Joy Missile
Naperville, Illinois, United States
Music
Press
Why We Picked This Band
It is no coincidence that the track list of this album is visually portrayed as rays of sunshine: Joy Missile puts our office in a very sunny, inspired mood.
At first, Colleen O’Mara sounds exactly like Natalie Merchant. But with every progressive track, she reveals another genre that she can sing - most impressively, she sounds like the talented Monique Powell of Save Ferris in the beginning of “Follow Me Down.”
- Chicago Suburban NiteLife - May, 2005
Chicago-based Joy Missile do more than just throw caution to the wind; instead, they blast it into the atmosphere, stitching together an unlikely, yet seamless flow of blues, hard rock, funk, reggae, and ska without fear or any hesitation. Connecting puzzle pieces of shapes that don't match should be a recipe for disaster but Joy Missile were able to find the rocket fuel to make it work.
The bluesy Janis Joplin stomp of O'Mara's singing laid the foundation for "These Are the Things" and the title track, creating a scorchingly seductive canvas from which guitarists Jon Raleigh and Sean Black could paint the late-evening atmosphere with bruised riffs. On "Biometric Girl," Colleen O'Mara channels Gwen Stefani's high-pitched geek soul as her bandmates strut playfully with a reggae and ska backbeat. The track could also be compared to Danny Elfman's pioneering new wave act, the seriously underrated KROQ icons Oingo Boingo, as well in how it disguises twisted and disturbing lyrics about a misdiagnosed mental patient ("I'm not out of my mind/ It's my pills") with deceptively upbeat pop hooks.
Unlike many of today's indie rockers, Joy Missile are actually musically accomplished, skilled personnel with seriously wicked chops. Dave Bills' hyperactive keyboards trigger "Leave Right Now," adding a sweet undertow to the driving, distorted guitars of his bandmates. There is a goosebump-raising moment in "Biometric Girl" wherein the group suddenly builds up speed and launches into space. Somebody tell WALL-E that he has company on the way.
- Robert Sutton - www.ink19.com
Joy Missile's sound is poppy, bluesy, and funky all at once, and they clearly demonstrate a high degree of musical skill. Vocalist Colleen O’Mara handles the musical shifts with ease, and the band supports her just like they should. (www.joymissile.com)
– Mike O’Cull - Illinois Entertainer - November, 2005
Discography
Joy Missile (self-titled release) - (2005)
http://cdbaby.com/cd/joymissile
Joy Missile - Bent Perspective - (2008)
http://cdbaby.com/cd/joymissile2
Photos
Bio
Chicago-based Joy Missile does more than just throw caution to the wind; they blast it into the atmosphere, welding together an unlikely yet seamless flow of alternative, pop and hard rock without fear or hesitation. Perfectly connecting and blending different musical styles, their complex and energetic sound seems familiar, yet amazingly fresh.
Featuring Chicago scene veterans Dana Monson (vocals); Jon Raleigh (guitar/vocals); Dave Bills (keyboards/vocals); Sean Black (guitar); Ed Monson (bass); and Jeff Bures (drums), Joy Missile debuted in 2005 with a self-titled album that introduced their wildly eclectic mash-up of musical styles. A track from the record, "Porcupine", hit the Top 10 at BandRadioLive.com and won an honorable mention at the 2005 Billboard Song Contest. Two years later, Joy Missile won the Gold Viking Award for Best Pop Band of 2007 from the SvensWorldRadio pod cast. "Follow Me Down" remains high on the MySpace (www.myspace.com/joymissile) play list.
In 2008, Joy Missile released their second album, Bent Perspective. The CD heightened the group's knack for crossing genre boundaries and deftly combined fiery performances with top-drawer songwriting. The bluesy Janis Joplin stomp of O'Mara's singing lays the foundation for ËœThese Are the Things" and the title track, creating a scorchingly seductive canvas on which guitarists Raleigh and Black paint the late-evening atmosphere with bruised riffs. On ËœBiometric Girl", O'Mara channels Gwen Stefani's high-pitched geek soul as her bandmates strut playfully with a reggae and ska backbeat, says Robert Sutton of Ink19.com in his January 2009 review of their CD Bent Perspective. Joy Missile challenges their creativity, talent and imagination to create a powerful sound uniquely their own.
Bent Perspective takes the band's positive vibe and pushes it even further. It features 8 new genre-bending songs recorded at Uptown Recording in Chicago. It is available online at http://cdbaby.com/cd/joymissile2. It was recently reviewed in the January 28th issue of ink19 (www.ink19.com). Checkout the review by Robert Sutton: http://www.ink19.com/issues/january2009/musicReviews/musicJ/joyMissile.html
Band Members
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