Feralcat is a Pittsburgh-based artist, composer, and saxophone player whose work embodies the American dream. Born Roger Rafael Romero, his compositions comprise a melting pot of musical genres closely intertwined with his upbringing as a first-generation middle-class child of Dominican immigrants.
Today, Romero is excited to release a single with his band Feralcat and the Wild titled “Anselm the Wise.” The single is the first song they have released since their debut EP, Feralcat. The band features Romero on the saxophone, Drew Bayura and Brandon Lehmon on guitars, Caleb Lombardi on keyboards, Chris ‘Trip’ Trepagnier on bass, and Allen Bell on drums.
With “Anselm the Wise,” Feralcat and the Wild embraces distortion as its driving soundscape. Producer Hansel Romero recorded the band to sound close to metalcore and modern metal, allowing Feralcat’s prowess on the saxophone to display in full as a driving melody. Both Bayura and Feralcat take epic solos that break down (literally) into a wall of raw energy.
Growing up in a bi-cultural environment (Latinx & American), the music I was exposed to came from across a spectrum of genres. My youth in the Bronx was most affected by the music his family listened to – largely salsa and merengue by artists like Marc Anthony and Juan Luis Guerra.
But with a quick train ride away from performances by forward-thinking living jazz artists of today, being witness to jazz/improvised music being broken directly affected Romero’s playing and musicality.
His release of “Anselm the Wise,” acts as a precursor to a new EP, titled Disassembly, coming out later this year. A performance video of “Anselm” with the full band can be found on YouTube, originally recorded as a submission to NPR Tiny Desk in March 2020.
The song will be available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, Bandcamp, and for purchase as a download. You can find him on social media as Feralcat.
Let’s show our support for Feralcat and our Pittsburgh Latinx artists!
