Miz Metro

Miz Metro
What do you get when you mix ska, '50's funk, R&B and a touch of eclectic madness? Package it into a live eight-man band with a pin-up girl for a frontwoman, and you have the firebrand known as Miz Metro. Earning her way through the live music circuit with performances that range from high-energy anthems to laid-back grooves, Miz Metro and company picked up a reputation for rocking all kinds of crowds. And with her new album, Unlimited, taking the crew to the next level, variety may prove to be the spice of life.
-MC - The Source Magazine

Miz Metro and the Make-Believes
Frank's Lounge

"Taking the Express to Past, Present, and Future"
by Lauren Sison

Lately, the music industry has been overrun with prepubescent child actors who switch between their Mickey Mouse ears and their $500 designer mini skirts. Whether or not any of these kids (and I do mean kids) have any talent is up for serious debate. What isn't confusing is the cookie cutter, bubblegum style pop with which they spout less than cultured lyrics. Gone seem to be the days where we listened to music that not only made us feel good, but also made us connect to ourselves and each other. Enter Miz Metro. Pay attention, you're now reading about New York City music's new queen.

Walking into Frank's Cocktail Lounge in Brooklyn for the Nu-Soul Series night last Saturday, I thought maybe I was in the wrong place. Though not a townie bar, it seemed a little too chill for a rock show. Dim candles lit cozy tables in a long thin room that ends in an unexpected mini stage with dripping twinkle lights. A group in the corner sat relaxing, joking, awaiting the crowd. A leggy brunette with knee-high boots and her hair piled on her head bustled around, directing traffic on stage as band members set up equipment. There was no way to label her style of dress, no signature look as seen in stores or magazines.

The same can be said of Laura O'Reilly aka Miz Metro's music. With a voice somewhere between Fiona Apple and Gwen Stefani (if either lived in the 40s), and inspiration from Etta James to Lauren Hill, Miz Metro is strikingly retro, modern, and something completely new all at once. As the band did sound check, I realized how full a sound I was about to experience. Miz Metro's band, the Makebelieves, consists of Allan Mednard on drums, Sean Lewis on bass, Matt Meade on Guitar, Henry Jeria on keyboard, as well as Alex Violette on sax and Robert Ball on Trombone. Including brass into the band enriches the melting pot of Miz Metro's sound, filling out the rock, funk, soul and reggae with jazz, blues, and ska.

After an intimate performance by Tim Dillinger and company, a NYC singer known for his four octave range, patrons were reminded that they had quite a show yet to come by enthusiastic MC Fiona B. So many independent artists have trouble finding their way from the studio and rehearsal room to the stage without looking a bit like a deer in headlights. Miz Metro, all sass and stage presence, matches any 10 year veteran of the industry, exceeding most in professionalism. Not even a few minor technical issues seemed to trip up her smooth performance. Miz Metro and the Makebelieves kicked off with “Who's That Girl?” using the call and response tradition common in hip hop along with a high energy ska beat.

There is no question that she feels her music heart and soul. Anyone can wail out a tune, but a true artist believes in their own lyrics and what they have to say. Some songs such as “Love is a Show” are personal, alluding to a lover who tried to convince her they were in a casual relationship but “don't think I don't know that love is a show/ and I'm playing the fool/ don't think I don't know that my love is a show/ 'cause I play it for you.” This jazzy blues tune also includes a rap section, performed by Crosby. But do not mistake Miz Metro for one of those singers whose main subject is love and relationships. Many songs like “T.V. Land” bring up social issues, tellings us “everyone wants to be on T.V./ but nobody's dealing with reality,” “instant gratification is all that we want” and “our freedom of speech is being taken away/ we better start playing instead of getting played.” Saturday night's performance also included the introduction of a whole new song never done in public before called “Lunar Eclipse,” a psychedelic song exhibiting more of Miz Metro's songwriting range. Quick and witty, this songstress never stops pushing herself to create and recreate.

