Sensaround, Coming Out to Play,
Sensaround, Coming Out to Play, Brings Some Heavy-duty Entertainment to Pop-Rock! By Kurt Beyers
With Valley of Grey, their latest poetic pop-rock anthem with driving rhythms, soaring guitar licks, groove-oriented drums and rocking bass lines, the four-member band Sensaround has announced it is coming out to play. “Literally, all together, with real instruments, in front of the biggest and/or smallest audiences we can find. If they’re breathing... count us in.” “We like to think of Valley of Grey as your quintessential pop-rock song,” said Bob Dougherty, co-founder of the band and co-writer of the band’s music. “It’s a soaring anthem. It’s got riveting solos, infectious hooks but enough heavy guitars to make you tingle in your nether regions.”
The band has been together for several years and had released 18 songs on their YouTube channel and all streaming platforms before the pandemic put plans to launch their live show on hold. Along with all the world-wide releases and official lyric videos to all the songs, they released an official music video shot at the famous beaches in Malibu with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean. Where Are You Tonight, featuring actress Rai Quartley, includes intriguing studio-shot scenes to go along with an enticing story line. Already reaching over half-million views, the video can be seen on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUg56nAAJfs.
The song has also been in regular rotation on nine national radio stations. The band’s catalog, written by Dougherty and Track, was mostly recorded during a period of several years leading up to 2020 at which time Sensaround was gearing up for live performances. Then the pandemic hit, and the strategy, said Bob, was to “just hole myself up seven days a week and practice my chops on rhythm guitar. We felt it would be as practical as it would be commercially-viable adding the singer songwriter look to the band. A lead singer without an instrument in his hand seemed outdated to us. We saw a chance to turn a negative into a positive. It felt as though the universe hit pause on life, so I resolved to come out of it with a new skill and we felt that the band would make a better impression with the lead singer handling electric rhythm guitar parts.” Since the pandemic ended, “The priority of the last couple of years has been to get the live show tight,” said Alex Track, co-founder, co-writer and drummer of the band. “It’s a blessing to be in a band with such incredible players. It’s a gift, not only to be in a band with zero egos, but to have the members be such great friends and great people in general.
If this project was any more fun, I wouldn’t be able to stand it.” Bob got into music and guitar through a youthful infatuation with U2, REM and Oasis, but didn’t become an actual performer until he left a career in video editing and was hired onto the Disney Wonder Cruise ship. After that, he took the job of entertainer at the Club Med vacation village in Cancun, which involved physical comedy but also solo acoustic guitar sets at the main bar. “It sharpened my skills and flamed my passion for music,” he said. Club Med is where he met Alex, and that introduction was the genesis of Sensaround. With world-renowned symphony and choral conductor Gerhard Track and Beethoven Piano Competition winner Micaela Maihart-Track as parents, it was no surprise that Alex Track grew up performing in a number of orchestras, choirs and bands. Taking first place at the Tri-State Music Festival piano competition, Track's passion turned to drums and percussion.
Graduating with honors with a Masters of Music Degree from the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, Alex went on to become CEO of Track Entertainment in Los Angeles. After attending MIT in Hollywood, Track has been involved in all aspects of the music industry in Los Angeles from scoring pictures to composing, arranging, recording, mixing, mastering and producing records. Track’s exceptional skills were recognized when he won a Grammy Award in 2007. “My grandfather was a very popular entertainer. The Bob Hope of Europe, if you will and my father was an expert at winning crowds over with intermittent humor during breaks between classical pieces at concerts he conducted throughout his career. Taking advantage of Bob’s natural sense of humor and likability, it’s heart-warming for me to see that spirit of entertainment included in our show. For my part, it feels like we’re carrying on a family tradition.” Nate Gignac, guitar and vocals, won many competitions at piano festivals in Canada, then, according to his bio, as a teenager “picked up guitar and never looked back.” He studied at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. He has toured with various rock bands over most of the United States and Mexico.
Max Pierce, bass and vocals, has 20 years’ experience as a professional bass player, playing in live band situations, doing session work at recording studios, and performing in musical theater. He performs for the Los Angeles theater company For The Record, and music that he wrote has been featured on the NBC show Parenthood. The band sums up all that passion, talent, skill and experience in its official bio. Their music, it says, comes “from a place of earnest, raw sincerity for people who long for the return of real instruments and hand-carved music that is meant to inspire and take the listener through every possible emotion.” As far as the name of the band is concerned, Bob and Alex came up with a plan to write down names that would fit the band. Bob had already written down dozens of names while Alex hadn’t come up with one. One day, out of the blue, Alex excitedly told Bob that he had a name for the band. His first and only name for the list, but explained that he saw the name in a dream, up in lights like on a big venue. Alex immediately researched the name. The name “Sensurround” was the patented name for the surround sound system built to shake seats in a movie theater back in the day. When articles were written on the subject, people inadvertently spelled it “Sensaround.” The slogan was: Sound so powerful that you not only hear it, you feel it. Being that’s how Alex felt the listener will feel when hearing their music, the name made “sense”. Randomly seeing it in a dream, that vividly, they didn’t want to challenge fate. Sensaround was born.
The focus now is on live performances. They made their debut in May this year and have two more shows scheduled for September on the L.A. club venue circuit: September 7th at The Universal Bar and Grill on Lankershim Blvd. in Universal City and September 22nd at The Mint on Pico Blvd. in Mid City Los Angeles. They are also working out the details to perform at other famous LA venues, the Whisky A Go Go, The Roxy Theatre, the Troubadour and The Viper Room to start. “We have a strong catalogue,” said Bob. “We’ve got over 20 songs that are radio ready. The hope is to build a fan base by playing out consistently. First and foremost, it will be interesting to see the response of a crowd at a live venue. I am excited to find out if they will be throwing their underwear on stage or fire rotten tomatoes at us.” Connect with Sensaround on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
“Valley Of Grey,” Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6j7sQM4pO8iYK92TlS0Jw8?si=81c823897f044c45&nd=1
“Valley Of Grey,” lyric video, YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTH8HInSlOQ&list=RDEM2j5zYj0ZckOgskA4lgRsEw&index=1
Music Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUg56nAAJfs
Radio EPK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW9- 2KebO1I&list=PLrqqU5xLSq9Nr8qMPWdVJMEMz_JZ_MW_N&index=42
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUjIjKvgHzGYRaA0n0WQVGQ
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/778FSoIJKAfHSZRTcOQ575
Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SensaroundInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sensaroundband/
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