HAILED as an "extremely talented" new musical group by island production executives, Mohawk Radio is a relatively new band that has a rock-n-roll vibe with strong Bermudian roots. Making their headlining debut at this year's International Rugby Classic, the six-member band is making a splash on Bermuda's music scene to rave reviews of their repertoire of original songs and classic cover tunes. Mia Page Chambray, the band's lead vocalist sat down with Mid-Ocean News reporter Lindsay Kelly to chat about the band's very Bermudian name, their musical influences and what's in store for the group.

Q: Mohawk Radio is a very catchy name, what does it mean?

A.: Since I work at Barritts it was only natural for me to want to see Bruce Barritt and Fred Barritt performing in their comedy routine "Not the Um Um Show". The Not the Um Um players is an extremely successful comedy group that has spanned more than 20 years and, most recently, sold out all of the tickets to their show for the Bermuda Festival in record time! One night my mom popped in the group's "Best of 1984-2004" DVD and while watching one of their skits - "Mohawk Radio…the Sounds of St. David's" - the name really struck a chord with me. I think it is a great name for a band, not only because it sounds very rock n' roll, but it also has Bermudian ties to it, which makes it that much better!

Q.: Describe the band's sound - what would you liken it to?

A. That is always a difficult question to answer because what sounds one way to us could sound completely different to other individuals. Our sound has an alternative rock influence, along with jazz and blues. We have a mainstream feel for some sections of songs, and more progressive in others. We play what feels good, so if the track is fun and interesting it becomes one of our regulars.

Q. Who are the members of the band?

A. Kieran Bradshaw (guitar), Ryan Prevost (guitar), Jon Armstrong (organ/keys), Melvin Martin (drums), myself on vocals and David Doar is our sound engineer.

Q. How did you meet each other?

A. Ryan, Kieran and I have known each other for quite some time. I met Jon, and knew that he was super talented. After contacting him through Facebook, we met for coffee and I sweetly talked him into coming and playing with the band. Jon and Melvin have known each other for years. Melvin just got back from sailing around the world and David has been in the business for years...the rest, as they say, is history.

Q. Who are your musical influences?

A. There is no easy way to state just one artist as an influence, as we listen to such a wide range of musicians. Brit-rock and North American alternative to southern blues and island jams, even classical music has a place in influencing our material. We are definitely not a one-stop shop.

Q. Is all the song you play original music?

A. We have many original songs, but we also cover a large array of popular music in order to reach to all ages of the Bermudian market. Performing cover songs allows us to introduce our original music to the public. In the island's market you need to perform cover material, especially as a new band.

We haven't been around for very long, and so in order to get our name well known within the local market we need to be able to play a wide range of material so that we can entertain everyone at the various events that Bermuda hosts throughout the year. This also allows us to preview our original material to the audiences before we record them.

Q. How many original songs do you have completed?

A. Currently we have ten original songs that have been completed, and another 15 in the works. Ryan, Kieran, and Jon are working on their own original material at home to bring to the band so that we can collaborate on the music and make it "Mohawk".

Q. Does everyone contribute to develop new material?

A. Each member contributes to each of our songs, and writes their own personal material to present. Ryan has written more of our current original live material, but each band member has contributed their own personal style to the songs, which make the songs specific to Mohawk Radio. We all get along really well, and can creatively feed off each other's energy. With everyone's personal musical background and experience we are able to write and compose rather quickly.

Q. Where do you record?

A. Mohawk Radio has been demo'ing our material in our personal home studio before starting to record in a more professional setting. Ryan has been producing and mixing the tracks, but is working with David Doar to build a professional recording studio that will allow the band to record more efficiently in the future. There is far too much music within our band to really rely on anyone else. Our own sound is quite different from other local Bermudian acts, and so we are quite focused on keeping our original feel intact. Once the studio is complete we are excited to share our capabilities with other Bermudian bands and record material for the island's talent. We would really like to thank MIX 106.1 for playing our song "Nobady's Fool" daily on the station. Having the support of the local media means so much to us.

Q. What is your singing background?

A. This is a fun question. I started to sing in the bathtub when I was very little, that was the early stages of my singing career! When I was in high school, my parents often played the recordings of these bath time performances in front of my friends, which was torture.

My father is a vocalist and musician and so is my brother. All my life my mother encouraged me to sing and is always there to support all of my endeavors no matter how big or small. I have been in a number of Gilbert & Sullivan Shows and school performances. To be honest, it was only in the past year that I really started to sing in front of people. So it's been scary and awesome all at the same time.

Q. Do you sing every song that the band performs?

A. I do sing almost every song. But Kieran, Ryan, and Jon also have great singing voices. I am so thankful to be able to perform with these guys and to call them my friends.

Q. Your first headlining "gig" was just last month, how did it go?

A. Our first gig was the opening night of the Rugby Classic on Bermudiana Road in Hamilton. It was AMAZING! The crowd was fantastic. And, even though we rocked so hard the power went out, we got it back up and running and were able to finish the night. And one night we opened for the Canadian band Lucky 13 that performed at tournament. It was so much fun.

Q. Is this all your full-time jobs or do you do this when you can?

A. Mohawk Radio is a fairly new band on the scene, so as we work towards building our name and visibility, we all work during the day "in the real world". We all had our own careers before we got together and began to perform and write.

Q. What is your hope for the band?

A. We want to create the best possible music we can, and share it with people all over the world. The feeling you get when people appreciate your art is very rewarding. If we write something that touches an individual, and they understand what we are doing, then that to me is success.

Q. Where is Mohawk Radio playing next?

A. We will be competing at the Battle of the Bands at Docksiders on December 19. So if people want to hear some awesome live music performed by people you know then come on down!

To find out more information about the band and dates for upcoming concerts, Mohawk Radio invites people to become members of their Facebook page or to email miachambraygmail.com. Their MySpace page can be accessed by visiting www.myspace.com/mohawkradiobda