Chris Cubeta And The Liars Club Perform At Mercury Lounge Wednesday Night

By Annie Reuter

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Six years ago Chris Cubeta decided to move to Brooklyn to pursue music. Using money from his savings and wedding presents, Cubeta built his studio, GaluminumFoil Studios, with the help of friends, band mates and family members.

"It all went into the studio in the hopes of being able to sustain us and give us a chance to live in New York and so far it's been alright," Cubeta admits. "It's definitely a labor of love and we try to make it comfortable. I think most people appreciate that."

When he's not acting as engineer and producer for other artists, Cubeta is busy making music with his own band, Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club. A mesh of rock & roll and heartfelt lyrics, Cubeta says the group's latest release is one he's proud of lyrically.

"I started doing a lot more reading [of] existential authors over the last few years. So, I've been dabbling a bit more in abstract and how it relates to my personal feelings and emotions," he said. "I'm trying to combine the abstract outer body experience with very personal things and putting those two things together and hoping that something interesting comes out of it."

A solid release, Cubeta and the Liars Club weave poignant lyrics with standout musicianship.

"A lot of the lyrics are not necessarily personal but they should feel personal," he admits. "I think all good fiction is based in reality but can be placed into anyone's life. That's what makes good work transcend. I don't always think a true story is better than a fictional story. In fact, I usually believe more so in fiction being more truthful than nonfiction."

Chris Cubeta and the Liars Club is made up of Cubeta and his two best friends, Jeff Berner and John Passineau, with additional musicians rotating in as drummer. The band opens for Elizabeth and the Catapult and Misty Boyce tonight at Mercury Lounge, a show that Cubeta promises to be memorable one.

"We try and keep the set dynamic and we get pretty loud, aggressive and abrasive," Cubeta said. "But we usually put some softer stuff in the middle and keep the audience on a bit of a rollercoaster."

Cubeta says his experience as producer, engineer and musician has been a balancing act.   

"I've met some amazing artists that I've had the chance to produce and work with, which has been very inspiring. The down side is that sometimes being surrounded by music all the time at the studio doesn't allow for me to be as prolific as I want to be. Sometimes I just need a break from music."

Having toured with Elizabeth and the Catapult and Sara Bareilles last year, Cubeta says traveling has helped him get away from the studio and come back excited to record again. Additionally, it has aided his idea on what makes a quality album.

"I'm constantly searching for honesty in records and in songwriting. Recordings that really capture what the artist and musicians do well without manipulating them into something that they are not," he said. "I try to stay truthful to the song and artist and not mold them into something different but push them to being the best version of themselves."

While he admires the New York music scene, he admits it can be difficult to stand out.

"It can be daunting at times because there's so much music on any given night," he said. "I try to avoid trends and stay true to what is right and true for me musically and hope that people like it."

Annie Reuter is a freelance writer and the founder of YouSingIWrite.com.