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What's in a name?
Yet another Cyrus hits music scene with Metro Station
By Anita Overcash @anitaovercash
- DAvey Wilson
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HANK MONTANA?: Metro Station
Just take one look at the guys from Metro Station and you'll think you've got the emo-electro rockers with tight pants, chopped-up hair and piercings, figured out. A bunch of babies making music, you say? Well, that's partially right since other than 31-year-old Anthony Improgo and 26-year-old Blake Healy, the band is comprised of 19-year-olds Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus.
But, more importantly is the name Cyrus. It should sound familiar, if you're up to date on Disney's Hannah Montana -- the Miley Cyrus phenomenon and then there's also "Achey Breaky Heart" country star daddy Billie Ray Cyrus. That's right, Trace is a part of this famed family.
Mason Musso and Trace Cyrus even met because both had siblings on Hannah Montana. Oddly enough, their mothers arranged the meeting. After Musso and Cyrus joined forces and completed the band, they did what any new band does and created an official MySpace page.
"At first, we were working hard, adding people and trying to publicize the band and stuff. Then after that it just grew on its own and it kept getting faster and faster and bigger and bigger. It was a huge shock," says Blake Healy, who brings those dancey keyboard-synth sounds to the bands vibes. Before joining Metro Station he was in a band called Synthetic Joy. The young'uns of the band were working in malls -- Masso at a pretzel shop and Trace at a shoe store.
Despite the two more adult-aged members of Metro Station (not saying they act like adults), the group's self-titled, debut album is one after another of emo-electro sounds wrapped around a bunch of juvenile lyrics. Take for instance "Seventeen Forever," with its lyrics "We won't be seventeen forever, but we can get away with this tonight." There's also those lovey dovey teenage-style lyrics on "Kelsey" and a bit of sex appeal on "Shake It," and "Control." Lyrics from the former demand, "I'm coming down, bring me up. Take it off, let's just touch."
"Trace wrote a ton of lyrics when he was 17 and they kind of went through that period of finishing high school and figuring out what they were going to do with themselves," says Healy. "Early on, when we were writing and stuff we didn't know the band was going to take off. I was even writing, trying to think of myself, where I was at 17. So, a lot of its just about being young and trying to figure out what you're going to do next."
Well, I guess they figured that out. Having toured with popular rock bands like Cobra Starship, Motion City Soundtrack, Saves the Day and Panic at the Disco, Metro Station is currently on The Sound Track of Your Summer Tour, which features music acts The Maine, Good Charlotte and Boys Like Girls.
"Since last August we've been on tour almost straight, we've had a couple of weeks off here and there," says Healy. "This tour has definitely been the best tour that we've ever been on. We're like comfortable with touring now. Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls and The Maine are all cool. It's been a lot of fun."
Metro Station is heavily influenced by The Postal Service (for that electronic pop sound). Healy says, "After hearing them we all started getting into Depeche Mode, New Order and '80s synth-pop. Outside of the electronic stuff we like Blink 182 a lot."
When Healy talks about the bands fan base, I'm not surprised. "It's 14 [to] 18-year-olds mostly, but it's definitely not all Hannah Montana fans," he says with a laugh.
Whether the band wants to admit it or not, Disney star Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana helped them out. "Every now and then we hear something like 'We love your sister or we love your brother'," says Healy, who also says the band doesn't mind it. I guess the most important thing is that they have fans. Despite adults finding their music OK, lyrically, it just isn't quite up to par. But, the kids like 'em and that's all that matters.
Metro Station will play with Good Charlotte, Boys Like Girls and The Maine at Amos' Southend on Aug. 10. Tickets are $28 in advance and $30 the day of the show. The show is all ages.
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