Band to kick off album release with Portland show

The release of Chris Margolin & The Dregs’ first full-length album was a long time coming, but the local band’s efforts will come to fruition later this month.

The group will independently release “The Carnival” on April 16. They’ll celebrate that night by performing at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland. For more information, see http://www.chrismargolinandthedregs.com.

“The Carnival” is a follow-up to Chris Margolin & The Dregs’ 2008 EP, “Fallen Leaf.” The alternative rock band first started recording the new album in 2009. They had some turnover and scrapped two recording sessions before the group’s current incarnation recorded “The Carnival” in October.

“This is the most cohesive sound we’ve had,” said frontman Chris Margolin, a 29-year-old Vancouver resident who teaches sophomore English and creative writing at Evergreen High School. The band also includes Vancouver resident Gunnar Jacobson and Portland residents Jason Lusk and Matt Kebbe.

They wouldn’t have been able to finance “The Carnival” without the support of community members, who contributed more than $2,000 toward the project through the crowd-funding site Kickstarter. Now the group is excited to share the end product with the public.

“I can’t wait,” Margolin said. “This show has been a long time coming.”

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