By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A San Francisco-area modern rock band with a local connection is starting to gain some traction as the group prepares to move to the LaPlace area this summer.

Vocalist Mick Donovan, lead guitarist Erik Ezrin and bassist and drummer John Walden make up the Mick Donovan Band. The group recently signed with an independent record label, and their debut, self-titled, six-song record was released March 1.

Walden, a LaPlace native, said the group formed in 2009 through ads taken out by Donovan on the job listing site craigslist.com.

“Mick had been in other groups and did some writing in the past but wanted something of his own,” Walden said. “When he ran the ads, Erik signed on first, and I followed. We jammed a few times, and that was pretty much it.”

Walden said the group has established a decent following in the Bay Area, but they think they are ready to branch out to other regions. The group toured Nashville last October and made connections there before heading back to the west coast.

“That’s when we started getting inquiries from the record labels,” Walden said. “JMD Records out of Miami signed us soon after the Nashville trip. We went into the studio in December, and now we have the six-song EP ready to distribute.”

Donovan said the group has been compared musically to other modern rock acts like 3 Doors Down, Creed, Nickelback and Chris Daughtry. He said the similarities likely stem from the band’s collective musical influences growing up.

“I think we all grew up listening to what our parents listened to,” Donovan said. “There was a lot of Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash, but as I grew older I got more into the hair bands and harder rock of say Guns N’ Roses and Bon Jovi.”

Walden, being from south Louisiana, said his influences took a slightly different turn than his fellow band mates.

“I grew up listening to big band and swing music, but I got really into bands like the Meters, George Porter Jr., the Neville Brothers,” Walden said. “Now I have a real affinity for more of the swamp pop sound similar to what Anders Osborne does.”

Walden, 40, said he grew up in LaPlace and attended East St. John High School in the late 1980s. He left the area in 1995, but he still has deep ties to the region.

“Honestly, it is amazing to see how far the area has come in the last 10 years,” Walden said. “When I left it was nothing like it is now. I still know people out this way, and I think we can really do well with this audience.”

Walden has been in and out of various bands in the last few years, but said his most fulfilling work has been with Donovan and Ezrin.

“I have the chance to apply things I have learned to help these guys and this group,” Walden said.

“We are doing some really cool things, and we have very strong chemistry. I’m looking forward to touring dates in this area,” he added.

The band has been negotiating with local booking agents to put together a series of club dates in the area. Walden said the group has been promoting themselves and gaining more and more exposure. The group can be found online at www. themickdonovanband. com.