Keyhole

By Julie Garisto
Published February 22, 2008

Rock-smiths: Corey Huntington Wade, vocals, keyboards, piano and programming; Mikal Moses, guitars, keyboards, programming and backup vocals; Jeff Gillham, drums; and Tom Lorenz, bass.

CD: The Doorway, 2007, Deadbolt Records

In the beginning: "Keyhole's original inception was as a studio project between myself and Mikal," Wade says. "We're studio geeks and we really wanted to nail down our 'sound', direction and most importantly, to have really solid songs. So we put together the actual live band after the fact. Our drummer, Gillham, joined up toward the end of our recording process for The Doorway and we brought on Tom after the CD was already in the can."

Moses: "Our first actual show as a full band was at the Brass Mug in October of 2007. We got a good response from the audience immediately."

Dark shadows: "While I wouldn't say it's a concept album, there is a theme of darkness, sadness and unrequited love lyrically and musically throughout," Wade explains. "These were themes I was personally interested in at the time of the recording. So while we had other songs that were more upbeat or even downright humorous in some cases, when it came down to narrowing down the tracks for the CD we had to stick with songs that would work in the context of the album. ... As far as not running into clichs with 'darker' music, I think as long as it's coming from a real place that there's no danger of that. We've all been through tough times - I think everyone can relate. It doesn't mean we can't bust out with our 'lighter, happier' side, either, and I think that's important to say. We don't want to become caricatures like so many 'dark' bands."

Creative process: "We spent a lot of time discussing the direction of the album and the flow of the songs," Wade says.

Moses: "Many late-night sessions with Mountain Dew, mixing away. Communication is the key."

Timelessness is also key: "I definitely respect Evanescence musically and as songwriters," Wade says. "Pianos, synths and orchestration are featured prominently in our arrangements, and yeah, we mix elements of Goth/industrial into an alternative rock format, but I think that's where the comparison ends. We're really influenced by more experimental bands like Pink Floyd, A Perfect Circle and VAST than by most of the scene bands, i.e. Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, etc."

Venues they play: Boomerz, recently. "We just played a show there with KLIK & Surviving the Siren and they were all really cool," Wade says.

Hear 'em: At Florida Freak Fest, Saturday at Club Bourbon Street, 4331 U.S. 19, New Port Richey. The all-day, all-night event features a long list of local bands and other "crazy" entertainment, according to Wade. www.clubbourbonstreet.com

[Last modified February 19, 2008, 17:11:07]