You know the feeling... stepping out of a darkened theater into fresh outdoor air -- your mind and emotions still buzzing at the amazing cinematic experience you just witnessed as you frantically blab to your friends what you thought of the movie.
Whether you loved or hated the movie, it moved you -- it made you think and feel and share your opinion -- that's exactly what the guys in the modern alternative rock band Motion Picture Ending want to make you feel. Live or recorded, Tyler, Justin, Greg and Curtis want you to experience that kind of reaction with every pounding, passionate note and chord.
Guitarist and lead vocalist Tyler Wilkinson says the band's name, just like the music and live show, "Is an honest feeling... when you haven't talked to anybody until you're about to burst. It's what you really feel about a movie, and it relates to our music. We're honest about what we play and we're honest about what we do, and we want to bring out that kind of honest reaction."
The roots of Motion Picture Ending go back to Tyler's professional music childhood as he sang and toured in his family's group, The Wilkinsons. From the early age of six, Tyler toured with his family, playing "fairs and festivals and weddings and anything you can imagine," he says. The family band received two Grammy nominations and garnered numerous CCMA wins(Canadian Country Music Awards). The family moved to Nashville for nine years and returned home in 2004. Tyler had been writing material for a solo rock project since he was 16, and hooked up with drummer Justin Devries, a friend going back 10 years.
Tyler and Justin found guitarist Greg Bolton without looking very far -- they met Greg through Tyler's girlfriend. At the time, Greg was performing with Geffen recording artist Samantha Moore. The band became a four-piece with the addition of bassist Curtis Weekes, who was also playing with Greg in Moore's band.
For drummer Justin Devries, he believes that Motion Picture Ending is a very personal, from-the-heart kind of band.
"MPE is just a very honest, passionate, heart-driven band," he says. "A passion for the music is what stands out for me. We're all doing this for our own personal reasons, but we came together so fast and so well, and as a group we all believe in this. It's not like a 'what if' kind of thing... it's something we completely believe in."
Their complete belief in the music they're making shines through on the six tracks the band has released so far. "These Eyes" kicks things off with Justin's energetic drumming laying out the welcome mat for Tyler and Greg's guitars to trade off each other nicely. As the band plows through a fiery tale of Rock & Roll excesses and clichéd behavior found in every music scene from Canada to Texas, they rail against "selling out just so you can win" and "lowering your standards just to fit in."
MPE's frantic energy is toned down a bit for the melancholy opening of "The Devil Wears Pink," an obvious rant about some devilish girl in the band's past that clearly wasn't what she seemed at first.
Like the feeling the band hopes their name captures, Tyler hopes their music can have the same effect. That's what they're going for, and they certainly captured it in "The Devil Wears Pink."
"My goal as a band is to hear back from somebody that says they can't get one of our songs out of their head, and that they can't stop singing it," he says.
With openings slots already played with Canadian artists Hedley, Matt Mays and El Torpedo, and legends like April Wine and Cheap Trick, Motion Picture Ending is sure to have countless fans walking around with MPE songs stuck in their heads and filling their hearts for years to come.
The mellow, mid-tempo "Science" showcases Tyler's lead vocals and harmonies provided by Curtis, Greg and Justin as they sing together beautifully about how "it never feels enough just to be in love."
"Music -- it's such a personal thing," says Greg. "Music is this powerful thing from your heart that, when you play live, everybody's kind of feeding off that. That's where we show them where our heart is from and how much we love what we do."
Drummer Justin Devries agrees.
"I really feel the music, as a listener as well, so I really want that to come out of me, and have all four of us present it to the world. That's something that I have a lot of passion for... we can all relate to music, and that's the beauty of it. For us, it's personal, and when other people accept that and relate to it, it means a lot more."
"Natural" cranks up the rock again with a spaced-out intro and bluesy opening that builds to an ocean-sized musical pay off. "Girl" swirls around in a perfect blending of pop's prettier sensibilities and rock's lovelorn angst as Tyler begs, "Please don't put me on hold, 'cause lonely is getting so old." MPE slams around like pop-punk stars on "Maybe" as Greg's guitar solo sets up a riff-heavy bombastic ending full of soul and fury, signifying, well, everything.
Bassist Curtis Weekes says their music is all-inclusive of moods and a wide-open range of musical tastes. He hopes Motion Picture Endings fans are inspired -- to paraphrase one of the all-time great movie quotes -- to get busy living.
"I want people that listen to our music -- whether they're sad or happy, or in any kind of mood -- I want them to be able to use it as a remedy to satisfy something in them at the time," Weekes says. "Our music sends the message that dreams are within reach, and that anything they put their mind to is possible."
With studio time booked for early '08 and a host of songs written, if these demos are any indication, 2008 will be the year that Motion Picture Ending breaks out of the Trenton, Ontario, Canada area and takes their music to a worldwide audience.
Shakespeare famously wrote, "All the world is a stage, and we are merely players." If all the world is their stage, Motion Picture Ending is surely set to blaze a musical path as some of the finest young players ever to plug in a guitar and sing their hearts out.
by: Carl Cunningham
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Live @ the Gibson Artist Lounge - June 7th, 2007
