The Mylars

It's been a great few months for The Mylars. In September, they released their debut album, "Melody Records," by opening at the Wellmont Theatre for Rick Springfield, followed up by a big record release party at Maxwell's. A debut single and video, "Forever Done," kick-started a lot of positive attention for the band and generated buzz among fans.

The band is filled with established industry commodities. Lead singer and guitarist Danny Roselle performed across North America with the Crash Moderns, a power-pop band that had a lot of success in the mid-aughts.

Co-vocalist and bassist Quig is one of those guys who's done it all: performer, songwriter, even a radio host. He created and managed the world's first little-person rock group, The Little Kingz, made famous in Ben Stiller's movie "Zoolander".

The Mylars are rounded out by a solid trio of Chris O'Hara on drums, Dan "Nashville" Rainey on lead guitar and Nick Polito on keys, who have shared studios and stages with a who's who ranging from Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley, Sugar Ray, Foreigner, Sheryl Crow, The Avett Brothers, Fiona Apple, The Goo Goo Dolls, Live, Robby Krieger, and Wynton Marsalis. Yeah, their music industry roots run very deep.

The Mylars are now celebrating the release of their second single, a super-high octane cover of The Cars' hit, "Let's Go". We chatted with Danny Roselle about their story so far. Be sure to watch the official video for "Let's Go" at the conclusion of their interview.

What does the band's stated mission of "it is what it used to be" mean to you?

When Quig and I put this band together a couple of years ago, it was our joint mission to try and bring back what we felt was so desperately lost and missing from today's music scene.

"What it used to be" reflects bands and their fans having a great time celebrating life, fun, and togetherness through music. I think somewhere along the line that message got lost. We all realize that we do live in troubled times but, if you think about it, every generation has lived through troubled times. The only difference was that back in the '60s, '70s and throughout the '80s people could always count on their favorite bands to give them some sort of joy and release from those pressures.

Whether it was a two-hour concert or literally just putting your headphones on in your room and reading along with the lyric sheet to your favorite album, yes, I said album, it was a way to escape for a little while into your own head.

Music used to be able to do that for people. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems that, aside from a few, those bands are becoming obsolete. The Foo Fighters are one in particular that still carries the "It's ok to laugh at yourself. It's ok to have a great time enjoying music." torch. Everything doesn't always have to be one big political statement all the time. I think country music has a really solid handle on this. I've never seen music bring more people together than country.

So, the simple message The Mylars want to bring to the table: Come out, dance a little, laugh a little, and enjoy yourself. Hopefully our music will get you there.

Your first single, "Forever Done," talks about the band members surviving the music business, even as the industry goes through dramatic changes.

It does. "Forever Done" is a song about survival. It's about everything that we've all been through in our creative lives. All the drama, all the heartaches, all the near misses and almost successes. It's also about the fact that we are all still standing here ready to do it again. It's the song that defines us as individuals and as a band. It's also the big "screw you" to everyone that counted us out! (Laughs.) It's also the acceptance of who we are and what we do. It's realizing that it's way too late for us to just walk away.

Music for us is more about who we are than what we do. All bands can share war stories and piss and moan about every time they've been wronged. It's killed many bands. Many of ours too, but it's about taking all of that knowledge and putting it to good use. Allowing it to make you stronger.

How are you doing things differently now than you might have in past projects?

I guess the one greatest thing is that the "big-headed monster" is all but destroyed. The record labels have all but imploded making it a much more even playing field for everyone.

I think it's much easier today for the good band, and the good music, to rise to the top and find its fan base. Social media has completely changed the game. When you can reach 30,000 people with the click of a button, you know it's a different world. I think it definitely becomes more about the quality of the product and less about who owes who a favor. Maybe the concept that the best rises to the top is finally true?

As for us, nothing has changed. We still do what we do and what we love. I guess our mentality has changed a bit. In the past it was always about the labels, the labels, the showcases, the bullshit. And now it's all about the music.

WE are our label. WE are the studio. WE are the ship that steers it right to our listeners. Having complete control over your own career is a great feeling.

Every musician who's been around the block has a good "screwed over by the music industry" story. Any good ones you'd like to share?

Sure, why not. My block is very long. (Laughs.)

When I was out on the road a while back with the band Lifehouse, terrific band by the way and really great guys, things couldn't have been going any better. We were on a short southern leg of the tour with them and the final night was in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Their crowds had been very receptive to us on these few dates and our merch sales were through the roof. Both bands were having a blast playing together as well. It was a great vibe.

The band actually hung with us on the side of the stage the final night to watch our show. After their set, we all said our goodbyes by their bus, and talked about how much we were all looking forward to supporting them on their next big tour which was starting up in about a month. They all but confirmed us as support which, of course, excited us big time. It would be our biggest opportunity to date.

At this point we were also friendly enough with each other to exchange cell numbers, etc. A few days after the final show there was a big fire in California in very close proximity to where a few of the band members lived. Of course, I shot a quick call out to make sure that they were all ok and that their families were ok. I left a concerned message for them. I heard nothing back. Didn't think anything of it.

A few days later, our agent got a call from their agent asking if we would please stop harassing the band and that there was very little chance that we would be getting the upcoming tour. This tour, by the way, would've really helped put our band on the map. Of course I was super confused, annoyed and hurt a bit. It was only one call, and it was us checking in on their well being.

Needless to say the truth came out a few weeks later when support was announced for their upcoming tour. It was a singer/songwriter that Lifehouse's management team had just recently signed. It obviously was a huge deal to get her on the bill. Truth is, we totally understood why it was done. It made total sense for them. We just didn't appreciate the way it was handled. I don't even think the band members had knowledge of what really transpired. But, I'm a happy optimist! (Laughs.)

What's the concept for the "Let's Go" video? Do you generally feel that videos should explain the songs somehow, or are they separate pieces of art?

I think that it really all depends on the song. If there is a particular message that you are trying to convey with your lyrics, I think a cohesive video is a powerful tool in getting that message across. It kind of cements the intent into the listener's mind. I do like that.

I also think that sometimes a video should just been fun, crazy and off-the-wall completely. Perfect example is "Keep Fishing" by Weezer. Miss Piggy kidnapping the drummer Pat. Genius, fun, and made me love the song even more than I already did.

The video for "Let's Go" is based loosely on a modern-day Wizard of Oz theme. Our feeling, in general with The Mylars, is that we want to be a band that can appeal across generations. We'd love to be a band that kids can dig as well as their parents.

So originally we thought, "hey, let's try and get this "one big party" point across in this video". We thought it would be cool if the main character kept picking up different people of all ages and walks of life throughout the video with a final destination being the Mylars show. As we sat back and thought more about it, we realized it had a crazy and distinct Wizard of Oz undertone to it. So then, of course, the ideas just rolled from there. No idea was ruled out or thought too wild even if we couldn't pull it off.

It's important to note that we have always been big fans of The Cars and love everything about them. The giant hooks, the harmonies, the dual lead vocalists, everything. So we also wanted to do something really fun with this video as a way of paying homage to our heroes.

The Mylars have gotten off to a fast start, opening for Rick Springfield, the new album, plus two singles and video releases. How would you like to see things progress for the band by this time next year?

Yeah, it has been a really great year so far. Thank you so much. I think our only true hope for this coming year is that we can reach as many people as possible with our music and message.

www.themylars.com

Photo Credit: COUCOU photography

Watch "Let's Go" (Official Video) by The Mylars