THOREAUU

pronunciation

: thuh-roh, thawr-oh, thohr-oh.

If you head over to the Gulf Coast from Tampa and then drive north for a little while, you'll come to the small town of New Port Richey. Although it may look like any other average central Florida town, New Port Richey is home to Thoreau, an introspective hard-rock quartet that is poised to take the national stage.

The band is comprised of frontman Sean McPhee, Dan Miller and Ricky Carlton on guitars, Dick Relak on bass, and Shawn Nichols on drums.Dick and Shawn were classmates in high school; they formed a band with Dan (from a nearby school) and another local friend. Feeling unsatisfied with this project, the three left in order to create a new ensemble. The band was named "Thoreau" after the 19th century philosopher. After auditioning many possible singers without finding one that fit, they were eventually introduced to Sean McPhee through a mutual friend. The band clicked right away, and their performances immediately gained a strong local following. McPhee's lyrics examine themes of love, longing, betrayal, and a search for the ideal. Miller's intricate guitar work moves between blazing technical riffs and soaring, anthemic passages. Nichols's pounding drum work has a similar fast, motivated sound with a latticework of rhythms. Relak is not only a talented bassist, but his energetic stage presence nearly matches that of the frontman's.

In 2006, Thoreau signed with Orlando-based Pandora Records (a label coincidentally made up of Port Richey ex-pats), which not only allowed them to further spread their influence, but laid the groundwork for their debut full-length album, "Oneiro". This 12-track LP, whose title is the Greek word for "dream", debuted at the end of July '07.
The guys filmed a video for their first single, "Capillary," with director Jon Bowen, and embarked on a small East Coast US Tour in late summer '07.

After returning home, the band gained a second guitarist with the addition of Ricky Carlton. With a more fully realized sound - and a growing arsenal of new material - the band anxiously looks forward to the future. These young rockers will soon leap from their small home town to become a presence throughout the country, and beyond.