NATIVE EMPIRE

Native Empire was formed in Syracuse, NY in the summer of 2009 by Kevin McNiff (bass), Matt Murphy (guitar), Rob Steates (keyboards, guitar), and Chris Tooley (drums). As a group they have long been interested in exploring the parallels between traditional rock music and other popular styles such as jazz and electronica. For several years in both high school and college McNiff, Murphy, and Tooley performed around New York State as Uptown Odyssey. Drawing on musical ideals pioneered by the Grateful Dead, they focused on extended improvisation as well as composition. Steates, a classically trained pianist and guitarist, met the group in 2005 after playing with McNiff in a trio called Woodchuck at the University of Rochester. He began practicing with Uptown Odyssey almost immediately, and started playing shows with the group in 2007. Two years later the four began playing under the name Native Empire with Steates as an official member. In the winter of 2009 they recorded their first demo under the new name at SubCat Studios in Skaneateles. Like the band’s other music, the three tracks featured on the demo fuse genres ranging from hard rock to trance. Native Empire’s live shows tend to focus on high energy performances and spontaneity. Using approaches ranging from programmed beats to live improvisation the group is driven to make their shows both eclectic and exciting.