With an Album on the Way, Infidels Return to Stage

YOUNGSTOWN – The Infidels will play their first hometown show in a few years on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Cedars West End. The show will not only mark the rock band’s reawakening but will herald the release of its first album in 20 years.

The Thanksgiving eve show at Cedars is part of a three-stop mini-tour Infidels is doing with Pittsburgh’s The Cynics. Other shows are at Thunderbird Cafe in Pittsburgh on Nov. 25, and Beachland Tavern in Cleveland on Nov. 26.

“We’re making the rounds in anticipation of a new album release next year,” said Pete Drivere, who plays guitar and sings background vocals for the power-pop rock act. No release date has been set, but Drivere said the album is “seven-eighths complete” and just needs a little more tracking and mixing.

The Infidels – Drivere, singer-guitarist David Lisko, drummer John Koury and bassist John Hlumyk – have been mostly dormant for the past decade. The band’s last album release was 2003’s “All for Nothing.”

Infidels were a key part of the city’s rock scene in the late 1980s and 1990s and toured nationally. Drivere is the only member who still lives in the Youngstown area, where he owns and operates Ampreon recording studio.

Despite being scattered across several states, the band members are on the same page musically and ready to return to active duty.

The upcoming album has been in the works for a while. “We’ve been chipping away at it for three or four years,” Drivere said.

Infidels’ set for Wednesday’s show will be a mix of older songs from their heyday with some new material mixed in.

“This string of shows is kind of a warmup to being a functioning band again, and to promote our album,” Drivere said.

The band is looking forward to returning to the stage, especially for hometown fans. But Drivere stresses that they never really went away.

“We’ve been working behind the scenes,” he said. “In 2023, we’ll focus on playing beyond this area more.”

Doors open at 8 p.m. for Wednesday’s show at Cedars West End, with music starting at 9:30 p.m.

Pictured at top: Infidels are Pete Drivere, David Lisko, John Koury and John Hlumyk.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.