Straight from Puerto Rico, rock ‘n’ roll has taken on a new child cradled in its upbeat style: Message to Venus.
Jandre Nadal, vocals and guitar; Edgar Ramos, bass; JuanMa Font, drums; and John Feliciano, guitar, united in 2009 to create another rock band — but with a little soul and a lot of cohesive melding of talent.
The group’s single “Universal You” was one of 18 videos on the YouTube channel, but it struck me as a good indication of where the band is headed. For an unsigned band, even the music video was decent. What really struck me, aside from how smoothly both guitars played together, was the drumming, which really stood out as an intricate contribution to the rock sound. Although, I am a sucker for good drumming.
“Message to Venus band members have been influenced by musical greats such as Deftones, Depeche Mode, Dream Theater, Tool, STP and many others,” said Lani Niemeier, manager of the official street team for Message to Venus.
In March 2010, their first single “Cold & Grey” put the newly assimilated band on the map. After their first EP was released in February 2011, the band used its rock vision to create the new Message to Venus album, “Victims & Villains,” which will be released later this year.
Along with fellow rockers Dead Fish Handshake, Message to Venus has embarked on its first tour in the U.S. They are currently No. 1 on ReverbNation for Miami rock.
And now they’re making their way to Gainesville.
It’s easy to see by the music video for their song “Change” that the group not only plays well together but has as much fun on stage as people in the audience do. At Backstage Lounge at 8 p.m. June 21, see for yourself.
The Puerto Rican natives of budding rock band Message to Venus will embark on a tour across the U.S. which will include Gainesville.
