A Storm Is Brewing: My Son The Hurricane Blows Into Yellow Springs
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 at 11:37AM
Danno O’Shea, a self-described “off the boat Irishman from Canada” will bring his band, My Son The Hurricane to the Miami Valley this fall. The group, a hodge-podge of drums, horns and more, will play Peach’s in Yellow Springs. Fourteen members strong (yes, 14), the band is a mix of Parliament Funkadelic and Bruno Mars but decidedly unique. You need to see them live to get it.
“You know Parliament is a bit of a mess…but in the best way,” laughs O’Shea. “We’re definitely not as good as Bruno Mars on the choreography. We’re not too choreographed. It’s just how everyone is feeling it. It’s not stiff. We’re not into that. We have some basic steps and we let our guys interpret those.”
Beyond the dancing, My Son The Hurricane – or just Hurricane as O’Shea lovingly refers to his band – is a wall of sound.
“When I started Hurricane, I was always amazed at the bands that had the horns buried in the back,” explains O’Shea. “I thought they should be in the front. They deserve that light. I needed to find front people that wouldn’t get lost behind a wall of horns.”
In the end, O’Shea found two performers to fill that spot out front: singer Sylvie Kindree and emcee Jacob Bergsma.
The 14 piece brass band from Toronto/Niagara is making all sorts of waves in the States. It is often hard for Canadian musicians to get across the border to work in America. For My Son The Hurricane, that challenge is behind them and now it is full steam ahead.
“We had really only focused on Canada because it’s our home country… and for American musicians coming to Canada it’s quite easy. For Canadians coming to the United States, it’s exceptionally difficult to get in. So now that we’re in you can’t get rid of us!” laughs O’Shea. “We’re such a threat with our drums and our socialism.”
O’Shea admits being a little surprised with how fast his band has hit with American audiences. The band is already booking shows in America through 2019. This means an even bigger tour and new album.
Unlike most bands, My Son The Hurricane writes music in a very specific way: O’Shea and another member work on the songs. When it is time to record, each member gets a piece of sheet music to learn.
“We don’t jam songs,” admits O’Shea.
With so many musicians, a jam session could quickly become chaotic. Instead, the band has to manage time and be as efficient as possible. My Son The Hurricane will enter the studio in November and release a new album by May. The album will come out on the band’s own label, which is also managed by O’Shea.
To create connections with far away fans, My Son The Hurricane “introduces” a musician or crew member each Monday via their Facebook page. This way, everyone gets a chance to be in the limelight and fans feel like they are seeing a familiar face on stage when it is time to rock out for a live gig.
“There’s so many people behind the scenes that make thigs tick – we want them to get their due too. I also feel like for someone like the trombone player… well, he might not get as much love. It’s good they can have a moment where we show them off,” O’Shea explains of the band’s social strategy. As for O’Shea himself, he likes being buried in the back during shows.
When he isn’t writing music or playing drums in the back, O’Shea is hustling gigs for the band.
“You need someone who embraces the business side of music. It’s tough and slimy and you have to be unemotional.”
So why should you spend an evening with a funk band you’ve probably never heard of before? For the fun of it, of course.
“At our American shows, we say don’t buy the line that we should be divided,” laments O’Shea. “We’re all much more alike than people think.”
To make a connection with My Son The Hurricane, see them live at Peach’s Grill in Yellow Springs (101 U.S. 68) on Saturday, September 29. The show begins at 10 p.m. and there is no cost to attend. For more information, look up My Son The Hurricane on Facebook or visit https://www.msthofficial.com/.
Reader Comments (3)