Rocker Noah Gabriel releases fifth album Friday night at Roundhouse

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Noah Gabriel is hosting a release party for his latest album "Mercy Street" on Friday at Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora. | Courtesy of Steve Thompson

Updated: November 11, 2011 5:26PM

Music isn’t a job for singer, songwriter and guitarist Noah Gabriel. It’s part of who he is.

“I don’t know if I can say I always wanted to be a musician, but I always knew that music moved me,” said Gabriel, 28. “As I got older and started playing, of course, I wanted to be a recording artist. For me, I guess I always felt invisible, and playing music offered me a way to be heard and seen.”

Since the 2001 release of his first album “Aurora,” the local artist has been making a name for himself in the music industry. And Friday night, Gabriel will release his fifth album “Mercy Street,” at Two Brothers Roundhouse in downtown Aurora.

“This album was definitely more experimental and moody than my previous albums,” Gabriel said. “All of the songs have their own distinct sound but still work together as a whole.”

For “Mercy Street,” Gabriel collaborated with longtime friend and former high school band mate Mike Bowen.

“We had always talked about recording, so when the opportunity presented itself, we dove in,” the artist said. “Mike and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but more importantly, respect each other and trust each other enough to let things just happen. In the end, it turned out to be a really cool album.”

Bowen echoed the sentiment.

“This is probably the most experimental record I’ve ever worked on,” Bowen said. “I’m usually a stay-between-the-lines kind of guy when it comes to production, but Noah really kept pushing to go out of the box.

“I’m really happy with how everything turned out, and impressed with how amazing Noah’s song writing is for this record. Mostly I’m just happy and grateful that Noah included me on this fulfilling project.”

Gabriel, a 2001 graduate of Marmion Academy, said while recording is important, the best part of being a musician is performing in front of a live audience.

“There’s nothing that compares to the feeling I get when I’m on stage and the whole crowd is with me and the band,” he said. “There’s this symbiotic thing that occurs, where each party is feeding off the energy the other is putting out. It’s pretty powerful stuff. It’s what keeps me playing, and what keeps bringing people out to hear live music.”

For Gabriel, it doesn’t matter if he is on stage or in the audience; there is something about live music that can’t be matched.

“I’m not just talking about my shows, but any other live shows in general,” he said. “That’s the beauty of it. I myself am lucky enough to experience this from both sides as a performer and as a fan at other people’s shows.”

Chicago radio morning show host Lisa Dent of US 99.5-FM will emcee the event at Two Brothers, where Gabriel will perform songs from “Mercy Street.”

“Noah’s music is so authentic, it defies labels. He’s a true artist,” Dent said. “I was first introduced to Noah and his music at Concert for a Cure, a fundraiser for the Paul Ruby Foundation. His live performance captured me. I listened to his CD the next day, and became a huge fan.”