By Roberto Ruiz
Bands are a dime a dozen. If you are willing to look closer, though, integrity is what separates those that love music from those that love fame. The bands that possess integrity in their music, in their lyrics, those are the bands worth following.
Familiar Looking Strangers, a band from Liverpool, England, opened for Journey at the BMO Harris Pavilion in the Summerfest grounds on September 3rd. After being based in Milwaukee for the summer as they tour around the country, they can all agree on one thing: Milwaukee has produced the most memorable shows. A standing ovation at the Riverside Theater when they were opening for Sheryl Crow last December left a good impression, and they were excited for the upcoming show. Vocalist Vinny McPoland made clear that opening for Journey was something their band simply could not turn down, stating: “When Journey asks you to be their opener, you say yes!”
Fellow band members, Ben Gorry and Jon Goldby, the drummer and bassist, combined to mention “Milwaukee is our favorite city to play in, so being able to play at the Summerfest grounds again was fun.” After receiving an 8-9pm time slot during the most recent Summerfest music festival, they hope to be able to perform on a Friday night next year; they just need the big stage experience.
Either way, they have come a long way from Liverpool, or in guitarist Carlos Lopez’s case, Madrid, Spain. Carlos decided to pack up and drive to England one day six and a half years ago, in search of a band. While perusing the local ads, he noticed a band in need of a drummer. With a guitar in one hand and a penny for a pick, Carlos went to the audition undeterred and won over his fellow band members. The band was still short a drummer, but Ben would arrive at a later date. Throw in a second guitarist in Paul Baker and you have yourself a band.
As we sit around the table, I prod them with pointed questions and quickly come to the realization that this is a cohesive bunch. Paul mentions that “[They] have to rely on one another, because out here we are family.” Out here they are chasing their dreams, but there is no consolation prize if they fail. They have to be all in. “There are times where I have to rally, even if I don’t want to, because the other four guys need me to,” said Vinny as the others nodded in agreement.
Familiar Looking Strangers hasn’t been around for long, but they plan on sticking around for a long time. They have made the necessary sacrifices to commit themselves to living their dream. They would all love to play their songs in front of huge crowds for the rest of their lives, but they want to do it their way. I go back to the word Vinny used early on in the interview “Integrity.” Integrity is what separates the bands from the blokes, and when I asked if they would play a different style of music if I promised them millions of dollars, the answer was unequivocally: No.
One rack of ribs, two veggie burgers, a barbeque burger, and an order of fish and chips later, they start talking about tomorrow’s rehearsal. “Don’t stop believing” is thrown around as an inspirational quote a few times, with the poorly veiled insinuation that the most recent concert was huge for their band. It was.
If you would like to follow Familiar Looking Strangers you can at www.familiarlookingstrangers.com.
