WCS grad releases album

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By Dan King

Musical talent comes naturally to some people, and PJ Ferguson is one of those people.

Ferguson, a 2014 Whitehall Central School graduate and a communications student at the College of St. Rose, is releasing an album titled “Starting Line” on Aug. 21.

“There’s at least one song everyone can relate to,” Ferguson said. “Songs about perseverance and taking the next step in life. That’s where the name of the album comes from.”

PJ Ferguson 1
PJ Ferguson singing at King Neptune’s Pub in Lake George.

Ferguson added that the album name is meant to have two meanings, one reflecting on his career as a cross country runner at Whitehall and the other referring to him starting his singing career over after he got throat nodules last year.

“It’s really an album about perseverance; I think that’s something everyone has to go through, overcoming obstacles,” he said of the six-song album.

Ferguson wrote all of the songs himself and has been recording the album since May. He performs vocals, guitar and bass; Noah Chieco of Saratoga supplies the drums and produced the album. Whitehall teacher Mac Petrequin is featured on a few tracks, performing the banjo and the Dobro, and Kirsti Blow adds vocals on a few of the tracks as well.

As for the sound of the album, Ferguson described it as “pop rock, with a southern twang. It’s similar to Kings of Leon, The Doors, Tom Petty and Stone Temple Pilots. It’s got a little bit of everything. During my live shows, I play everything from the 50s to now.”

Ferguson has been playing guitar since he was 12, at which time he also picked up singing, thanks to some suggestions from his father, he said.

“I grew up watching VH1 Classics, seeing bands like AC/DC, and always wanted to play music,” Ferguson said.

The official CD release party will be held Aug. 21 at The Boar’s Nest in Fort Ann from 6 p.m. to midnight. Ferguson, along with the band Citizen’s Treasure, will perform songs of the album, as well as some covers. The Whitehall-based Green River Band will also be performing, as will A World For You, Kirsti Blow and Highway 69.

The event is open to everyone 18 and older and there is a $5 cover charge, which will benefit an animal shelter in the Glens Falls area. Starting Line will be available for purchase at the event for $5 and afterward will be sold at Joe’s Pizza in Whitehall, where Ferguson works during the summer.

The album will also be available to stream on Spotify and for purchase on iTunes, Ferguson said.