Milo & The Understudies

Artist Information

Biography

These five siblings re-emerged during 2012 with a new contemporary sound after 3 years performing as batch. Their Glee-style pop sound still has tight family harmonies reminiscent of The Jackson 5, with a new raw Macklemore/Ryan Lewis rap feel. Milo & The Understudies puts on a high-energy show with up-tempo dance grooves, smooth ballads, and an occasional splash of jazzy choreography. The group includes a bassist (Trent), two keyboardists (Heath & Alanna) and two drummers, acoustic (Blake) and electronic (Claire). All five band members sing and enjoy trading off lead and backup parts.
Since 2009 they have been performing on the summer festival circuit, including sets at the Bite of Seattle, the Taste of Tacoma, Anacortes Arts Festival, and other northwest events. They were recognized in September 2012 4th place in the Song of the Year competition, and in October 2010 with the Singer of the Month award from SingerUniverse.com.

Instrumentation

Heathcliff Saunders - Lead Vocals, Songwriter, Keyboard.
Blake Saunders - Drums, Lead Vocals, DJ
Trent Saunders - Bass, Lead Vocals
Alanna Saunders - keyboard, Lead Vocals, Tenor Saxophone
Claire Saunders - Percussion, Lead Vocals, Electronic Drums

Discography

2010: what a chatterbox (EP)

Official Website

http://www.facebook.com/miloandtheunderstudies

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reverb Nation

Audio

• one-way ticket
  Listen  
• a song for you
  Listen  
• Take Your Time
  Listen  
• I Think You Should Know
  Listen  
• Friend
  Listen  
• you started me
  Listen  
• under the ground
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Break My Fall
• Take Your Time
• Friend
• I Think You Should Know

Video

Magic.mp4

Milo-Jan2013.mpg

Photo Gallery

Press

• BATCH - "what a chatterbox" [+ Show ]
  

  While family acts are not exactly a rarity in the music biz, perhaps outside of the Jackson Five, De...While family acts are not exactly a rarity in the music biz, perhaps outside of the Jackson Five, DeBarge and the Jets, how often do you find five young siblings who not only mesh their vocal talents, but also ooze so much versatility that it almost seems selfish? In addition to the family’s live show that features synchronized dance grooves and jazz choreography, all five members of Batch play piano, while the individual teammates—Blake, Alanna, Trent, Claire and Heath—have also mastered a calliope of musical instruments ranging from congas, tenor sax, clarinet and French horn. Debut EP “What A Chatterbox” is mostly a high-energy affair, bright and peppy and conjuring a wholesome sense of innocence. Heath handles songwriting duties, giving Batch a signature sound that blends massive amounts of harmonies and a liberal dollop of theatricality via pop and R&B arrangements. “Take Your Time” is the ideal opening number, showcasing a one-minute acapella intro before the group trades off rapid-fire verses. Giddy “I Think You Know” again is layered with velvet harmonies, while “Chatterbox” is a cutesy autobiographical shout-out song in which the kids sing, “Be somebody, be a family, be a team, then just play the game. See what five became.” The collection’s best track is one of two ballads, “Friend,” which pledges undying support through good and bad, alongside a simple chug-along melody. Without a doubt, Batch is beautifully imaged, easy to define, with obvious appeal as family fare (and multi-cultural appeal: The kids' dad is African American and mom is Caucasian). As the group matures, it might be prudent to bring in a more experienced composer to help season the act’s overall persona. But for the moment—and throughout “Chatterbox”—the love and joy of familial melodic unity is nothing less than a paramount achievement.

Setlist

Teenage Dream (cover)
Animal (cover)
Friend
Under The Ground
A Song For You
Hit Em Up Style (cover)
Headphones
Glitter In The Air (cover)
You Started Me
November
Dynamite (cover)
Tightrope (cover)
One Way Ticket
Atmosphere
Standing Upright
Any Day Now
Magic (cover)

Basic Requirements

Calendar