The Deaf Poets
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The Deaf Poets

Miami Beach, Florida, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF

Miami Beach, Florida, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2010
Duo Rock Garage Rock

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Music

Press


"Best Local Musicians In Miami"

Deaf Poets is a Miami duo – Sean Wouters and Nicolas Espinosa. Wouters is the guitarist and vocalist with Espinosa on the drums. Their sound is self-described as garage-band rock mixed with 80′s punk, and they credit acts such as Elvis Costello to Nirvana to Chuck Berry to Jimi Hendrix as influences for their music. When watching Deaf Poets perform, you’ll notice that these two guys have the on-stage energy of a much larger band. On the local Miami music scene, Deaf Poets is gaining popularity quickly. Their first single, “All Your Lies,” received 1,300 plays in less than 24 hours. And, they have only been playing together for a year now. If they stay the course, they could continue to evolve as some of the best local musicians in Miami. - CBS Miami


"10 Bands Out Of South Florida You Should Listen To Now"

This bluesy duo balances the crunch of bands like the Black Keys and White Stripes and sun-soaked inspiration from Miami’s locale. Though they only formed in 2009, their live sets have already attracted enough of a following to get them aboard the Bruise Cruise this month with Fucked Up, The Oh Sees, The Soft Pack and the aforementioned Jacuzzi Boys. Look out for the Deaf Poets this April when they’ll release their first 7” vinyl single. - Paste Magazine


"New Times-Best Band Miami 2014 - Deaf Poets"

In a city dominated by hip-hop and EDM, it's tough for a band to cut through all the noise — even when it's rocking out at 11 with buzzing guitars and hard-hitting drumming. Truth is, it takes songwriting chops and an engaging live show to snag the Magic City's attention, no matter how loud you crank the amps. Duo Sean Wouters and Nicolas Espinosa have hit on the perfect combination of aggression and craft. Wouters, a Miami Beach native, and Espinosa, an Argentine who moved to Miami as a kid, met in elementary school and have spent years finding a musical groove together. Since 2009, they've played as Deaf Poets, bringing together garage rock and grunge for an oddly '90s yet contemporary sound. The pair just wrapped up a small U.S. tour around the South and parts of the Midwest to celebrate the release of their debut full-length, 4150, an album featuring plenty of indie-rock goodness in cuts such as "Can't Breathe" and "This Pain." And with smaller indie labels always eying South Florida for the next big thing (see Surfer Blood and Jacuzzi Boys), it's only a matter of time before someone picks up these guys. This is exactly the kind of racket that's worth tuning out the DJ. - Miami New Times


"Nico Espinosa Of Deaf Poets"

Hello, MD! I’m Nico Espinosa, drummer for Miami-based indie-rock band the Deaf Poets. I am originally from Entre Rios, Argentina, but Miami has been my home for the last thirteen years.

Drumming has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. I can still recall the days I’d spend walking around my grandparents’ house hitting anything that resembled a drum. When I turned five, my mom enrolled me in piano lessons, but most of my days were spent sneaking into the drum room. At the age of nine, a year before coming to the states, I received my first pair of drumsticks. They were a generic brand with nylon tips. Unfortunately, these sticks were not built to last, so Crazy Glue became a regularly used remedy. For my twelfth birthday, my mother surprised me with a Sound Percussion four-piece kit. That drumset held its ground for about six years. It was equipped with a 20″ Solar ride and 14″ Pearl hi-hats. Live gigs were always an experience because my less than perfect setup would give out on me quite often.

The basics of my drumming skills were learned and honed in high school. I became involved in extra-curricular activities, such as winter drum line, drum corps, and jazz band. With the influence of idols like Mitch Mitchell and Stewart Copeland, I became a rudimental-based drummer, spending hours on end with my instructor Kevin John Simon working on marching snare technique in both traditional and matched grip.

My technique was perfected with the help of Noah Bellamy, a winter drum line instructor and band director who was able to provide me with the tools that I needed to improve consistently. In my junior year, a donation of drums was given to our school, and this is how I obtained the sets I use today.

My session kit for recording is a mixture of Ludwig, including a ’70s 26″ bass drum. I use 12″, 16″, and 18″ toms and a 14″ bronze snare. These drums were made for a deep tone and are built for heavy drumming. The 26″ bass drum helps to fill out our sound. I use a Remo Powerstroke 4 for my bass drum, and I alternate between Powerstroke 3 and Pinstripes for the toms.

For live performances, I use a four-piece Remo set. This set is extremely unique and versatile. It’s very lightweight, which makes traveling from gig to gig reasonably easy. It has strong low-end sounds. I like a dark and low tone when it comes to cymbals. And long sustainability is one of the main features I look for, which is why I went with the Zildjian A series—a 20″ A Custom, a 24″ A Medium ride, and 14″ A hi-hats.

Deaf Poets has been my project for the past three years with my childhood friend, guitarist Sean Wouters. We’ve been playing music together for many years, long before Deaf Poets was formed. Our music is a mixture of garage rock, blues, and folk. Being part of the band has really opened up the door for me to play freely. While playing drums, I’m always conscious of the songwriting and focus on complementing Sean’s work and making sure things mesh well between us. It’s never about individual merit but rather what you can bring to the table as a whole.

One of my favorite songs to perform is “This Pain.” It’s a crowd favorite, due to its fast speed and energetic drumming. The guitar keeps a simple one-chord progression while I fill in the sound with a tom and snare pattern. The drum part is rhythmic and syncopated and complements the song.

We’re currently planning our first US tour, and I’m very excited about it. It is quite an expensive undertaking at this point in our progression, so we are seeking help from our fans, friends, and family by launching a Kickstarter project at the end of September (visit www.kickstarter.com and search “Deaf Poets tour”).



For more on Nico Espinosa, visit www.deafpoetsband.com, www.facebook.com/deafpoets, and https://soundcloud.com/deafpoets/sets/modern-drummer. - Modern Drummer


"Exclusive Queen II Feature"

This month we're featured on Classic Rock Magazines compilation CD. Its full of great new rock bands & we couldn't be anymore honored to have a spot this issue. Thank you Ken McIntyre for the opportunity

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152275366885883&set=a.366253035882.207634.299589460882&type=1&theater - Classic Rock Magazine


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

The Miami Beach duo consists of Sean Wouters and Nicolas Espinosa. Their music has the starkness of garage rock combined with the eagerness of ’80s punk, and some bluesy melancholy mixed in for good measure. 

Band Members