By Erin Goss
Give friends with a long history in music some beers and you know what will happen. While many of us will simply lose some pivotal motor skills once alcohol’s chemistry takes hold, they instead will be fueled to create good music.
All of us know what it’s like to imagine grand plans for the future over drinks with friends, such as quitting our jobs or moving to Europe, but for some reason once the alcohol has worn off those aspirations rarely seem to materialize. For friends and musicians Mark Maigaard and Charlie Ware, this wasn’t the case.
Drummer Maigaard recalls the beginnings of local band Midnight Rivals as he fittingly drinks from a Tecate. For years the two discussed forming their own band, but at the time of their initial ruminations, Maigaard was constantly on the road with his previous band, Louis XIV, and Ware was frontman of the popular local group Lucy’s Fur Coat.
Regardless, the two decided it would happen.
“While I was with Louis XIV he said if there’s any break in the Louis thing, we are doing our own band,” Maigaard recalled.
Eventually the pieces fell into place. Louis XIV took a break and Lucy’s Fur Coat went into retirement after playing their final two shows at the Casbah’s 20th anniversary party. One final evening at Hamilton’s was the crowning piece to Midnight Rivals’ creation, a band whose sole focus was to make good music.
“Charlie and I figured this out over a couple of beers and then he created Midnight Rivals. No pressure, just awesome rock and roll, we said let’s just do this,” Maigaard said.
From there, the men began laying down the groundwork for their new band, pulling together an arsenal of seasoned musicians with a passion for playing live. With both Maigaard and Ware having years in the local music scene on their side, they were able to pick from the best.
“Charlie said, ‘It’s you and me and we will get the rest of the band together.’ He got Pete Reichert from Rocket from the Crypt and then Mike Santos, also from Lucy’s,” Maigaard said. “And he brought along Morgan Smith from The Front.”
Armed with a full lineup of local music veterans, the band began working with one goal in mind—-to simply enjoy the experience of making music. Despite the musicians’ diverse backgrounds, the collaboration occurred naturally, as the group members fully embraced their plan to have no plan.
“I just think that we all have our tastes, but with Midnight Rivals there’s no ego,” Maigaard said. “We have our opinions, we just want to make good music and have fun with it.
“Honestly, there’s no pressure. Whatever happens, happens. We aren’t thinking we need a record deal and we need this and all of that—no. I mean, if something did happen, awesome, perfect. But we are just having fun with it.”
Inadvertently, Midnight Rivals embodies the timeless rock ’n’ roll motto to a ‘T’—to not care about anything but the music. Like many of rock’s legends, the band’s dedication to music, and only music, has paid off. They recently put out a record, “Nitty Gritty,” produced by Maigaard’s former bandmate Brian Karscig, currently of The Nervous Wreckords, and have steadily racked up the accolades.
And though they never sought out the spotlight, the newcomers recently were nominated for Best New Artist at the San Diego Music Awards. It’s no surprise, though, as Midnight Rivals’ songs capture a palpable energy. The result is shameless rock ’n’ roll infused with brazen guitar riffs and Ware’s signature country-tinged croon.
While they aren’t worried about the future, Midnight Rivals has several live dates on the horizon. The guys will be playing Bar Eleven on Oct. 23 and eventually rocking a post-Thanksgiving bash at The Whistle Stop on Nov. 26.
Beyond that, though, the Midnight Rivals are simply seeing where the wind takes them.
Smiling, Maigaard puts down his Tecate and sums it all up.
“It’s in my blood, so I have to do it.”
