Myrtle Ave.

about

“Exit Weekly” 9.20.06 By Amy Kuperinsky Myrtle Ave. is on a mission to bring "something fresh" to Jersey with each house party and gig. The band wanted to "do whatever we could to change the music scene because it was getting really stale," said Evan Vellis, bassist. "It seems like it's just kind of stagnating right now. Emo music never got questioned - it's what's available." The four guys from Butler were raised on 311 and Sublime, and want to bring the sound of the glory days of hip-hop and reggae-infused rock back. "I was a hip-hop head my whole life," said lead vocalist Mike Kennedy, 19, better known as "Hoops." He grew up listening to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, A Tribe Called Quest, later on gravitating towards 311, Sublime and Slightly Stoopid. "We're pretty much like a party band," said Kennedy. "I think we have the best advantage in Jersey right now, everything's emo. At a party, no one wants to put on a Hawthorne Heights record and jam out." The band recorded its debut album "Jersey's Finest" in Dover. With its varied influences, including 19-year-old guitarist Jordan Halliday's beginnings in a punk band and Kennedy's self-professed role as a rapper, Myrtle Ave. maintains it's all about a happy mingling conducive to jamming. "Hoops is all about hip-hop and he gives that vibe, Jordan gives the reggae vibe, it's everyone's influences put into one on stage," said drummer Mike Bellew, 19. And it's that fusion sound that's catching the interest of some bigger nam

top songs

albums

similar artists