Artist description Meloderotic...

Music Style Meloderotic Rock

Musical Influences Depeche Mode, Kent, The Police, U2, Radiohead, The Beatles, Travis, James Brown, Dr. Dre, The Smiths, Tears For Fears, Bjork, The Cure, Duran Duran, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley ...

Similar Artists Coldplay, Kent, Travis, Radiohead, U2, Depeche Mode, Papa Vegas

Artist History Formed in the fall of 2000, Miles To Mars rose from the ashes of RCA recording act, Papa Vegas. Frontman/main songwriter Joel Ferguson and drummer/vocalist Scott Stefanski, the only remainders of that outfit, decided to move on musically together with one goal in sight: to make music for themselves. It didn't take long to find like-minded souls. Bassist Martin Heynen, a friend from the pre-Papa Vegas days, climbed ship immediately bringing with him not only solid rythmic foundation, but a positive cosmic aura.The band then went through a series of various gifted guitar players, only to realize that they wanted to keep the direction of the band more keyboard based. They decided to keep the axis of the band a trio; Ferguson on guitar, keyboards and vocals, with Stefanski and Heynen pitching in on keys in addition to their main instruments. The result is a blend of classic sounds such as Moogs, Rhodes and Mellotron mixed with modern, space-age synths, samples and drum machines. As to the live performance Stefanski states, "The big challenge will be how to reproduce the fullness of the recording in a live setting. We've worked with sequencing before and probably will again, but we may hire a utility guy to help on stage" . Although more at home in the studio, Miles To Mars is a exciting live band and has supported the likes of Ours, Matthew, Superdrag, Kings X and The Matthew Good Band, among others. Along with Stefanski's intelligent drumming and Ferguson's singular vocal style, Miles To Mars know how to tear up the stage too. This has lead to shows supporting the likes of Ours, Matthew, Superdrag and the Matthew Good Band, among others. Without the burden of trying to be "radio friendly" or "commercial", the band has created a sound that could be described as "meloderotic". And that's not to say it's not accessible or catchy. "I' ve always leaned towards the dark, spooky side of pop," states Ferguson. "Guys like Martin Gore, who have that knack of writing the perfect pop song and then putting that creepy twist on it". With influences ranging from Depeche Mode, the Smiths and the Police, to the Beatles, Bjork and Leonard Cohen, Ferguson's writing has matured at an incredible pace since his Papa Vegas days. Credit that to personal strife, experience with age, or what have you... What you end up with is one thing: deeply moving lyrics set to beautiful music. "I think Joel's strongest asset is his ability to put a simple, meaningful lyric to an amazing melody" says Stefanski. In these uncertain times of a downsizing industry, mergers and the fall of giant labels, finding that elusive label deal may prove to be tougher than ever. You wouldn't know it by talking to the guys in Miles To Mars. "People want something real." says Stefanski, "The days of the baseball cap-rap bands and the angst-rock copy cats are going to eventually come to an end. I love the fact that bands like Travis and Coldplay, and even Norah Jones are getting signed and selling records because it proves that there's a market for smart, melodic, adult songwriting. I think we fit right in with that niche."

Group Members Joel Ferguson: Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Synths, Drums, Bass Guitar, Programming Martin Heynen: Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Synths Scott Stepanski: Drums, Vocals, Keyboards, Synths, Programming

Instruments vocals, guitar, drums, bass, keys, synths, samplers

Location Grand Rapids, Michigan - USA

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