thePULSE
Bands, clubs, artists, and businesses that you may not have heard of yet…but that we think are going to make a name for themselves really soon ~ and you get to hear about them here, right before they make it big!
SOLO
Mikal
By Dawn Fenton
Mikal (pronounced Michael) was born and raised in Detroit and migrated to Los Angeles when he was 15 years old to live with his mom “and meet up with musicians.” A fellow musician, Paulo Bettencourt, is the reason he is now playing in the Boston and Worcester areas.
“The reason I moved to Boston was to form a band with him…and I just started playing and doing my own thing.”
Now a Hudson resident, Mikal (full name Michael Gurry) has two CDs coming out – very soon, “…hopefully by January,” he said, in a recent phone conversation with the Pulse. “The acoustic EP should have been out a long time ago, but because of several problems it ended up taking a long time. As soon as I can get into the studio to finish two of the four tracks…it’s just getting into the studio.”
The acoustic offering, a four song EP titled Only Enemies Tell the Truth…Friends and Lovers Lie Endlessly, was recorded with acoustic guitars and a string section.
The rock/pop release Soundtrack From a Happy Ending is a full 10 tracks, and the first single, “Jane Jane,” can be heard on Mikal’s MySpace page, and while you’re there you can purchase a four track demo for the very respectable price of five dollars. Along with the single “Jane, Jane,” the disc includes two of the acoustic tracks off the upcoming EP along with a notable full band garage demo of a song called “4 AM.”
With influences ranging from Weezer to Sloan to Elliot Smith, Mikal began playing guitar at age 9. “I always had different bands in high school,” he said. “There were a couple of bands in Detroit that took off for awhile, the main one was called the Syndicate…pretty much after that I started to do more of a solo thing.”
“I’m a solo artist but I prefer to play with a whole band. Right now it seems I’m doing a lot of college venues and most colleges prefer acoustic…I can go out there and play like that just fine, but I like to have a band to back me…that band differs depending on who is available.”
In fact, it is Mikal’s ability to play an intimate and dimly lit show with an acoustic guitar and string trio one night and turn around the next night to play a full out rock show that makes him such an interesting artist. That versatility and the complete ease in which he makes the transition speak to his comfort level of being onstage.
Mikal has been nominated for 24 Detroit Music Awards, including 16 in one year, which has only been accomplished by one other artist. Not too shabby! He is a Taylor Artist (Taylor Guitars), and with more Worcester area shows in the works, he is a name to watch for.
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BAND
The Orange Ocean
By Tine Roycroft
Pop in The Orange Ocean’s “Caught in the Air” CD when you’ve had a crappy day. Or pop it in when you’re floating on Cloud Nine. Whatever your mood, it is going to make the bad better and the good the best.
“I would describe [the music] as soulful pop music for people who like to read stories,” guitarist and vocalist Daniel Burke mused during a recent interview. He went on to say that the listener shouldn’t necessarily expect catchy choruses ~ and he couldn’t be more correct. “Caught in the Air” is a romantic and passionate collection of the best musical bedtime stories ever told.
The group’s song “Diamondface,” for example, is part lullaby, part Michael Buble’s sweet croonings, and all love. This tune, like all on the CD, is artfully crafted, masterfully mixed and encourages nothing but good times.
With influences such as Randy Newman and Paul Simon, Burke, 30, started his musical career below the streets of Boston. As a student at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, he took his guitar and warm cinnamon voice to Harvard Square and the Park Street T Station where he performed for perfect strangers. Burke said he made a decent living on his own, selling CDs between train arrivals. Then he met Stu Pynn and his life took a turn.
Pynn loved Burke’s music. He passed Burke his own demo CD and Burke was pleasantly surprised to find that he enjoyed Pynn’s just as much. The two became fast partners in music ~ and soon after, percussionist Kurt Dyrli completed the group now known as The Orange Ocean.
The trio gigged out at venues including The Middle East and Boston’s Paradise Lounge, earning them acclaim and an adoring fan base, before taking their show to the rocking stages of Worcester. Both Burke and Pynn currently live in and love the city, while Dyrli lives a mere 45 min. away in No. CT.
“I love the community here in Worcester,” said Burke. “I’ve got a pretty big base of friends and fans here.”
Burke says that out of the many places The Orange Ocean has played in the Worcester area, he admittedly has a favorite.
“I love playing at Nick’s Bar and Restaurant,” Burke said. “I play there every Friday night and I do enjoy that gig. It’s a beautiful venue and they’ve got a nice piano there. I usually just play solo there on Fridays and then the band will sit in sometimes.”
The Orange Ocean is currently looking for a manager, according to Burke, and one of the main reasons behind the search is a strong desire to get out on the road and begin touring. Burke looks forward to a time when he and his band mates can gain the exposure that a group can really only acquire from time spent living life out of a bus.
But in the meantime, the boys are hard at work creating more musical gems and even finding time for personal lives. According to Burke, Pynn was just certified as a nurse and Burke himself was recently married to his longtime love, Casey.
And what does a talented musician play for his first dance for his new wife? Only the best for this trained musical palate.
“‘I Hear a Symphony,’” Burke remembers. “I love that song, she’s always loved that song. It just worked.”
For more info on The Orange Ocean, go to www.theorangeocean.com or www.myspace.com/theorangeocean.
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BAND
Miars
By Dawn Fenton
Formed in the summer of 2007, Miars, a four piece outfit from Worcester, delivers a sound that refuses to be pigeonholed. From the sensuously exquisite singing voice of Kayla Daly to the energetically funky and fantastically arranged bass lines of Imer Diaz, from the at times Zeppelin-esque guitar of Ed Plante to the robust rumblings of drummer Marcus Ohanesian, Miars is ready to make its mark on Worcester’s music scene ~ and beyond.
