Power Pirate, DCs Youngest Electronic Rock Band, Sacrifices Family Life for Completion of Debut Album
Press Release for Immediate Release
March 21, 2010
Contact: Sarah Massey, 202 445-1169
Power Pirate, DCs Youngest Electronic Rock Band, Sacrifices Family Life for Completion of Debut Album
[Washington, DC] — Power Pirate, DC’s youngest electronic rock band, is releasing its debut album titled Plane Ticket on April 10 at the U Street Music Hall. The three-piece group, all between the ages of 15 and 17, wrote, recorded, produced, and designed the art for the 11-track album themselves.
Power Pirate’s first record depicts the difficulty of family separation, and having to choose between pursuing a dream and a family life. Emily, the lead singer and guitarist, gave up living with her family in order to complete Plane Ticket. Her dad had to take a job in Brussels, Belgium, and moved there from DC in August, 2009 with her older brother. In the song “Night Drive,” she shares her personal reaction to the separation:
…The headlights hurt my burning my eyes.
They won’t be coming back this way again.
We’ve lost them. There’s no going back…
The cover of the album, a picture of a young girl succumbed by the powerful scenery of the sun setting behind the Washington Monument, emphasizes DC’s importance to Emily and the rest of the band. The three grew up in the DC area, and are keen on being a part of the DC music scene.
Power Pirate is a three-piece electronic rock band from Washington, DC formed in the fall of 2007 by Emily Pakulski (vocals & guitar), Michael Garate (keyboards), and Annika Monari (drums). The three met when Annika and Emily hosted an informal session to meet new musicians. Among them was Mike, who stayed with them with the goal of creating original music that fuses innovation and traditional musical theory.
The band is determined to employ a D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) philosophy by recording and producing their music at home, which is available on iTunes, as well as doing all the graphic design, photography, promotion, and booking themselves. The members make a strong effort to spread their spirit of self-help to other artists.
Since their formation two years ago, Power Pirate has found its place in the DC/MD/VA music scene through catchy melodies and complex instrumentation. The group has played at popular local venues such as the Black Cat, the DC9 Nightclub, the Rock and Roll Hotel, the Fort Reno summer concert series, and many more. Inspired by modern artists such as Muse, Infected Mushroom, and Daft Punk, this trio fuses 80s-styled techno synths with hard-rock drum beats and guitar riffs to create the new, uncategorized genre unique to Power Pirate.
The band won third place overall in the finals of a national teen battle of the bands in Anaheim, CA in January. Over 200 bands from all over the country were narrowed down to 10 finalists for a live battle of the bands at the 2010 NAMM show. Emily earned ‘best guitarist’ and received a new guitar, while Mike also took home top honors in his instrument and was presented with a new keyboard. As medalists, $1000 in grants were distributed between the band members’ high school music programs to spend on new music equipment.
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To get a preview of the album for reviews, please contact Sarah at Sarah@massey-media.com
