On the down-low

When the word piano is used as a main descriptor in a band’s sound, it sometimes stimulates the most feared of negative stereotypes, the anti-cool: “soft rock.” A certain image tends to come to mind, one that doesn’t really match the three mellow, modestly kempt men who make up Magdalena.

“Sometimes we get pegged because [people] see the piano and think it’s a ‘piano band,’ ” said Brandon Mains, pianist, vocalist and founder of Magdalena, the Chico pop-rock three-piece that will be celebrating the release of its self-titled, self-produced debut CD this Friday (March 6), at Café Coda.

Magdalena is no Air Supply. But there is a piano in the band, so even though they aren’t rocking cheesy ballads or providing the soundtrack at Shakey’s Pizza, the guys in the band have a gentler approach to rock, somewhere along the lines of a more upbeat Death Cab for Cutie.

Mains began Magdalena seven years ago, while at Chico State, as a jazz-tinged solo project. The project bred a few recordings, but Mains abandoned it, going on to dabble in other local acts like Cabrini Green and Casing the Promisedland. After lying stagnant for some time, Magdalena was revived in December 2007, this time as a trio, adding Casing the Promisedland-mates Josh Kerney on bass and James Lowe on drums.

“We’ve been playing together for so long we really didn’t have to think hard about it,” Mains said about the trio’s complementary styles of playing.

To begin with, Mains approached the fellows with a handful of guitar songs. Those were quickly tossed out and Mains made the switch to his primary instrument, piano.

Although this started as Mains’ idea, he in no way sees Magdalena as his band.

“I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t doing it with James and Josh,” Mains said. “I consider this a band, not like a singer-songwriter type thing at all.”

Magdalena operates within a fairly straightforward pop formula. A simple-yet-rhythmic piano intertwines with clean, upbeat percussion and catchy vocal melodies, combining for a fairly gentle and very catchy sound. The musicians’ modest, mild-mannered demeanor is a clue to their music, in which no instrument overpowers the other—everything on their new CD is harmonious and balanced, which is at least in part due to the guys’ long-standing friendship and music-making history.

“Whatever it is we’re doing I think we do it well,” Kerney said.

The band’s live shows have been sporadic, partly due to the fact that they try to keep performances to a minimum in an attempt not to tire out Chico audiences’ ears, but mostly because all three men are married and have day jobs. And to top it off, Mains is a new father, making it hard to find extra hours to sink into the project.

Despite life’s obstacles, the band manages to progress in spurts, like recording its entire debut album in one weekend. There’s also an excess of new material ready to be recorded and packaged for an EP.

“The weddings are over, the babies have been born, and now we’re ready for the EP … when things settle down,” Mains said, adding, “We haven’t set any goals, like ruling the world or whatnot. I like to take it as it comes and pursue doors if they open.”

All the band is hoping for at this point is to please a few listeners.

“It’d be nice when people listen to us if they would like us enough just to pop our CD in and listen to it while they’re driving,” Mains said.