The Local 913: Reliable Child
Mike Berginc is no stranger to the Pittsburgh music scene. He’s been writing and performing here for years, mostly with his band As Ladders. However, over the last 2 years, Berginc has been spending much more time working alone under the name Reliable Child. "I geared up to record a solo acoustic album that had an arc and a story to it," he said. "I got into demoing songs live on the internet – on Instagram and Facebook – and what that ended up doing was it allowed me to broaden my perspective on songwriting and also get feedback from people I’d maybe never met. I’m still on that journey of like, ‘What am I capable of putting in a song?’ and it’s kind of informed by how you can just put something out in the world and it’s just there."
It’s out there now in the form of a new EP called Some Blue Imagination – a collection of songs detailing the arc of a relationship where the emphasis is on the details. Those seemingly tiny musical and lyrical moments that stick with you and make you think about your own life. "Details in creating an image for a listener, especially through lyrics, and also through sound, are critical to conveying an idea," says Berginc.
The EP starts off with a song called “Grayside” that affirms his belief that not everything in life is black and white, so to speak. "That one has a theme of embracing the silver linings in situations in life," he says. "Sometimes the glass is half-full. Sometimes it’s half-empty. I think things are a little more nuanced now in the current climate of popular opinion. There’s safety in saying that there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s just a nuanced situation that we’re all in so keep a positive outlook."
