Epic Hero is a rock band born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. You could also call them "pop-rock" or "alterna-pop," which are some of the categories chosen by reviewers in magazines nationwide. Ask the band, and they'll tell you that they can't properly categorize something with which they're so closely attached.
Typical musicians.
But this band is anything but typical. Founding member Justin Milbradt, the groups lead singer and songwriter, crafts striking melodies, coupled with lyrics that can effortlessly slide between intense metaphor and simple cliché in an single line. This is complimented by lead guitarist Marc Quigg, whose style is a touch of modern rock with a little classical seasoning.. Dan Deurloo, another founding member, is known for his open hi-hat and onstage intensity, while Brad Wiener, the groups newest member, seems to make every note count.
Live, this band is amazing. Not amazing in the prop-rock Kiss Army sort of way, and not amazing in the coffee house slacker kind of way. This group creates and presents music in a way that forces you to listen. They are part of the new breed of rock n' roll who, like breakout artists Jimmy Eat World and Pete Yorn, couple their penchant for stadium rock n' roll riffs while unashamedly brandishing their love for pop.
Epic Hero released their first indie album A Brighter Mess in the Spring of 2001 to great reviews. NDSU's Spectrum ranked it one of the top ten albums of the year along with Bruce Springsteen and Ben Folds. The group has received airplay on nationally syndicated Los Angeles-based KLOS, Santa Barbara Clear Channel KTYD, Minnesota's WHMH, and numerous other commercial stations in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, and North Dakota, and almost a hundred college stations across the nation. They have toured clubs and festivals nationally such as The Whiskey A GoGo and the Dragonfly in Los Angeles, First Avenue in Minneapolis, and Summerfest in Milwaukee. The diversity of the groups appeal can be found in the fact the group has opened for Lit, Rascal Flatts, Bliss 66, The Dirty Knobs, The Eric Gales Band, Something Corporate, and Semisonic.
In March of 2002, Epic Hero went into Echo Bay Studios to record 4 new songs with producer Dan Wilson (Semisonic), and they are planning to collaborate more in the near future. For the session, the Grammy-nominated songwriter co-wrote some of the material, and the end result of their work is a rock sound which really captures the live intensity of the group. Epic Hero is already dazzling audiences around the Midwest, so one can safely assume the group has a very promising future.
