Welcome back to the 1960s. Miami finally has an old-school band worthy enough to blend the impeccable tunes from the psychedelic era with modern music.
The positively archaic group, On A Square, features the quirky pop tunes sung by The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Although these melodies reside outside of today’s popular music scene—which is mostly dominated by rock and technological beats—On A Square makes the outcasts that much cooler.
The Miami triplet consists of lead singer and guitarist Aneil Maharaj, pianist Andres Ramos and drummer Brandon Fulton. Their musical influences are, not surprisingly, The Beatles and The Beach Boys, but also jam bands and Broadway plays.
Ramos describes the band’s influences as “anything that is melodic.”
Maharaj’s tender, lighthearted vocals blend ideally with the bouncy, upbeat sounds of the instruments. The harmonizing voices of the members make each track more groovy.
One of their tracks, “Forgotten Melody,” which can be found on their Myspace page, displays the band’s ability to create a song that, at first listen, appears to be simply fun, but underneath it has intricate jingles and perfectly tuned harmonies.
“They haven’t given into the idea of conforming…They stay true to what they want to do as musicians,” said junior Lindsey Stahley.
On A Square is not interested in making the repetitive music that is heard too often on the radio. Rather, they create tracks that tell a multi-faceted story.
“We have been great at not scoring a hit,” Ramos joked.
The band stays clear of creating the typical pattern of modern music that follows the order of verse-chorus-verse. With catchy licks and unique song structure, On a Square cracks the musical mold of Miami.
“People will be happy to receive a breath of fresh air,” Ramos said.
If You Go
Who: On a Square
Where: Buck 15
When: Sunday, Oct. 11 8:30 p.m.
Cost: FREE