Grin Cynic
Originally hailing from Orlando, Florida, Grin Cynic is a hard rock band that was founded in late 1990’s when Songwriter/Guitarist/Singer Mike Lee submitted an original three song demo tape to an independent record label for consideration. The label was impressed and asked Mike to put together a band and then get into their recording studio and record a full-length album. The band went on to record a nine song CD titled “Demonstration” and quickly made some noise in the city of Orlando. Additionally, they had the opportunity to appear on the Howard Stern show and play live. That along with a televised live performance at New York City’s famous CBGB’s helped Grin Cynic start to put their name on the map. But, like a lot of bands, after touring and nonstop shows, the band started to go in different directions musically and eventually the boys went their separate ways.
Mike kept close with Marc (original singer) throughout the years and in 2017 Mike learned that Marc suffered a massive stroke and was permanently disabled. This was quite shocking news, so Mike turned his focus to putting Grin Cynic back together in his city of Palm Beach, Florida by recreating and bringing to life some of the cool riffs and melodies that never made it to the original album. “I am so happy that Mike is carrying on the Grin Cynic name, and the music is living on!” said Marc. Unfortunately Marc passed away shortly after, but Mike was gifted with Marc’s book of poems and lyrics, which then inspired Mike to begin recruiting new band mates to head back into the recording studio with. Among these band mates were veteran guitar player Sean Young, who had recently completed a tour of the darkest dankest corners of Europe. He was soon followed by drummer Raffi Lamardo, who brought along a Venezuelan style rhythm over his powerful beats. The lead singer position was filled by New Jersey fitness guru Brendan McKenzie. McKenzie ran into bass player Greg “Ogden” Botty while trying to be a vegan at a barbecue and sticking out like a sore thumb. After a good laugh, the two realized that they had toured together in the Northeast a decade prior in separate bands. They also realized that they had coincidentally recently moved into the same exact residential complex. There just happened to be an opening for a bass player, and the new lineup of Grin Cynic was complete.
It is almost as if the universe was giving this project a second chance at life and the new lineup not only had a lot of similarities to the original members, but also shared in the same strong sense of creativity and ball busting camaraderie. With a couple singles under their belts with the new line up, the band gained some new attention from radio and press which caught the eye of Pavement Entertainment. The band is currently working on a EP to be released and marketed by the label. Stay tuned for the EP release date, touring, and other exciting things from Grin Cynic. A band that never says die and was put here to deliver good honest Rock Music to the masses.
