| Map | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Riverside, California |
| Genres | indie pop |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Velvet Blue Music |
| Members | |
| Josh Dooley Paul Akers Trevor Monk |
|
Map is an indie pop band from Riverside, CA that consists of Josh Dooley (guitar, Voice, Harmonica), Paul Akers (Keyboards) and Trevor Monks (drums).
Contents |
Map began as a revolving door with one steady fixture: Josh Dooley. Dooley formed Map in the year 2000, and with the revolving door in effect, recorded two EPs: Teaching Turtles to Fly (Velvet Blue Music) and Eastern Skies, Western Eyes (Velvet Blue Music). These EPs served as an early showcase of Dooley’s talents with special regard to creating melodies, writing hooks, and exercising guitar chops. It wasn’t until 2003, however, when Map released Secrets By The Highway (Velvet Blue Music), that his impressive musicianship was truly showcased. This album is full of finely crafted melodies and guitar hooks that are as subtle as they are substantive—hooks Dooley would later be known by. He had struck an almost ideal balance between pop and rock, a working canvas for Dooley's undeniable skills in guitar playing and song writing. He was on his way to nailing the proverbial “it.” Then in the summer of 2004, Map released their second full length record, Think Like An Owner (Velvet Blue Music). This time, he was backed by what had become his consistent line-up: Loop (bass), Heather Bray (guitar, voice) and Ben Heywood (drums). This record was a conscious departure from "Secrets By the Highway" for Dooley, a departure in a positive direction: “I have the Woody Allen work ethic of just continuing to work. What was wrong with the last project won’t be repeated in the next project. We made a decision to not repeat ourselves with Think Like An Owner, and even though we all love Secrets, we thought, Why do Secrets part two?” "Think Like an Owner" maintained the quality pop song crafting and seemingly effortless and catchy guitar hooks fans had now come to expect from Dooley, but it built on this, introducing a darker and more mature vibe to the music via post-punk, angular guitars and crashing cymbals. “Making albums is an emotional rollercoaster for me. It is an art, a business, a hobby. I have to take it seriously, but not too seriously, because I know it isn't saving lives,” says Dooley. Dooley’s music might not be saving lives, but it has gained him a plethora of rabid fans who revere him at indie guitar god status—quite a reputation to live up to. Fans will find him living well up to his reputation with the release of Map’s forthcoming EP San Francisco in the 90s. Map’s revolving door has brought in some new additions to support this new record: Paul Akers (keyboards) and Trevor Monks (drums). Together the threesome have found a collective sound that gives tribute to late-80s Brit pop and mid-60s American jangle rock. This infectious combination of sounds, combined with Dooley’s clear talent for song-writing, makes this new album his best to date.