Detroit, Michigan is internationally recognized and respected
as one of the great Rock & Roll cities of the world. In the
1960's the Motown sound brought soul music to the forefront
of popular music and in the 1970's artists such as The
Stooges, MC5 and Ted Nugent blazed a trail with their
furious loud rock style. Recently the Motor City's reputation
as a musical hotbed has been revived with the success of
artists like Kid Rock, Eminem and Insane Clown Posse. The
Workhorse Movement are among the new breed of Detroit
artists that blend the traditional hard rock and soul elements
of their forefathers to create a unique heavy urban rock
sound.
The Workhorse Movement was formed in 1994 by three
freethinking Central Michigan University drop-outs that
bonded over shared interests in partying and loud music. In
fact the name of the band was inspired by the Tom Wolf
book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which chronicles a
group of intellectuals who wanted to explore other avenues of
thought through taking acid. Then in 1995 the band
self-produced and self-released their first album Dopamine,
and in 1998 they hooked up with Overcore Records who
released a five song self-titled EP. Soon after their second
release the band packed into their Ford conversion van to
head out on three national tours, including support slots with
Sevendust, Gravity Kills, US Bombs and even Vanilla Ice.
As a result the band have built a die-hard following,
especially in the Midwest, through their releases and
relentless tour schedule.
The Workhorse Movement's Roadrunner debut Sons Of The
Pioneers stands as a tribute to their inspirations, namely
those bands that chose to challenge the system and
succeeded. In fact, two such pioneers inspired songs on the
new album – "Keep the Sabbath Dream Alive" and "Feel
Like Bob Marley." These songs and others push the band's
musical creativity to the max, while challenging head-on
society's norms
