Indie rockers THE MISSING FRETS have not one but three albums to date. Current demo work is in the works with new music to follow. With music underway and other projects also in the works, the band goes into great talks about all this vivid activity and more.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The concept of the band was inspired by songwriter, guitarist Shaun Lovell and materialized in 2013 with bassist Bindu Lovell. The energetic drummer Johnny Martin joined the band in 2016 after the duo relocated from South Africa making the East coast their home base. We are a collective of diverse backgrounds.
Shaun a former percussionist who whilst living in California during the early millennium had the fortune of performing with and learning from some of the best in the business. Thereafter he returned to his home town where he began playing with well known Durban artists and later transformed his skills into a Guitarist and Singer-Songwriter. In early 2012 Shaun found a new love in production and released his self produced, solo debut EP in 2013 called The Red Lemon Project. Shortly after the release of that EP the band The Missing Frets formed and began creating a new sound and entity in the music scene. The first members consisted of Shaun, Bindu and Roehann Sutherland.
Bindu, a former modern dance professional, adapted her sense of movement to sculpt the groove which formed the backbone of ‘The Missing Frets’. Roehann Sutherland joined the band on drums with his offbeat funky flair in early 2015 and the trio played locally around Durban, South Africa where they recorded and released their ‘Out of Africa’ EP. In September of 2016 Shaun and Bindu relocated to Philadelphia where they teamed up with local drummer Johnny Martin formally from Bastard Child, Generation X and Split Decision, who brought his solid, energetic and orchestrated style into the mix.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
We were sitting in our living room in South Africa early on after Bindu joined, throwing names around and well The Missing Frets came up and it kind of stuck.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
For the past four years we were based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where the music scene is quite diverse, from metal to folk, punk to jazz and everything in between. From our experience being an original band there is a huge network of venues that are dedicated to the original live music scene. Unfortunately some of those iconic venues had to shut down over the past year but hopefully they will reopen in the future. We are now based in Maryland and haven't quite tapped into the scene as of yet due to the pandemic. There are so many local bands that we dig in Philly and surrounding areas, The 1940’s, Black Cat Habitat, Presidential Top Knot, Andora, Brandi and The Bottom Shelf just to name a few.
4. How would you describe your style?
Our style is an Indie Roots Rock with chugging rhythms, chunky guitar riffs, that are evoked by South Africina roots. The sound is crafted together by metaphoric and thought provoking lyrics infusing an Alt, Indie, Blues, Africian Rockabilly sound.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We have released three albums to date. Two were self produced mainly in our living rooms, Out of Africa and Bodhi Tree. The latest album Pipe Dreams was our first debut studio album recorded and co produced with Cardinal Recordings. You can expect a vibrant and energetic live sound.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We are in the middle of laying down a few demos for a couple of new songs that are due out this Spring. Getting ready to track drums in a few weeks. We will be releasing singles every couple months rather than an album. To get in on it as it unfolds you can sign up for our email blast and we will keep you in the loop.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Currently, we don’t have a tour set hopefully in the future when the world opens up again. In the meantime, The Fret Duo is active streaming live shows. You can catch us on a couple of apps sharing our tunes, like Twitch, Limelight Music; which is a dedicated music platform, and YouTube.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
There are a lot of exciting new projects in the works that we are diving into currently. We are looking forward to getting back on stage in the future as a full band. Right now we are diving into writing and creating. Sharing the songs where we can. You can keep an eye out for new tunes throughout the year and music videos!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We can be found on all music streaming platforms, most notably Spotify. You can catch us performing live on streaming platforms, Limelight, YouTube and Twitch. You can go to our website or email us directly for merch themissingfrets@gmail.com
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Everyone takes something different when they hear the music. But I guess when listening for the first time and the first experience is usually the most memorable. Would like them to remember the energetic vibe with the lyrics weaving in and out of the guitar riffs like surfing a wave.
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