Daly’s voice will take you by surprise ~ it sounds like something you have never quite heard before. A powerful vocalist, she could easily hold her own next to Amy Winehouse, Diana Krall, or Britain’s latest songstress, Adele. Citing some of her personal influences as Jeff Buckley, Ella Fitzgerald, Nick Drake, and Radiohead, Daly is a soulful and enigmatic temptress when she sings.
Miars’ self-titled 2008 demo contains three tracks, the first of which, “Myers,” comes to life with a spooked out guitar riff that instantly evokes the film classic Halloween. Rather than fearful when she sings, “I hear you creepin’ up on me,” Daly sounds more apt to seduce Myers with her alluringly delivered lyrics.
The band played its debut show on October 25th at Tammany Hall. According to Ohanesian, “It couldn’t have been any better…there was a little buzz [about the show]. We brought in 100 people just for us. The other bands were friends of ours so it was a great time.”
There are so many interesting things happening on the Miars promo tracks, and when Ohanesian described the band’s sound, he said, “It is much more interesting than what I have played in the past; it’s more groove oriented…it’s so fun for me to play this way in comparison to anything I’ve done before…there is definitely a different feel to our sound. It isn’t rock, or straight funk or jazz, and Kayla’s voice keeps it interesting.”
With a show at Bill’s Bar under their belt and a gig in November at London Billiards, Miars will be putting on their fourth live show at the Lucky Dog Music Hall on Friday, December 12th at 8 p.m.
Ohanesian spoke about the orientation of going live: “So far I think going off our past experience of the two shows {laughter} ~ we’re such a new band. We’re still working out the kinks of a live performance, but the response has been overwhelmingly good. People we didn’t know approaching us at the show has been very good and very encouraging. And Kayla likes to talk between songs, so there isn’t that wall between the audience. She keeps them involved.”
www.miarsmusic.com
www.myspace.com/miarsmusic
Photo credit: Eric Nichols
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Up and Comers Graduates
Hey Now Morris Fader
By Alex Kantarelis
Worcester duo Hey Now Morris Fader have come quite the distance since their last appearance in the Pulse a little over a year ago. With the release of their 2nd full length CD, Ride the Fader, the guys have continued to mix their piano based songs with indie rock to form a sound that’s their own.
About a year ago, just after releasing their first record, the band, made up of pianist and vocalist Brooks Milgate and drummer Alex Sacco, played Worcester’s StART on the Street. There, they ran into John Taft, who runs the New Alliance Studios in Cambridge. “He was running sound for us and really liked our band. He said he wanted us to do a new record there,” Milgate said. Suddenly, the band was back into action, writing songs so they could get right back into the studio. But for these natural musicians, this was more of a thrill than a chore. “When you play a lot, it’s not that you don’t like your songs, but it’s always exciting to start something new,” Milgate shared. “We put a deadline on it, and just practiced a lot,” he added.
Working as just a two-piece brings the band a unique element that’s hard to find anywhere else. The combination of piano and hard-hitting drums creates a sound that comes across strong, yet is still full of pop elements. Think the song structure of Ben Folds Five mixed with the melody of early Weezer.
Milgate, who describes the sound of the band as “…pop rock, based around the piano with catchy choruses,” says his primary goal for the band is to make music and have fun doing it. Considering how many musicians hope to achieve the “rich and famous” star stature that they see on TV, it’s nice to hear a musician who focuses on the most important thing: the music, of course. While he has many other goals (playing bigger shows, reaching out to more people), the number one for both is still the music. “Neither one of us has quit our day job at this point,” he said.
After headlining their record release this past November, the guys hope to expand outside of Worcester and play all over New England. But they surely aren’t slowing down any time soon. They have already begun the planning for yet another new record and hope to be in the studio as early as this spring. Until then, be sure to get yourself a copy of Ride the Fader. It will be on constant repeat on your iPod.
www.myspace.com/heynowmorrisfader
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One Bullet Solution
By Alex Kantarelis
Up and Comer’s “Graduates” One Bullet Solution have continued tearing it up since they last graced the pages of this section. Aside from playing live everywhere in the area, the band, made up of Steve Vitiello on vocals and guitar, Tom Rogers on drums, Josh Thompson on lead guitar and new bassist Tim Khanian, released a 5 song EP of their signature melodic-metal sound.
Within those 5 songs, the band accomplishes what many bands attempt, but without sacrificing their hardcore roots. Think Killswitch Engage, but with more harmonizing melodic parts ~ and way catchier. Rogers describes their style as “pop metal.” The 4-piece draws influences from a variety of different bands from the rock/hard rock genre. Everyone from Avenged Sevenfold to Rush can be heard in their style. “We definitely have quite a broad horizon,” Rogers said.
The guys have spent the year playing as much as possible all over New England, and hope to branch out to New York soon. They released the EP in September, and have no plans of slowing down any time soon; they’re currently taking some time off from shows to begin the writing process for their next record. Perfection comes at a price though, as they plan on not settling for mediocrity, and finding the right studio to capture their sound. This could take time, and according to Rogers, the new record will probably be coming out sometime in 2010.
It may seem like they’ll be missing this winter, but they will surely be hard at work writing their new full-length. After the cold dark days of winter pass, they’ll be back in full effect playing everywhere in the area.
While most bands just try to get things out as soon as possible, One Bullet Solution spends their time practicing and perfecting everything. Practice is almost a job for these guys, as they aim to make their songs flawless.
Don’t sleep on this band. If you do, you’ll be missing out on some of Worcester’s hardest working guys keeping things honest, and best of all keeping things heavy.
Check out OBS’s last show of 2008 w/ Till We Die, Greycourt, and more at Tammany Hall on December 6.
www.onebulletsolution.com and www.myspace.com/onebulletsolution
