Making it big in Miami with Deaf Poets

Deaf Poets to play at Gramps Wednesday, at Respectable Street April 8

MIAMI – What's that sound you hear blasting out of Miami Beach these days? It's the hard rock and hard work of a band called Deaf Poets and it's about to take them all the way to the top.

Deaf Poets is a duo made up of two friends who first met in the fifth grade. They have pretty much been playing music together ever since. Sean Wouters is the lead singer and guitarist. He was born and raised in South Florida. Nicolas "Nico" Espinosa is the drummer and engineer who came to the U.S. from Argentina when he was 10 years old and has never looked back.  

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Together, they are creating a sound that is already getting them national attention.

Wouters said he first knew he wanted to be a musician when his older sister gave him a couple of Led Zeppelin CDs, when he was just in the fourth grade. Mesmerized by the playing and showmanship of the legendary Jimmy Page, he began taking all the guitar lessons he could. He also studied classical guitar for years to hone his technique and style.

Espinosa's musical education began when he was just a little boy. His father was a musician -- a bass player who often brought him along to his gigs, while giving him a shaker or some other percussive instrument to play along with the band onstage. He played his first professional gig on his own when he was just 15 years old at Churchill's Pub in Miami's Little Haiti. 

The guys were in other bands before finally getting together.  Living close to one another on the beach, they would often play as a duo while waiting for other band members to arrive. One day, they decided to start their own project and they've been a duo ever since.

They were working day jobs at Urban Outfitters when they came up with the band's name.  As Espinosa folded shirt after shirt for Dead Poets Society, he had a brainstorm.  But when they went to look up the name online, they found metal band after metal band using Dead Poets. With just the change of a letter, they became Deaf Poets and the music started to flow.

Wouters and Espinosa said Miami will always be their home no matter where the band may take them. The rock scene in South Florida doesn't have a lot of competition, and they are friends with many other local musicians who support them during their performances. 

Their unique sound is bringing them new fans every day. Their song "Degenerate Mind" from their debut album "4150" was chosen to be part of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5 video game soundtrack. The track was also featured in Classic Rock Magazine's 2014 compilation CD.  

Deaf Poets was awarded the Best Band of Miami title in 2014 as well as being picked for one of the 20 Most Influential People of Miami the next year by the Miami New Times. The band has also become a regular fixture at the iiiPoints Music Festival in Miami, playing with performers such as Mac Demarco and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Most recently, the tireless duo released a video for their new single "Celestine" from their upcoming album, "Lost In Magic City," which drops in May.  You can watch that video by clicking here.

Deaf Poets are about to head out on a spring tour around Florida before heading out west to California for a larger summer tour, so catch them while you can. They will be playing Gramps in Wynwood on Wednesday with Venezuelan rockers Viniloversus and power trio Wastelands, who are also from Miami.


Tickets for the show at Gramps in Wynwood are $5 at the door. For more information, click here

The guys take the show on the road April 8 to Respectable Street in West Palm Beach. They'll be playing with Viniloversus and Fort Lauderdale-based psychedelic rock trio Peyote Coyote.


Here is the full list of upcoming tour dates:

March 15 Gramps Miami

March 16 The Bends St. Petersburg

March 17 Will's Pub Orlando

March 18 The Hub Bar Tampa

April 6 Drip Orlando

April 7 Funky Buddha Brewery Oakland Park

April 8 Respectable Street West Palm Beach

May 5 1306 Miami

May 10 The Warrior Tallahassee

May 11 The Handlebar Pensacola

May 13 The Mohawk Austin, TX

May 14 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX

May 15 Burt's Tiki Lounge Albuquerque, NM

May 17 Shady Park Tempe, AZ

May 24 Ash Street Saloon Portland, OR

May 27 Streets of London Denver, CO

June 1 Vintage Tap Delray Beach

June 3 Churchill's Miami

Deaf Poets combines the heaviness and virtuosity of '70s rock with the aggression and do-it-yourself attitude of '80s punk with some '90s grunge thrown in for good measure.  This is a hungry young band on the rise.  You can follow Deaf Poets on Facebook here, Sound Cloud here and Spotify here.

 


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