The Musical, based out of Kansas City, released their single “Sunshine Lover” on November 1.
The song itself feels like literal sunshine from the opening note; it calls back to bands of the 1960s like Buffalo Springfield and pre-1966 The Beatles - only if someone like Alanis Morisette was fronting those bands. “Sunshine Lover” is catchy modern folk-rock and would have fit in perfectly in time during ‘The Summer of Love.’
“Sunshine Lover” is available on the band’s Bandcamp (Sunshine Lover | The Musical) and YouTube with a visualizer done by Lisa Marie Evans (www.lisamarieart.com).
I spoke to Mikal Shapiro about the song and what’s next for the band.
LP: How did the band get started?
MS: The Musical burst out of the songwriting brains of our lead singer Mikal Shapiro. Our band's first two albums were named The Musical and The Musical II -- so when our fans started to refer to us as The Musical the "band," we stuck with it. Mikal's songwriting veers toward the theatrical with lots of vivid imagery and colorful characters. She also thinks every album of music could be considered a musical of sorts. It's a fun mental exercise.
LP: Who’s all in the band - what do you play and how did you join?
MS: Mikal Shapiro, she/they (lead vox, guitar); Chad Brothers, he/him (BGVs, guitar); Johnny Hamil he/him (bass); and Matt Richey he/him (drums).
I (Mikal) play a 50s silvertone hollow body electric guitar and sing lead.
LP: Who are your influences?
MS: My biggest influences as a songwriter are comic books, films and current events. As a musician, I like to fuse and subvert popular styles of music. Some of it is straight, most of it is queer. lol. I listen to pop, rock, jazz, blues, and folk music.
LP: Tell me about your newest single “Sunshine Lover.” What was the writing/recording process like?
MS: I wanted to write something that spoke to what was happening in the world right now but what came out sounded retro. I guess Bob Dylan was wrong and the times haven't changed. "Sunshine Lover" definitely pays homage to 60s/70s counterculture musicals like "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar." I enlisted local artist Beth Watts Nelson (Little Miss Dynamite, Notorious Chorus) to help me arrange the vocal harmonies. Then I had her and my friend Erika Noguera (owner of Doña Fina coffee) track the arrangements in the studio. I love their voices. They blend together like cupcake batter and definitely remind me of The Beatles, if the Beatles were D-I-Y and didn't have a budget.
LP: What’s next for the band?
MS: We recorded six songs while in the studio working on “Sunshine Lover.” Hoping to release each of them as singles over the next year! Does anyone make albums anymore?
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