SAYREVILLE – With nearly a decade’s worth of shows and on-stage appearances, members of a Sayreville-based band are getting ready for their next performance in their hometown.
Mikell’s Plot, an eight-piece mix of punk rock, blues, hard rock and heavy metal, will perform at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville on Sept. 30. They will open for The Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band.
Mikell’s Plot is comprised of lead vocalist Michael O’Connor of Sayreville, bassist Andrew Edick of Old Bridge, drummer J.J. Petri of Woodbridge, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Pete Mongiello of Springfield, guitarist and backing vocalist George Rivera of Toms River, saxophonist Doug DeRienzo of South Orange, keyboardist and backing vocalist John Mulrenan of Howell, and electric violinist Jenn Hamilton of Freehold Township.
The band formed in Sayreville in 1998 while O’Connor was working for Rivera at logistics services company Nippon Express. After listening to a demo tape that O’Connor made, Rivera suggested that he put a band together.
“I was in my 20s [at the time] and George was like a big brother to me,” O’Connor said.
Following the band’s formation, O’Connor noted that he has been singing and writing songs with Mikell’s Plot for almost 20 years.
However, O’Connor added that the group has also faced struggles, notably Rivera’s battle with bone cancer for the past eight years.
Although the cancer was removed from Rivera’s hip and neck, his arm abruptly broke while playing with a dog in a pool. The cancer returned and O’Connor described how Rivera became afflicted with tumors and has since undergone chemotherapy.
“It’s been a rough road,” O’Connor said. “George started the band with me.”
Rivera’s injury led to Mongiello being approached to join the band, which he accepted, and subsequently became a permanent member. Although joking that he was “put through the grinder” to perform with Mikell’s Plot on short notice, Mongiello has come to enjoy his time with his bandmates.
“I love the band,” Mongiello said. “We’re a like-minded unit and we all get along. Music is a lot of fun.”
O’Connor explained that Mongiello’s arrival changed the musical approach of Mikell’s Plot, which had previously used Rivera’s guitar parts for the band’s rhythm section and the saxophone for the lead. With Mongiello playing lead guitar, the guitar also became a lead instrument in the band’s music. As they play the same instrument, Mongiello spoke highly of Rivera and described him as the group’s “real guitar player.”
Sharing Mongiello’s praise of the band’s dynamic is Edick, who first saw Mikell’s Plot perform in New Brunswick while he was with another band. Edick described how he sought to join Mikell’s Plot after seeing them and has since been with the group for two years.
“There’s no drama, no problems,” he said. “There’s chemistry in the band and a lot of energy. We feed off the audience and the audience feeds off of us.”
The current lineup of Mikell’s Plot formed at an open jam at Al Cibelli’s Bar in Perth Amboy in 2015 and the members expect positive results from their upcoming performance and a positive future for the band.
“The Machine is a phenomenal act,” Mongiello said. “I’m a fan myself. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of energy,” Edick said.
“We’re looking forward to the show,” O’Connor said.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for $17, or at the door for $20.
Contact Matthew Sockol@[email protected].