The band itself is a well of talent as well. Her voice and their music blend and move together. A great show is always best when all those participating are of one mind, and that one mind was all about knocking the socks off anyone in ear shot. Saxophonist Alex Violette in particular impressed all present with his bold jazzy improv. Each band member got a chance to show off in their one cover of the night, “Summertime,” which was a perfect choice for O'Reilly's vocal abilities and she really brought the Miz Metro style into it. There really needs no other words than her own that night, “It's completely me, and I'm everything.”

You can't choose just one aspect to commend her on, be it the well developed lyrics, her mature sound and voice, or the way she and her band are able to play with rhythm and beats like no one I've ever heard. You can compare her to Gwen Stefani or Amy Winehouse, but really she is the next step on the evolution of not just female musicians, but music as a whole. And w - www.BeBrazen.org

AUGUST 17, 2008 | MEHANATA BULGARIAN BAR

The Mehanata Bulgarian Bar proved to be a strangely perfect setting for Manhattan-based Miz Metro, a.k.a. Laura O'Reilly, and her Make Believes, after the Consider the Source local music showcase was unexpectedly rescheduled from its original location of Crash Mansion. Besides some frustrating and uncontrollable acoustic issues, the crowd was unusually quiet for a show – much like they didn't know what to expect from any of the artists performing that night. Yet with the start of the gypsy-sounding, urban funk of "Place 2 B," a song full of playfully ironic NYC references, there was a palpable and exciting sense of catching something truly unique.

As the song went into an exuberant jazz-inspired bridge, certain things became fairly obvious – that the Make Believes are a very tight bunch of musicians who can slip and slide around O'Reilly's diverse influences – which include jazz, hip hop, R&B and countless others – within songs as needed. Her keyboardist created a sleekly modern sound while adding an ethereal side to the material, and the interplay between the saxophonist and the super-talented O'Reilly was superbly beguiling. And by super-talented, I mean that O'Reilly is one of the rare young singers who can easily sing with a sultry, smoky, seductive, mature-beyond-her-years confidence before switching to a kind of playful, girlish optimism and flirtatiousness, or a smooth, old school hip hop cadence through a turn of a phrase or in a random moment. O'Reilly's sound reminded me a lot of What's the 411?-era Mary J. Blige.

Lyrically, the songs of her set are fairly diverse while displaying a process towards maturation. "Who's That Girl?" for example, is pure, sugary pop, full of playful optimism and confidence. Songs such as "TV Land" and "Love is a Show" have O'Reilly displaying an ability to craft an interesting and well-written song. By the time Miz Metro and the Make Believes got to the last song of their set, "Body Rock," they had won over a jaded crowd.

By WILLIAM RUBEN HELMS - Ins & Outs Magazine

"But it isn't her sense of style that pulls in the audience. Her powerful, controlled voice blends with and rises above the music to bring her message of social change," - Clubplanet.com

" This very cute and verbal lady with a very sterling voice, is not afraid to belt one out in the styling of jazz, hip-hop, blues and pop. Her voice lends itself best to the soulful crescendo of this day and age." - Antimag.com

"Miz Metro- she brought her rare voice and gypsy music from E.Europe never heard before in NYC" - URB.com

Miz Metro
Age: 22
Where do you live? I'm a borough hopper—I commute back and forth from SUNY Purchase in White Plains (where I'm finishing up my degree in new media/music studio composition) and various friends' and family members' homes on the Lower East Side and in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx.
What's your style of music? Quirky soulful pop, influenced by a melting pot of music as diverse as [the riders on] an NYC subway car.
Site of your first NYC performance: LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts premiere concert hall, for a production of [the school's annual talent show] "Rising Stars" in 2002.
Favorite venues to hear live music: Joe's Pub, The Blue Note, Bowery Poetry Club, S.O.B.'s, Public Assembly, Gallery 151, Silent Barn, House of Yes loft and various others.
Best band/performer in NYC right now: Bridget Kelly is hands down the next superstar on the rise coming out of NYC.
What can we expect at your CMJ show? A truly New York sound and flavor created by a group of City kids who play hard and make magic together. Be prepared to witness the live evolution of my music as DJ Vinyl Richie and MIDI bassist Sean Lewis remix songs off my debut album, Unlimited, live.
You said via Twitter that you write lyrics based on text-message conversations all the time. Can you give an example? Most recently, the awkward text exchanges with boys who may or may not like me have provided some interesting lyric topics. As a songwriter, it's my job to listen to what may normally be overlooked.

