The underground rock group My Pet Dragon is poised for a takeoff, according to several musical pundits. The band’s bass player, Mario Padron, lives in Hoboken.
“I feel like I’m in the best group I can imagine being with,” the 38-year-old resident said in an interview last week.
Padron, a Miami, Fla. native, moved to the area when he was 30, and he has been playing bass since he was 15.
“I traded a skateboard for a bass guitar when I was a kid,” he said. “Then I went to my high school band director and said I want to play bass.”
He learned to play, and Padron hasn’t looked back since.
Padron joined My Pet Dragon approximately four years ago, he said, when a friend who is also a musician in the area recommended him to the group.
“My friend said [singer Todd Michaelson] and I would both get along and be into each others musical styles,” Padron said. “He hit the nail on the head.”
For more information on the band, visit MyPetDragon.net.
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My Pet Dragon recently played in Northern Soul, a small venue in southwest Hoboken.
“Going into the show we thought we’d have to watch ourselves because it’s a small venue,” he said. “But it was one of the best shows that we’ve had in a while. We really enjoyed it there.”
The band is growing, and has a large following in New York City.
The key to their success, Padron said, is partly just being good people.
“A big component of our success is the people who are a part of the band,” he said. “We’re all just really nice and personable. Todd and Rena (two members of the band) are the main forces behind My Pet Dragon. They’re both very vibrant people. Anywhere we go, we connect with our audience and the people who run the venue.”
Padron describes My Pet Dragon as “a very big sounding band.”
“There’s very anthemnic sounds and we’re very energized,” Padron said. “Everyone on stage is very happy and very into it, and just loving what they do.”
Padron said the music is “very intense and high energy without being aggressive.”
“It’s happy rock music that’s very inspirational, but intense, so we want to keep that vibe and add a little more dance style music,” Padron said. “When you go see a live band you just want to have the audience feel charged. We want them to leave the show feeling great.”
A regular Hoboken guy
In addition to playing in the band, Padron supplements his income with a very Hoboken-esque side job. He completed his interview with The Reporter while walking a group of dogs.
“My wife is a yoga teacher and I play instrumental music when she teaches classes,” Padron said. “That, the dogwalking, and odd jobs here and there help us meet our end result of pursuing out dreams.”
Music critics feel that 2012 will be a big year for My Pet Dragon. Padron said the band shares those sentiments.
“There’s just some kind of feeling that I get; we feel the buzz,” he said. “There’s little bits here and there, such as an interview or an article; or we get included in something and get excited about it. With the type of music that we’re making and the people involved in the band, there’s just that buzz inside the band that something big is going to happen.”
Padron said Hoboken has provided a helpful home for him as a musician.
“There’s a lot of musicians in Hoboken and a great music scene within the city,” he said. Padron said he has had good experiences in a Hoboken store, The Guitar Bar, which has become a hotspot for local musicians.
Recently, My Pet Dragon’s hit song “Love Anthem” was featured on a CD for the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
“That’s going to be really good because we want to align ourselves with issues we believe in and things we feel strongly about,” Padron said. “We want people to have a voice.”
For more information on the band, visit MyPetDragon.net.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com