Sound Band Spotlight – The Midnightmares

By Derek Signore

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Eagle’s Bar Stamford, Thursday, 2pm. A familiar face stands behind the bar. Familiar now for hi current profession, turning bar tricks on a stage built for drinks. His crowd is different from those of his past. While both shared the love of the drink, this new crowd has chosen this location to remove themselves from the hum bub and show atmosphere that he fed on for years.

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Define one’s calling in life. Do you remember what you told yourself as a kid about what you wanted to be when you grow up? Did you follow that dream or were you sidetracked or sucked into the reality that Rock God was “not feasible” if you wanted to eat?

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Or maybe you did try out the “rock thing” for a while, but things soured or the band went on hiatus to pursue other options. For the man behind the bar, it had been two years since he’d picked up and played a guitar, or at least for more than a few minutes. He had tried, but the passion was not there.

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Traveling around the area to local rock venues, he stood amongst the crowd, now as a fan. Where once he stood tall peering out amongst his loyal established base, he now looked up, neck arched as if to pay homage to those still fighting the good fight.

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Not all was how it should be, and this man was about to find his place again, in the world of punk rock. His name, James Rockwood, formerly of the now dismembered Elvis McMan. Nowadays, he works two jobs to get by. Like the rest of us, his fight now is the struggle to stay afloat in a recession.

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Maybe his tale is like some old time fairy tale. A bedtime story parents tell their children to liven up their sprits. Maybe those reading this right now will tell this tale to their kids one day. Whatever it is, fate called upon James the night of Christmas Eve. Like a present come early, a band had called.  Looking for a guitarist for a small local gig, James was brought on as a “hired gun.”

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It would be at a practice session in January a few weeks later that the band, with James still on as a hired gun, would come to realize that they had something. Something missing from previous endeavors. If you could say that music is a state of mind, then it is suffice to say they all shared a collective consciousness.

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Strumming his guitar, James realized that the feeling had not been lost, but merely forgotten. In the world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, this was the high he was looking for. A band to which each element made the other better. A band that performed as a band, one for all and all for one.

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Together now as The Midnightmares, the names and faces may seem familiar to fans of Elvis McMan, as will the feel of the music and the performances they put on. Don’t believe how the band assembled, just take a read from their MySpace page. “Matt and Pixie talked, a few years ago, about making music. For various reasons, it didn’t happen… which is fine… because when it dies, it was awesome. We recruited James, “Sun God of the Universe” on guitar, then grabbed Brian over a couple of bottles of grain alcohol or whiskey or whatever at a party… and the rest is history.”

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The band consists of Pixie Krucynski on vocals, Matt Injection on bass and vocals, James Rockwood on guitar and Brian Finn on drums  While the last few names will ring a few bells, for lead singer Pixie Kruczynski, this is her fist stab at a band. You’d never know it by seeing her perform. To say that certain people were put on this earth for a specific reason is an understatement when you watch her grab the mike.

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So how is the band doing? This punk rock quartet is currently practicing twice a week, working hard to put together a demo. Something made easier by the fact that they all have a voice in the music that’s being written, a change from times (and bands) past. How well do they perform? We’re writing about them, aren’t we? They perform as a band, comfortable on stage, able to move the crowd and able to pick up after another if something goes wrong. Though you’d never know something went wrong, cause that’s how well they flow together. That’s how you tell a band from just a group of musicians.

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In closing, to say this is a band you should watch out for would be like me telling you consuming too much alcohol will make you drunk. I’ll just let the band sum up their own article for you: “Where have we been and where are we going? Just wait and see. We don’t care what you think about us… as long as you think about us.”