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BIO:
Paul Van – Vocals
Tony Pomilla – Guitars
Solarcade is the musical partnership between vocalist Paul
Van and guitarist Tony Pomilla. They are musically
comparable to Depeche Mode and the Raveonettes in their
use of outside musicians to fill out their sound. As a
result, Van and Pomilla’s eight-year collaboration has
yielded some achingly beautiful music. Their cinematic,
nuanced compositions have attracted the attention of The
Killers’ Brandon Flowers, who personally selected
Solarcade to open select dates for his band’s arena tour
in 2007.
Van, whose baritenor voice has been compared to that of
Peter Gabriel draws much of his musical inspiration from
an interesting source. The singer, who emigrated from
South Africa at the age of 16, describes his childhood:
"Growing up, my archaeologist mother was always talking
about different cultures and ways of living while my
brother, an expert on Shakespeare, would be talking about
the timeless truths and universal themes of Shakespeare.
One of the reasons I am drawn to composing and performing
is that it allows me to explore these different life
themes and possibilities and to share them.”
Tony Pomilla, the other half of Solarcade, hails from
Houston, TX. Pomilla's guitar style has been compared with
ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and U2’s The Edge; these greats
also happen to be two of his biggest inspirations.
Formerly on the fast track to a career in criminal
justice, Pomilla could not silence the riffs that played
in his head. "They just come to me, and I have to play
them out until I get them down.”
It is a testament to the vibrancy of L.A.’s music scene
that two driven musicians from different corners of the
world found in each other their perfect missing piece.
Together Van and Pomilla, who met on the local Los Angeles
music scene, create music that reflects their varied
influences and experiences. On their previous independent
effort, 2005’s Aliens and Angels, Van lyrically
questions whether these entities are one and the same, and
in 2007’s This Beautiful Demon, the pair explore
love and loss. On their third recording, Songs for the
Gathering, Solarcade reveals an entirely new awareness
and perspective.
Within their new EP, Songs for the Gathering, Van
builds upon his lyrical explorer sensibilities and
combines them with Pomilla's seductive progressions to
inspire the listener to press replay in order to fully
absorb the sound, meaning and feeling of each song. The
first single, “Rise” has an uncanny relevance to the era
in which we live. It’s a song for those mired in despair
and who are on the verge of giving up. Van puts it simply
as “an anthem to fight for the better life because it’s in
our grasp. To summon the courage to stare hopelessness in
the eye and reject it, and to not be dumbfounded when you
learn that the so-called wise men know less than you
thought. “Rise” is a defiant call to action that says,
it’s in me, and it's in you, and together we must make
it.”
In an effort to achieve that rich full alternative pop
sound, the band chose to work with producer Brian Reeves
(U2, Rooney, Jonas Brothers). Van previously collaborated
with Reeves when the former was chosen to sing the theme
song for the Sci Fi Channel series, Jeremiah. Van
says, “I loved the mix on that song. Once I tapped into
what he was doing, I knew that Brian would be perfect for
Songs for the Gathering.” Pomilla describes working
with Reeves on the album: “We had a great time. He grinds
you to the bone, but it’s positive fury! I became a better
guitar player.”
Reeves, who has worked with some of the greatest
alternative bands in contemporary rock history, says
"Solarcade is the real deal. Van has a voice that is
immediately recognizable as he skillfully engages his
listener. He paints a lyrical picture that leaves you
breathless. Pomilla’s unique guitar stylings give the act
a character that is contemporary and classic, yet
beautifully dynamic. It's obvious that Solarcade's music
is truly inspired."
Brian Reeves and Brandon Flowers have already discovered
Solarcade - now it’s your turn. The band, now based both
in Los Angeles and in Las Vegas, released their seven song
EP, Songs for The Gathering on February 24 through
A&I Records.
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