Ok, boys and girls, I have found you a hard rock/metal band that’s hot, sexy, and driven to be one of the best…but we all know we like our edgy heroes to have a sweet spot..so how about one of the bands hoping to make the Pittsburgh scene a more positive place, too? If you want all that and a band who’s bios can read like a monster truck advert – keep reading. Winter’s Decent is: Jerry Mulligan, Paul Lucas, John Peluso, Anthony Kahl and Rob Johnston and I’m not getting too far into the influences….they all brought something to the table with that one and to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised at anything you find there. Collectively those five men create a hard hitting, edgy music that gets the crowd moving and screaming….trust me on that, the crowd at Mr. Small’s Funhouse could not contain themselves while these guys were on stage. Off stage lead singer, Jerry Mulligan, seems like a sweet guy, honestly the guy you ladies would have certainly had a crush on in high school and all the guys wanted to party with. Well spoken, intelligent and business minded he’s the boy next door, just a little more grown up. On stage his alto vocals swing between sweet melodies and screams of anguish or rage, “Metal face” and veins included! In between songs his fun interactions set the audience up to be amazed by his quick switch to his hard core persona with dark smiles and piercing eyes. His high energy performance may be tough for most to handle but the rest of the band has that same energetic spirit and dive into the music like it’s taken control of them. You can see the sweet release on their faces as each gives their everything to what they have created. Though difficult to do, they have found a unique sound for themselves and shaped a band that, with the addition of new lead guitarist Anthony, feels well rounded and balanced. Not quite veterans, but certainly not beginners they are at a point of “In between” that allows the experience of the band members to shine but still gives so much for the possible future of the band. Currently working on a new album they are careful to create music that doesn’t so much follow the industry but is crafted to resonate from inside of themselves, and into their audience’s core. Personally, I think they’ve found their groove for that. As I wandered the crowd to get pictures I saw men and women in an almost trance like state, eyes wide and full of different emotions, small smiles at the corners of each mouth, moving to the music individually but creating a living entity filling the area in front of the stage. I love when music hits the crowd in a way that they are feeding energy to the band as much as the band is giving to them. It’s not just the music that makes me think you will be hearing so much more from them, it’s also the driven attitude to do more. They are not just happy to accept being a band you will hear of every so often. They have a plan, they have an intensity that can’t be hidden and they are hungry for more of this life. They have been around long enough to watch the ego-driven musicians come and go while a new breed of positive and supportive musician took their place, and they are ever grateful for the rebirth of the Pittsburgh scene because they do not consider themselves rock stars…they are a family in music. Brothers brought together by their love, ability and craft. They feel they finally have the right mix and they look forward to having more shows like the Hard Rock Showcase at Mr’ Small’s Funhouse. They are the anti-hero’s – the misfits and miscreants bonded to each other and the music community by the shared need to bring music to the masses and caught up in the new movement to bring the scene to the highest level it can go. They love what they do and they see themselves as part of a brotherhood of musicians hoping to lead the way to positive promotion of everyone involved. Their message to all of you?
“We’d like to thank all of our supporters. Everyone who comes to our shows, buys our music, and gives a reason to keep on doing what we love. We want to thank all of our friends in other projects who have shown us so much love and worked hard with us to achieve our shared goals. And we also want to show respect to all our fellow musicians and local artists who are working their asses off everyday and putting themselves out there to share their art with the world. Whether we know you personally or not. Keep doing what you love. Because what you do is important.”
So, make sure you check out one of the latest & greatest Pittsburgh has to offer.
www.facebook.com/wintersdescent/
Keep an eye out folks, these guys plan to hit Pittsburgh hard in 2017 and if you don’t find out about them now, you’ll be missing out on something amazing!