Miz Metro plays Drom on October 21. Hear her music at myspace.com/mizmetro. - NYCGO

Missing mid 90s moody female singer songwriter lyricism and want it now with an updated hip hop feel or a very jazzy flavor? Well look no further than Miz Metro, the 22 year old New York native whose debut album, Unlimited drops on July 8th. Metro has six years in the game, and with an incredibly diverse background that includes working with Santigold, time spent as a VJ, party host, blogger and television personality and an upbringing by four parents all in the entertainment business, her debut presents an artist with tremendous poise and a clear vision of her career in the future. Think of the point where Fiona Apple meets Lauryn Hill, with Nellie McKay’s adorable flippancy and Lily Allen’s pop sensibilities, backed by a seven piece jazz ensemble with poppy R & B motivations, and you have the industry veteran. At only the tender age of 22, Metro is poised to be at the forefront of the new class of do it all chanteuses in the 21st century.
I had the opportunity this week to chat with the terrifically composed and self-assured Miz Metro about her background, the Unlimited album, holding down a 4.0 GPA at SUNY Purchase, meeting Perez Hilton and his love of lead single “Trashion,” our shared love of Etta James, hopeful future collaborations, and so much more.
DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW HERE
For a chance to hear the debut album in full, check http://www.imeem.com/mizmetro, and for more info on Miz Metro herself, check http://www.myspace.com/mizmetro!
Enjoy, as it’s really an entertaining look into a new artist certain to succeed. - The Couch Sessions

Miz Metro
http://www.MIZMETRO.com
New York, NY, USA
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"One of the rare young singers who can easily sing with a sultry, smoky, seductive, mature-beyond-her-years confidence before switching to a kind of playful, girlish optimism and flirtatiousness, or a smooth, old school hip hop cadence through a turn of a phrase..." INS & OUTS MAGAZINE - Myxer

Miz Metro: On The Fast Track

Songwriter, vocalist, fashionista, scene-maker and event producer: New York City native Miz Metro is at the epicenter of a swirling universe of creativity. Her debut CD, Miz Metro Unlimited, is an apt title for these encompassing energies. “I think art functions and flourishes in communities,” says the artist whose given name is Laura O’Reilly. “In New York, everyone has their own cultures and their own fashion styles. Artists, especially musicians, tend to form communities. So there is a need to be able to help one another so that everyone gets exposure.”

With interactive multi-media, live music, and “trash-art”, Miz Metro’s Urban Gypsy Circus loft parties, set in a 5,000 square foot Soho space, quickly became must-attend soirees for trendy urbanites. At this year’s SXSW in Austin, she and her co-producer, Crosby, channeled their urban sensibilities into “Hip-Hop HOWL! SXSW Mixtape” with an immense roster of emerging artists.

Musically, Miz Metro, who performs with a seven-piece band dubbed The Makebelieves, draws from jazz, cabaret, hip-hop, soul, rock and pop, while interjecting her quirky persona and songwriting finesse into songs like “Everyone Wants 2B On TV” and “Trashion.”

At 22, the artist, born into a show business family, has been immersed in art and entertainment her entire life. The attitude that works, she says, “…is patience and persistence. You’ve got to have a thick skin, but still keep your heart open. So many things feel like they’re going to happen. So that’s where the artist community I have around me in New York keeps me going – other people who are in it for art, for the right reasons.”

Studying media with a minor in musical composition in college, Miz Metro took an academic approach to performing rights organizations. “I discovered that SESAC was by far the most advanced in terms of music and new media and being proactive about collecting royalties. They seemed the most forward thinking.” And despite her complimentary artistic pursuits, she maintains one primary objective. “I grew up listening to great songwriters like Carole King and Billy Joel, so the craft of writing great songs is the number one goal for me.” - SESAC Magazine