A capsule look at local bands making news.

OMEGA LOVE

Sound: Light, jazzy cocktail pop. Or is it light, poppy cocktail jazz?

Members: Singer Jocelyn Geisler; keyboardist Jim Barr; guitarist Luke Williams; bassist Joe Rusnak; drummer Jon Rent.

Influences: Portishead, The Cardigans, Jamiroquai.

Debut CD: "Omega Love" is a breezy collection of Brazilian-flavored neo-soul perfect for dancing or cocktails.

Formed: Fall of 2004 by the rhythm section. "From the beginning it was just a bass player and I," says Rent. "And we pretty much formed the band and started writing songs with the intention of finding a female vocalist."

Why a female vocalist?: "I've always been really inspired by female R&B," Rent says. "I grew up listening to a lot of jazz, from Billie Holiday to newer stuff like Erykah Badu."

The vocalist: They found Geisler, who is new to the band experience, through a friend of a friend. "She's an amazingly talented artist," Rent says. "A poet, painter, a singer. She never had any formal training, but she used to play acoustic guitar with friends and sing at parties."

Jammed out: Rent had played with Williams for four years in a jam band. "I think I kind of wore myself out on it," he says. "I just really kind of felt like a lot of the jam stuff is kind of overdone in a sense. I felt like there is more of an art to writing solid songs with actual song structures. I had my fill of improv."

Prime gigs: Omega Love has been a regular presence at clubs like the Shadow Lounge and Club Cafe. They've been landing some of the sweet gala-type gigs. Last week, they played the Hothouse party, and before that, the Mattress Factory.

Cocktails for dance party?: "That's something we've been talking about a lot within the band," Rent says. "We've been gearing more of our songwriting lately to up-tempo dance-y type stuff. But it depends on the event. There are times we play at the Shadow Lounge and people are dancing all night long. It depends on how things go."

CD Release Party: 10:30 p.m. Friday, Club Cafe, South Side. $8.

Scott Mervis, Weekend Mag editor

JOE ZELEK

Sound: Contemporary country.

Home: Tiltonsville, Ohio.

New CD: "Sparkling True," independent. Produced by Dave Brown and Joe Zelek.

Airplay: Frequency modulation is the Holy Grail of the local original music scene. The simulcasting Froggy stations have been spinning the PovertyNeck Hillbillies for some time. Now, they're also on Joe Zelek. "Radio legitimizes your song," says Zelek. "It gives credibility and gives you synergy to build on. Getting airplay, I think it's a process. You build relationships. [VP of programming] Frank Bell liked my previous album, 'Thousand Ways,' and they featured a couple songs on their hometown show. In the meantime, we started opening some Froggy concerts and playing out with the PovertyNeck Hillbillies. I think [radio programmers] need to hear a song that fits their format well and good production quality, and they want to see you out there pounding the pavement and doing what you can without them to build a fan base -- they don't want to do it for you. I think as an artist you have to have a lot of things together first. But, really, I hope they're playing ['Homecoming King'] because it's a great song."

On "Homecoming King": "I was driving home from a session thinking about back in high school days, and I really wrote it from that age and perspective. What I love most about it, it has a witty pop-culture-driven lyric on the surface and people can relate to it on that level, but underneath I wrote in redemption. I'm proud that the song exists on such a pop level, but also has something deeper in there.

On "Sparkling True": It's one of the first tunes I wrote for this record and it sums up my whole attitude about my songwriting and life in general. I'm feeling really thankful for the talents I've been blessed with and family I have and ability to do this on any level. It's about taking a look at what's right in your life instead of what's wrong."

Release party: 9 p.m. Friday, Saddle Ridge, Station Square, $5.

Contact: www.joezelek.com, www.myspace.com/joezelekband.

John Hayes, Post-Gazette staff writer