My Little Radio

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
REDEFINING
THE “BOSTON SOUND” WITH
MY LITTLE RADIO
Boston, MA
Unsigned

www.myspace.com/mylittleradio

Pop / Rock / Emo



By: Bob Donovan

I accidentally found My Little Radio on MySpace. Someone sent us (our Northeast In-Tune MySpace account) a friend request and when I approved it, I happened to see this band in their friend’s network and decided to give them a quick listen…. I’ve been cranking their 4 songs on MySpace ever since! I totally fell in love with this band! Impeccable musicianship, totally awesome song structure and vocals to die for! Kate, the band’s vocalist has a voice of an angel that you can’t help but fall in love with!

This “Pop / Rock / Emo” band came together from a most unlikely background; you’d never have thought that musicians with backgrounds in aggressive rock bands would turn around and form an act of this type. Honestly though, those that don’t know any better would call it selling out; but the truth of the matter is, it’s versatility and pure talent that can make adjustments to develop a totally marketable sound and still totally enjoy what they are doing! A sign of true professionalism to say the least!
This band was formed in the fall of 2005 and has already come a long way. Again, with diverse influences ranging from Faith No More to Tears for Fears – Slayer to The Police, obviously this band is going to come out with some unique material.

Instantly I fell in love with their first song that I heard! “Leave The Light On” is incredible. Sure, it’s “poppy-rock” but done so well, who cares! It’s awesome! Kate’s vocals are…, well, PERFECT! This band just has a way of fitting together faultlessly; each utilizing their personal influences in their performance and together, as a whole, coming out with great material! Catchy, great chops, obviously experienced musicians and a vocalist that knows the ropes!

I kept playing “Leave The Light On” over and over; I was afraid to play the next song! Usually, or in many cases, a band posts their hottest song first and it isn’t unusual to have the songs that follow not measure up, to say the least. However, in the case of My Little Radio, after hearing the first song a dozen times, I forced myself to listen to their next track…. In this casr it was a song called “Lost My Cool.” WOW! Yet ANOTHER totally well structured song with extremely tight musicianship, great changes and the totally catchy vocals; you just have to listen! It’s got the “sweetness” the “Emo” the Power, and the fullness – overall, INTENSE!

How far should I push it? Should I listen to the nest song? Hell, why not….

“Miss You” has a good opening, nice consistently progressive beat and rhythm slipping into those totally appealing vocals… Again, nice structure and good chops, easy to follow, energetic where needed, melodic and comforting where it’s supposed to be, and then building…..

Can we make it 4 for 4 here? Sure can! “All You Wanted” shows some of the power within the band’s musicians. They release it in bits and pieces surrounded with very melodic progressions so as to keep the song flowing and not over powering. Kate has no problem making her vocals come through on the more edgy material either… She is totally adaptable to anything these guys can put together and she shines through it all.

I don’t want to tell you too much right now because I have contacted the band and their manager; it looks like we’ve just found our 3rd band to “Adopt” in our “Adopt-a-Band Program” co-sponsored by Sonicbids, OnLineGigs.com, The Indie Bible, Monkeytooth Productions and Future Webspace Hosting. So, you’ll be seeing a LOT more of this band, hopefully, with the very next issue!







- Bob Donovan

by: Pat Keating


My Little Radio


Frankly, when I went to write this article, I didn’t know My Little Radio from My Little Pony. Unlike the prosaic theme song of a 1980s cartoon, My Little Radio’s songs are soothing doses of rage-fueled melodic rock.

In the endless parade of acoustic singer-songwriter clones, I get a little misty-eyed over bands that aren’t afraid to remind us that distortion has a better place than the evening news. That isn’t to say the handsome lads at Club Passim can’t write a good song or two. It’s just that we’ve heard it before…over and over again.

Here’s what My Little Radio sounds like: Imagine the Go-Gos and Jimmy Eat World playing in a basement. Try to keep Belinda Carlisle’s clothes on (you know you can’t…especially if you’ve conjured the cheesy chick rocker circa 1984). Still, if you could pay attention to the music in the midst of the other things you are visualizing, that would be the bliss of this 4-person band.

Let me make a prediction or two. 1. My Little Radio will soon become one of the hottest bands in Boston. 2. Belinda Carlisle is never going to get naked and play with me or my little pony. 3. Both of the above.

- InSite Magazine

“Girls Gone Wild, Bad Ass Rock, and Totally Fucking Rad” are three different ways to describe the latest East Coast sensations My Little Radio. Their pop-punk sound has been spreading like wild fire since the realization that music was all they wanted to do. “We had each come to the point where we realized we’d rather be playing music than anything else,” commented Kate O’Brien, lead singer and front woman of the band. “We realized we had a really unique sound and hope to make a career of it, and have some fun,” bassist Lance Martin added.

And it appears fun is exactly what they’re having. Taking full advantage of the East Coast rock scene, all four members of My Little Radio survive on the “rush” of performing live – despite the fact that venues are limited. “It's frustrating because lots of rock clubs in Boston have been closing over the last several years. There aren't too many all ages venues so it's hard.” Martin told us.

Drummer Matt Fox knows all too well the difficulty of breaking the East Coast Scene: “[It’s] pretty hard. You only get three months or so of warm weather in Boston. Not to mention most clubs are twenty-one plus, so a lot of our fans get left out in the cold. Literally.”

This doesn’t seem to put off the fans however- guitarist Christian Hildalgo explained, “Our fans get all the credit, they’re all we have,” and indeed, they could be the reason for their huge success- wherever My Little Radio goes, so do a legion of high-spirited followers.

Part of this success could come down to front woman Kate O’Brien - standing out as a talented female in a male dominated genre, and proving us girls can rock just as hard as the boys; “I feel extremely confident fronting a band, I don't feel insecure about it. If anything I feel like it sets us apart from a lot of other bands and makes us unique. There are other women in rock that inspire me: Pat Benetar, Gwen Stefani and Agent M (Tsunami Bomb).”

The guys seem to like it too. “I grew up listening to Veruca Salt, Juliana Hatfield, and Portishead. I can't even imagine the rush Kate gets knowing that all eyes are on her,” Hidalgo commented. Even Fox is impressed by her confidence. “She makes me feel fat in comparison.”

The band benefits from a score of musical influences, from The Monkees to Slayer, Nirvana to Def Leppard, The Clash to CKY- this eclectic mix gave My Little Radio the sound they have today.

The Boston four seem destined for something big - with overseas ambitions and the motto that “bigger is better,” we’re sure to see much more of the pop-punk quartet in the future. But when all the rock chaos ends, the twenty-somethings become normal Americans again, enjoying the cinema, video games, and Boston’s nightlife. However, “I feel unproductive if I’m not working on something,” O’Brien added, and confessed she spent her free time practicing and writing songs.

Watch this space folks- My Little Radio are a rock explosion waiting to happen.



- Sound the Sirens

When My Little Radio first takes the stage, er, Oriental rug, at the Lizard Lounge, I’m a little skeptical. The bass player, Lance, is sporting a 5-string and those earrings that stretch out your earlobes, and while waiting for the rest of the band, the drummer, Matt, sits down and plays the drumming equivalent of guitar-noodling. But then they start to play, and all is good with the world. The star of this band is the guitarist, Christian, whose Les Paul-through-a-Marshall sound, all palm muting and overdrive, has a dead-on perfect sheen. He’s complemented well by singer Kate, who adds a necessary dollop of estrogen to the mix. Her unbelievably awkward stage presence does nothing but add to her charm. My Little Radio’s heavier moments remind me of Hum, and the softer ones of The Like, but only the good parts of those bands - The Noise