Guitarist and Keyboardist Win Top Honors, High Schools to Receive $1,000

Press Release: January 19, 2010
Contact Sarah Massey, 202 445 1169

Washington, DC - Power Pirate, the District’s youngest electronic rock band, won third place overall in the finals of a national teen battle of the bands in Anaheim, CA on Saturday, January 16th. Over 200 bands from all over the country were narrowed down to 10 finalists for a live battle of the bands.

Emily Pakulski (vocals & guitar)

“We’re thrilled by how our performance in Anaheim went, and are glad to be home in DC to continue our progress as a band,” says Annika Monari, the band’s cheerful drummer.

The band’s 15 year old singer and guitarist, Emily Pakulski, earned ‘best guitarist’ and received a new guitar, while Power Pirate’s 17 year old keyboardist, Mike Garate, also took home top honors in his instrument and was presented with a new keyboard. As medalists, $1000 in grants will be distributed between the band members’ high school music programs to spend on new music equipment.

The finals took place at the winter NAMM Show, where music equipment merchants, industry professionals, and professional musicians come together every year to see the new products to be released for the new year. Power Pirate was the only band at the California finals representing DC.

At 15, 16, and 17 years old, the teen band is already accomplished. A December show at DC’s popular Black Cat drew a crowd of nearly 100 fans. Power Pirate also recently released a single titled “And We’re Off” from their upcoming home-recorded album.

Since their formation in 2007, the band has worked hard to cultivate its sound into a rich fusion of ‘80s synths and hard rock rhythms, and cites modern artists such as Muse, Silversun Pickups, and Infected Mushroom as major influences.

Power Pirate will be playing a free entry show (21+) at the Velvet Lounge on Monday, February 8th. Doors open at 7:30 PM.

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Biography:
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 Fort Reno summer concert series, the Santa Fe Cafe, 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, un-categorized genre unique to Power Pirate.

About NAMM
NAMM is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the international musical instruments and products industry. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).