout the recording. They accomplished that by recording the songs as a full band, and laying vocal tracks separately. Cabinet narrowed 15 songs down to the best 11, an accumulation of the band's earliest beginnings to its most recent work. Four songs off the Fiddle Leaf Green demo will appear on the new record, along with some new songs.

"We definitely kept in mind that some of our fans might have a favorite when we recorded," says Biondo.

Enjoy Cabinet's hard work with its CD release party Friday night at the River Street Jazz Cafe. You can crack open a copy of Cabinet's new album with amazing artwork by TomLynn Fallon, graphic designer at Marywood University, at the Jazz Cafe's front doors. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m. It's $8 to get in, or $15 for the show and the CD.

For more information, call 822-2992 or check out Cabinet online at www.myspace.com/cabinetwax. CDs will also be available at Gallery of Sound locations.

-electriccity@timesshamrock.com

IF YOU GO
Cabinet
Where: River Street Jazz Cafe
When: 4/18/2008
Phone: 570-822-2992