Wild Adriatic coming home with new songs

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Wild Adriatic has a deal for the Den.

The Capital Region rock trio recently released its new “Feel” album, and will play the whole collection Saturday at Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs.

The album is WA’s second full-length effort, following “Big Suspicious” in 2014. Drummer Mateo Vosganian has big hopes for the new songs.

“We’re really, really happy with the record; we’re really excited about it,” Vosganian said in a telephone interview from New York City, where Wild Adriatic played the Mercury Lounge Thursday night. “It’s the culmination of a couple years of hard work and exploration. It sounds like us, but I think it’s a new level of rock and funk and soul from our style of doing it.”

The guys — singer-guitarist Travis Gray and bassist Rich Derbyshire complete the trio — have been on the road ever since “Big Suspicious” came out. But they were always thinking about that second helping.

“In between playing shows we would schedule writing retreats,” Vosganian said. “We did one in Austin, one in Virginia, one in Vermont and one in New York, at Edie Road in Argyle.”

The album was recorded last September in Austin, with musician pal and record producer Chris “Frenchie” Smith on the job. The first single, “Come Back Baby” — a little bit slower, a bit more soulful than other Wild Adriatic pieces — has already picked up radio play. The funk-driven “Appleton” and guitar-heavy “Hurricane Woman” could follow.

Adriatic fans will hear the piece Saturday, and Vosganian said the band is treating the Putnam Den CD release gig as a big deal.

“It’s especially cool because we don’t get to play our home area a lot,” he said. “To come back home and be able to play Saratoga in such a big occasion for us is really important. We get to play for all our friends and family and really make it a hometown party. That’s what we’re excited about.”

Special guests Lets Be Leonard and Bathrobe Robots are also on the bill.

The Putnam gig will be the fourth time WA will play “Feel” live. Vosganian said playing new tunes for audiences can mean a case of nerves before the shows.

“You want to present the material the right way,” Vosganian said. “We’re doing a ’70s tribute set at this festival in a week or two and we got so caught up in preparing for that we sort of forgot. It was like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got this record coming out — we should probably do these songs and make sure we can play them.’ ”

Two new guys also have to make sure they know the moves, notes and words. The current tour includes Dustin DeLuke on keyboard and Adam Patten on guitar, and the additions give Wild Adriatic a bigger sound. As a trio, Vosganian said, the guys all have three jobs each on stage. The extra hands are appreciated.

The band will stay busy through 2017. They’ll be on the “Rock Boat,” a cruise featuring 30 other bands that sails from Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 10. Additional stops around the U.S. will follow, and the guys will be in Europe by the end of the year. They’ll also be writing and planning that next album.

Wild Adriatic CD Release Show

WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Putnam Den, 63A Putnam St., Saratoga Springs
HOW MUCH: $10 advance, $15 day of show, $5 surcharge for under 21
MORE INFO: 584-8066, www.putnamden.com

Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124, at [email protected] or @jeffwilkin1 on Twitter. His blog can be found here.