Necessary Disaster

The New Album by The Mighty Alrighty

July 2026

Necessary Disaster is the 2026 album by the New Jersey-based indie rock band, The Mighty Alrighty. Consisting of Andy Napolitano on vocals, guitar, and percussion, Al Semler on keyboards, trumpet, and mandolin, and Mike Hetman on drums, banjo, and bass, the band combines an eclectic blend of styles into a cohesive collection of catchy songs.

This article chronicles the events leading to the creation and release of Necessary Disaster.

Conceived as a solo project by singer-songwriter Andy Napolitano, The Mighty Alrighty released its first album, The Confines, in 2018. Written and recorded entirely by himself, Andy laid the foundation for what he terms "apartment rock", or as he puts it, "two end tables and a microphone". The project garnered the attention of BlowUpRadio, an Internet radio station dedicated to promoting home-grown New Jersey musicians, where his music was first aired.

Before then, in 2012, Al Semler met Mike Hetman after both being recruited as members of Bon Temps Brass Band, a New Orleans-style jazz band based in New Jersey. Bon Temps quickly became a busy brass band, performing at weddings, town fairs, bars, and other events throughout the region. While Al played second lead trumpet and Mike alternated between keyboards, bass guitar, and drums, the two forged a friendship that transcended their musical camaraderie.

In 2015, Al left Bon Temps. Immediately thereafter, Al and Mike began discussing the idea of jamming and creating music together again. Sharing a love of craft beer, they also shared a desire to continue working together and create original music. Over the course of the next few years, they would frequently revisit this idea. Al would later return to Bon Temps in a non-performing role, serving as a recording engineer and documenting live performances. Finally, in late 2018, Al suggested working with his childhood friend, Andy Napolitano, who had just completed a solo album (The Confines) under the name The Mighty Alrighty. The three would finally meet up, instruments in hand, on January 3, 2019, at the same rehearsal space where Bon Temps Brass Band rehearsed in Pompton Lakes, NJ, and began working on new music.

After focusing on covers and a few original songs, it was decided to develop Andy's songs from The Confines into a three-piece ensemble consisting of Andy on vocals and guitar, Al on trumpet, and Mike on drums. However, for practical reasons, and to help develop the songs, Mike focused primarily on bass guitar and backing vocals. The trio played a number of live shows and recorded the 6-song EP Once Then Ifs, released on July 28, 2019. Al's trumpet brought a distinctive timbre to the arrangements, giving Once Then Ifs its uniquely stripped-back character while complementing Andy's songwriting. Once Then Ifs, an anagram of The Confines, consisted of four reworked songs from Andy's solo album along with two new originals. Mike's drumming contribution to the EP was limited to a snare drum part on the new composition "The Morning". The band continued performing until the COVID pandemic, after which it went on hiatus.

In late 2021, The Mighty Alrighty released its second full-length album, Endless Optimism. Though the band had recently reunited, the album was recorded solely by Andy. Unlike The Confines and Once Then Ifs, the album largely abandoned a rock sound in favor of electronic music and featured Andy on vocals and instrumentation, along with a cover of Weezer's "The Good Life." In 2022, the three members began work on their follow-up to Once Then Ifs with brand new material.

Andy presented new demos to Al and Mike, who began composing and tracking their own parts. After briefly considering hiring a drummer, Mike decided to write and record all the drum tracks himself, in addition to the bass tracks. Inspired in part by his love for indie folk music, Mike also began learning banjo to lean more into the indie folk genre on some tracks. Around this time, Mike also rediscovered his love for progressive rock and heavy metal, two genres that heavily influenced his playing on the album, particularly regarding his approach on the drums. Combined with years of improvising alongside Al in New Orleans-style brass bands, these diverse influences brought a raw energy to the arrangements.

Engineered by Al and produced by all three members, the 14 tracks gradually took shape as the album Necessary Disaster. The band worked closely together mixing and mastering the tracks to capture the natural ambience of their recording space while maintaining an organic, high-fidelity production. During mixing, Mike sought to achieve a punchy drum sound reminiscent of early 1980s rock production. In addition to the aforementioned credits, Mike also provided backing vocals, lead vocals alongside Andy and Al on "To The End", djembe, and various percussion. Guest musicians included guitarist Tyler Insley and harpist Sage Hetman. Just prior to the album release, the band released two singles, "Green Thumb Girl" and "Party At The End Of The World". Meanwhile the title track, "Necessary Disaster" and "Party At The End Of The World" made their radio debut on BlowUpRadio, an Internet radio destination with a focus on New Jersey's independent rock artists.

Mike also designed the artwork and visual identity for the album. Inspired by the classic mid-century pulp comic aesthetic, Mike developed the logo and overall visual style, arriving at a look and feel consistent with the imagery and narrative of the album. The album was officially released on June 12, 2026.

Since 2018, The Mighty Alrighty has contributed tracks to the Banding Together Webathon benefiting the Spondylitis Association of America. Following the release of Necessary Disaster, the band remains active, rehearsing with plans to play live in the New Jersey/New York area.

Necessary Disaster is available on most major streaming platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, and Bandcamp.

Album Credits

Necessary Disaster
Released June 12, 2026

All songs written by Andrew Quentin Napolitano
Produced by The Mighty Alrighty
Recorded and engineered by Al Semler
Artwork and visual identity by Mike Hetman

Track Listing
1. Necessary Disaster
2. Every Day
3. Living Room
4. To The End
5. Those Were The Days (Trapper Keeper Losers Weeper)
6. Green Thumb Girl
7. Enough Is Enough
8. SOL
9. Luck
10. Quarantine
11. Preternaturally
12. Necessary Disaster (Reprise)
13. Party At The End Of The World
14. Apart

Personnel

Andy Napolitano
Lead Vocals (1-14)
Guitars (1-14, except Track 5)
Electric Mandolin (14)
Bucket (1, 4, 12)
Stool (4)
Rake (4)

Al Semler
Keyboards (2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13)
Piano (1)
Mandolin (3, 14)
Horns (1, 5, 7, 8, 12)
Synths (2)
Zither (11)
Backing Vocals (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14)
Co-Lead Vocals (4)
Bucket (12)

Mike Hetman
Drums (1-14)
Bass (1-14)
Banjo (3, 6, 8, 14)
Electric Guitar (7)
Djembe (1, 4, 12)
Backing Vocals (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14)
Co-Lead Vocals (4)
Recycling Bin (4)

Guest Musicians

Sage Hetman
Harp (1, 11, 12)
Backing Vocals (4, 13)

Tyler Insley
Lead Guitar (7)
Backing Vocals (4, 13)

Maggie Cunningham
Backing Vocals (4, 13)

Kate Hetman
Backing Vocals (4, 13)

Bring Your Project to Life

If you are looking to commission music from Mike Hetman, license existing music, or even book a live performance, we invite you to get in touch.