Local musician releases solo EP with help from friends

Paige Beller, who fronts roots rockers the Belairs and plays drums for hip-hop outfit Sidekick Complex, releases a new solo EP at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Friday, July 6. CONTRIBUTED

Paige Beller, who fronts roots rockers the Belairs and plays drums for hip-hop outfit Sidekick Complex, releases a new solo EP at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Friday, July 6. CONTRIBUTED

Paige Beller is a musician of many talents, whether fronting roots rockers the Belairs or playing drums for hip-hop outfit Sidekick Complex. However, the Dayton-based artist, celebrating the release of a new EP at Yellow Cab Tavern in Dayton on Friday, July 6, is at her most compelling when presenting her solo material, which ranges from Americana to indie folk, pop-rock and punk.

Beller recently discussed “Space Cadet,” the five-song solo EP she completed with Patrick Himes at Reel Love Recording Company.

Space cadet: "The songs on the new EP are pretty different. The first track is just me and it's a honky-tonk kind of thing. The second track has a rock 'n' roll, do-wop vibe to it and the third one is, I don't know, I was trying to rip off PJ Harvey a little bit. The fourth one is kind of power-pop song and the fifth one is a bummer indie rock track. It has a little bit of everything, but the songs all meshed well together when it comes to listening to it all the way through. That isn't that important with an EP, but I'm a stickler for things like that if I can help it."

Dual studios: "The bulk of this record came from the sessions I did with the Belairs. I recorded 20 songs with them almost three years ago and then it sat for a while. Dustie Pitstick engineered the basic tracks for all these songs. Patrick now has all of them and he's been tweaking everything and remixing old stuff."

Overdub heaven: "Working with Patrick is really cool. He has all those toys and instruments so we'd get the skeleton of the song and add to it. I'm not really fluent with how to get the sounds I hear in my head and what's great about Patrick is I can spout off a bunch of words and he'll know what pedal to use and what setting. We got some really cool sounds out of that."

The dreaded budget: "I'm trying to release EPs as quickly as possible, but it all comes down to money. My initial plan was to put it all out at once, but monetarily it's just not feasible to pay for the studio time to finish 16 songs. And it's been a while since I put anything out and I've been sitting on these songs so I wanted to get them out there so I can write more. It's hard to get new things out when you've got so many old songs to finish up."


WANT TO GO?

Who: Paige Beller with special guests State School and opening Songwriters in the Round session featuring Tod Weidner, John Dubuc, Kyleen Downes, David Payne, Windsor Knots and Harold Hensley

Where: Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E. Fourth St., Dayton

When: 8 p.m. Friday, July 6

Cost: $5. The first 30 paid entries receive a free gift bag

More info: 937-424-3870 or www.yellowcabtavern.com

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