After another year of landmark moments for Baltimore’s Cinder Road, the area’s fist-pumping rockers are back home.
A recent gig opening for Tesla at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, a European tour with KISS, and the opening slot on the Alice Cooper tour are just the beginning of the national traction the band has gained.
» Venue: Recher Theatre, 512 York Road, Towson
» When: 7 p.m. Dec. 23
» Tickets: $10
» Details: 410-547-SEAT; www.ticketmaster.com
“It would take me all day to tell about all the great experiences,” said front man/lead singer/guitarist Mike Ruocco of the band’s tour in Europe. “It was incredible. É We basically played every major city in Europe and we were the only support band [for KISS on that tour]. É The whole experience blew me away.”
The smart money says Ruocco and his three bandmates have plenty more jaw-dropping experiences ahead if their next album, which they hope to release in the spring, gets half the attention of the band’s debut. Cinder Road earned a loyal East Coast following from what All Music Guide deemed “intensive live shows and constant touring.” When the press started using terms like “arena rock revival,” they were partnered with producer Marti Frederiksen — who has worked with Aerosmith, Ozzy Osborne and Def Leppard — to produce the 11-track “Superhuman.”
About a dozen of the 40 songs Ruocco hopes to write for consideration on the new album are complete. Although he’s working on the remainder, he doesn’t foresee a major departure from the band’s signature sound.
“We’re all a little older, a little wiser, and we’ve got different things to talk about in our songs because we’re coming from a different perspective,” said Ruocco, who founded the band with guitarist Chris Shucosky. “We will always be Cinder Road. For one thing, I’m limited to what I can sing, so that makes our sound more classic. We do what we do and hopefully we will reach a few more people next time.”
So now that Cinder Road has been on tour in Europe and broken into the hot West Hollywood clubs, what’s it feel like to come back home?
“It’s really great,” says Ruocco. “We don’t get to play home that much. We’re excited to be back.”
