Mike Novak/Novakaine
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C., United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012
Music
Press
If you want your pop and rock a little more on the smart side, you may want to give Novakaine a spin. They are not pretentious math rockers, but they manage to make engaging agreeable rock music with just enough power pop along with a lot of clever songwriting shifts. They proved to me they could deliver the rock on stage recently, and they do well in the studio here (although there are a few live cuts so you can hear some raw songs, too). When they really click, they have that little extra snap in the vocal delivery, drum beat, and guitar chord that you feel in your body. So with mind and body aligned, this is an area band to keep an ear to.
Songs to try first:
Come Up - The opener shows how they not only can concoct a catchy tune, but present it with creative melodic shifts.
Small Claims - Snappy rocker.
The Woodman - Live recording of a song that features some fine layering of dramatic tension. - David Hintz
This local band has been around a short time, but shows a strong muscial background member for member. The vocalist plays acoustic guitar and is the chief songwriter. The electric guitarist offers up some very tasty leads and careful and highly successful use of a wah-wah pedal. The bass player is rock solid and adds some excellent backing vocals. The drummer has creative moves well beyond the average rock drummer and I would guess could handle a lot of styles. The best part of these players is that they come together with more confidence than I expected and really pushed their quality songs forward. There were a bit too many covers for my liking, but their set lasted over an hour and I enjoyed a couple of them (I Want to be Sedated? That was a trip). Some of the original cuts from their recent album were excellent, particularly the opener and the long closing number. This band has a great foundation with the skill to stay on the stage with just about anybody around town. For balanced rock music with some creative flourish and just enough pop, give Novakaine a listen.
Quote of the Night: From Novakaine introducing their Ramones cover... "We have another old school cover for you"
Arggh. How did this crazy far off the mainstream punk rock music make its way into TV commercials, CNBC discussions, and now 'old school' music. What a future I am living in! - David Hintz
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Novakaine debuted at Artomatic DC 2012 as a progressive ensemble performing in the genres of Rock and Blues with hints of Punk and Reggae. They are a four piece band of experienced musicians coming from many different musical and cultural backgrounds. Novakaine just completed the finishing touches on their first studio album titled Waves They were voted best musical artists by Raw Artists DC for 2012 and have been playing extensively throughout the NY and DC metropolitan areas since their debut.
Mike Novak is the songwriter and lead singer, has a scientific background in Oceanography, and works at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The influences from his career can be heard and felt in many of the songs that Novakaine performs. Mike relocated to DC after touring nationally to support his last solo release 'Novakium'. Luis Castellanos plays bass, provides background vocals, and has produced and engineered the album. He draws upon his extensive musical background from performing and recording with various projects in Guatemala and Washington DC. Eduardo Rodriguez plays the drums and has played with bands in Nicaragua and around Washington DC for many years. Melvin Garcia, who is originally from Costa Rica, plays the lead guitar and has performed with Eduardo in various musical projects. His style and unique guitar rhythms have added a special flavor to the Novakaine sound.
Band Members
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