| Band Members | Brent McKay and Erik Nordin have been performing together for over 5 years and are collectively known as The Strange. This duo has recorded 2 full length albums as The Strange, their 3rd album "Dirty Girl" is available now. McKay and Nordin have worked in front of groups with as many as 7 musicians, including performers like Trey Anastasio. They chose to record the new album solely as a duo and perform all of the instruments themselves as they do live, sharing the microphone, guitars and keyboards. They have been featured on NPR as well as on national television programs including MTV and commercials for Macy's, Yahoo and other media.
Their first record "Waiting for the Sun" mixed jazz with rock and soul. Carrying this album to many festivals, including a performance at the Detroit International Jazz Festival, they shared the stage with folks like MMW and other international talent. Jazz Legend Marcus Belgrave(Trumpeter with Ray Charles) was featured on the album on "Gypsy Caravan". Belgrave was asked to sit in with the duo after hearing them at a talent search sponsored by Heineken where he sat as a judge.
Their second album, self-titled and called "The Blue Album" turned a new direction, focusing more on rock influences and a tighter more polished sound. The Blue Album received national attention, receiving airplay on over 300 stations across the US. It also had songs featured on MTV programs including the Real World, as well as a video for the single "Texas" directed by Anthony Garth.
Until "Dirty Girl", McKay was the sole vocalist. In recording the new album, a focus on harmonies developed leading Nordin to take the lead vocal position on several songs. This opened up the stage for Mckay to further develop his role as lead guitarist for the group. The new album is heavier, darker and faster than the previous records. Much like the earlier releases, Dirty Girl offers a great deal of stylistic diversity, and solid songwriting. It was recorded over 5 weekends, working with J Christoper Hughes, Post-Historic Recordings in Milwaukee and John Smerek at the White Room in Detroit on "More than you know". The approach was to be more self reliant, and to find the honest soul of the band. The recording process was purposely simplified. All of the instrumental tracks are recorded live, several including "A while" with a single mic between the artists. Nordin shares the duties of piano and drums, alternating on many songs. Mckay sits in on the synths in "The Storm" - a hypnotic road trip into the bands psyche. The balance of the record the instruments are shared and in some cases looped live to achieve the tracks necessary.
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