All members of the up-and-coming rock/pop band Milou Sky are still in their teens. So it’s a bit strange to hear them cite The Beatles as a significant musical influence. After all, their parents probably had not met yet when the Fab Four decided to go their separate ways.
The Beatles, however, did play an essential role in the band’s formation. Stepbrothers Ryan Beckett and Zach Ninfo, the band’s vocalist/guitarist and drummer respectively, bonded over their mutual love of the legendary group from Liverpool after initially hating each other when they were kids. Musically, stamps of George Harrison’s guitar playing is present in Beckett’s riffs. A quick view of the band’s Instagram account – which has more than 100,000 followers – gives the impression that it’s partly an online shrine to John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
But no, Milou Sky is not a Beatle’s tribute band. Neither are they stuck in the past. On the contrary, the group is firmly grounded in the present with their sights locked straight ahead to a bright future. The band has just released their debut EP called Compromise, helmed by award-winning producer Robert Cutarella who has worked with legends such as Eric Clapton, The Police, and Keith Richards. The band’s debut single, also called Compromise, currently has close to two million streams on Soundcloud.
Milou Sky may love the Beatles, but they are not the band’s only influence. The group’s sound is a result of an eclectic mix of influences that crosses a wide variety of musical genres.
Beckett’s interest in music was sparked by an Eminem song, and he still listens to rap and R&B. “It’s important to listen to a lot of different music because it can influence what you write,” he said. “We’re inspired by the music we like, and we feed off of what we hear to create our own songs and sound.”
Liam Meadowcroft, the band’s other singer and rhythm guitarist, earned the respect of the stepbrothers when they learned that he’s into Nirvana, Oasis, and Arctic Monkeys. His brother Nolan, the band’s bass player, takes musical cues from Kings of Leon, U2, and XXXTentacion. Among contemporary artists, the band names Billie Eilish, Post Malone, and Justin Bieber as musicians they admire.
Having a world of influences has resulted in a sound that is uniquely Milou Sky, and their EP is a testament to this. “The EP showcases the collection of styles that we mashed together to create our sound,” Beckett shared. It’s the band’s uniqueness that has endeared them to their loyal fanbase, composed of individuals who are as diverse as the group’s influences. “We look different, we sound different, that attracts a wide variety of listeners,” explained Beckett.
Source: reverbnation.com
Their musical idols, however, are not the only sources of inspiration for Milou Sky. Everyday events and even feelings can light a creative spark for the foursome. “Inspiration can come listening to music or simply having a good or bad day, a lyric that you like, really anything can strike an idea,” Beckett revealed. “(Even) your personal feelings can influence a song.”
The band is also influenced by their passions outside of music. Most of Milou Sky’s band members are into sports. Beckett is a fan of football star Tom Brady and looks up to the quarterback’s mental drive and work ethic. Liam cheers for all Philadelphia sports teams, and he also played baseball when he was young. His younger brother Nolan loves to go out and get active by playing golf and baseball. Like Beckett, he is also into football, and his favorite team is the Denver Broncos.
Nolan and Ninfo share a love of video games. Nolan’s favorites include Battlefield Three, Call of Duty Modern Warfare Three, and Rainbow Six Siege. When he’s not playing, Nolan likes to read books on world history.
Beckett and Ninfo love to watch movies and TV shows. Beckett is into South Park, which he credits for his odd sense of humor. His favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio. Ninfo is a fan of the reality show Bar Rescue. He also uses his background in communications media to create videos and has won in a few competitions at the state and national levels. The four loves to eat and try out different restaurants.
For the tracks in Compromise, the band was inspired by the pains and joys of teenage life. “These songs are meaningful to us because we can share what we feel with our audience,” Beckett shared. The EP’s title track is about the typical frustrations guys feel when dealing with girls.
In the future, the band is also not ruling out the possibility of writing songs about social issues. “If we have a good idea, we’d definitely try to write a song about it, Beckett said. Like other musicians, they are outraged by the death of George Floyd and by social inequality in general.
“We think it’s all horrible that we even have to do this nowadays, bad people kill people all the time, unfortunately, but for someone to be targeted because of the color of their skin is just disgusting,” remarked Beckett.
Though the band believes in the power of music, they’re not one to overestimate its influence.
“It can spread awareness about (social issues) and unite people to fight for a cause, but at the end of the day, music is just music, and in reality, more people are going to take a song as a song, not a statement,” Beckett said. He believes artists can try to spread awareness through their music but should let their fans have their own opinions, even if they are different from their own.
Just like the rest of the music industry, Milou Sky is temporarily grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of their live gigs got canceled because of the resulting lockdown. But the band tried to remain productive even while under quarantine. They wrote new songs and regularly rehearsed so as not to get rusty as they plan to release more music this summer.
