Pittsburgh local music spotlight: The Pump Fakes

Earlier this year, The Pump Fakes released their first new album in 14 years, with several reasons for the big gap.

“The easy answer is the pandemic,” singer/guitarist Patrick Maloney said, “but it was really that and the changes within the band lineup and trying to narrow it down to our best eight songs from about 20 that we had finished.”

Those songs on “Alone in the Middle,” according to Maloney, are “a collection of stories of how love and loss can feel the same, it’s late-night combat rock.”

The album includes guest appearances from Pittsburgh musicians like Rob James (The Clarks), Vinny Q and Rocky Lamonde (Torn and Frayed/Borstal Boys), Joe Munroe (The Ghost Hounds), Kevin McDonald (Sun King Warriors/Tres Lads), Jeff Schmutz (Good Brother Earl) and Willie Franklin (Billy Price /Nied’s Hotel Band).

“They enhanced the record tremendously,” Maloney said. “These are some of the finest musicians in the city and really added texture to the songs.”

The Pump Fakes are playing at the Northside Music Festival this weekend, with live shows offering a certain spontaneity like a memorable show from the band’s past.

“Opening for Marah at Club Cafe in the early 2000s, I broke two strings on my acoustic during the set and jumped off the stage — the drummer got to sing a song — and Dave from Marah lent me his acoustic to finish our set.”

Maloney filled in TribLive on what else we should know about The Pump Fakes:

Band: The Pump Fakes

Band members: Patrick Maloney (vocals, guitar); Wil Kondrich (guitar, backing vocals); Darren Hammel (bass); Jack Breiding (drums)

Founding story: The band started in my Shadyside home in 2000 and had many personnel changes over the years. Other than myself, Darren Hammel is the only original member.

Origin of band’s name: A friend was saying how he met a girl who was 5 feet, 10 inches in the bar and when they went home she was 5 feet, 2 inches because of the “pumps” she was wearing. That silly reference was referred to as a pump fake and at the time we were called the Patrick Maloney Band, which I hated, so we became The Pump Fakes.

For fans of: The Replacements, Old 97’s, Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Kris Kristofferson

Influences: Tom Waits, Mick and Keith, Dylan Dylan Dylan

Releases: “Falling to the Occasion” album, 2011; “Alone in the Middle” album, 2025

Next shows: 1 p.m. July 19, The Park Stage, Northside Music Festival

How to find them: The Pump Fakes can be found online here.

Three other Pittsburgh area bands to check out: Paul Luc, The Hawkeyes, The Regal Sweet

Favorite pizza shop: Pizza Lupo, Lawrenceville

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