(HOLLYWOOD) – Southern California modern rock band NEVERWONDER caps off another great year with multiple honors at two recent Los Angeles area awards shows. The group won “Best Alternative Band” at the South Bay Music Awards, November 10th at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The previous week, Neverwonder’s Vincent Ramos took home “Best Male Bassist” at the All Access Music Awards, November 3rd at Hollywood’s Knitting Factory. Neverwonder was selected a “Top 100 Unsigned Artist” for the second consecutive year by respected trade publication, MUSIC CONNECTION, for 2007.
There’s a new buzz around Los Angeles.-based alternative rock band NEVERWONDER with the addition of sultry vocalist Megan Bobo, who finished in the Top 24 finalists during Season #5 of AMERICAN IDOL. Bobo is nominated in the “Best Female Vocalist” category for the 2007 South Bay Music Awards, happening Saturday, November 10 at the Redondo Beach (Calif.) Performing Arts Center. Neverwonder is also nominated in SBMA categories “Alternative Rock Group Of The Year” and “Best Bass Player Of The Year” (Vincent Ramos). For the 2007 All Access Magazine Music Awards, taking place Saturday, November 3 at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, Calif., the band garnered the following nominations: “Best Alternative Group/Artist;” “Best Album Of The Year;” “Best Female/Male Bass Player” (Vincent Ramos); and “Best Female/Male Drummer” (Andres Ramos).
Bobo brings an exciting, pop-esque vocal dimension to the talented quartet, who also features guitarist/vocalist Flint Mavis; bassist/vocalist Vincent Ramos; and drummer/vocalist Andres Ramos. Bobo, who hails from Des Moines, Iowa, has been a Southern California resident since AMERICAN IDOL flew her out to compete in the Season 5 competition, eventually won by Taylor Hicks.
Neverwonder captured “Best Band Of 2006” and “Best Album Of 2006” at the 2007 ROCKWIRED Awards, one of only five bands to be so honored with each nomination. The band was nominated in the “Best Rock Band” category for the 2007 Inland Empire Music Awards and a “Best Live Band” finalist for the 2007 Orange County Music Awards, as well as being voted a “Top 100 Unsigned Artist” by highly-regarded MUSIC CONNECTION Magazine in their 2006 year-end issue.
“Upon hearing Neverwonder live, it’s no wonder they were recently crowned “Rock Band of the Year” at the 2006 South Bay Music Awards, and rightfully so,” writes Angela Kim in THE HIGHLANDER (October 2006). “Guitarist (Flint) Mavis delivers a fluid quality to the music while bassist Vincent Ramos and drummer Andres Ramos support them with hard-hitting beats…(Neverwonder’s) music is something you would expect to hear at the Vans Warped Tour or Ozzfest.”
Neverwonder’s self-titled debut CD, “NEVERWONDER” features ten power-packed rock songs, including in-concert favorites “Everywhere,” “I’ll Be Alright,” “Down To Me” and “Save Me.” Samples of the songs can be heard on the band’s official website, www.neverwonder.com. SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE critic Francisco H. Ciriza writes, “Southern California-based hard rockers Neverwonder debut with a 10-song wallop of melodic, hard-edged, clever tunes and catchy melodies…the Ramos brothers flex their rhythmic muscle as drums and bass lock in on the aforementioned breakdowns and switches making a seamless groove that is Neverwonder’s foundation. Frosting on the proverbial cake comes in the form of Flint Mavis’ full-bodied chord passages and screeching hot leads...”
“I was quite impressed with their catchy pop-alternative sound,” wrote Ricci Rocks of ALL ACCESS MAGAZINE. “The rhythm section, made up of brothers Andres and Vincent Ramos, were tight and made for a strong backbone. “Their song ‘Everywhere’ was stuck in my head for days after seeing them perform…I have a feeling ‘Everywhere’ will be their ticket to a higher level of acceptance in the music industry. This band is here to stay!” GUITAR 9 MAGAZINE scribe Dan McAvinchey writes, “aggressive, modern rock with driving guitars mark the CD of four tracks being circulated by the California band Neverwonder…gutsy, powerful, chops-bustin' vocals, while the rock riffs are supplied by Flint Mavis, a guitarist who grinds out earth-crushing rhythms on the heaviest track, "Fate" with primal abandon…the pulse and backbone of the band are Andres and Vincent Ramos…” MUSIC CONNECTION critic Bob Leggett raved, “The Ramos brothers (Vincent, bass; Andres, drums) lay down a strong bottom line and share an effective chemistry; add in the guitar work of (Flint) Mavis and you have a band that is head and shoulders above their peers…blending tense lyrics with a palpable musical beat, they are poised to fill the gap of talented female-fronted rock bands, and not a moment too soon.”
NEVERWONDER REVIEW CDS, INTERVIEWS, & PRESS MATERIALS AVAILABLE:
