LITTLE HAITI

New band to hit Churchill's stage

New punk band, The Revelators, will debut at Churchill's on Nov. 21.

• Photos

By PARADISE AFSHAR

pafshar@MiamiHerald.com

 

One of Henk Milne's proudest moments as a parent was when he overheard his kids playing Cream's Sunshine of Your Love when they should have been sleeping.

``My first thought was, `I've bred a rock-`n'-roll band,' '' said Milne, 55, of Coral Gables.

Now he is playing alongside his son Alexander, who goes by Ander, in The Revelators, a blues rock band that will debut at Churchill's, the popular Little Haiti club, Saturday night.

Ander, the band's drummer, has Down syndrome, but he doesn't let it stop him.

``[Playing] makes me feel empowered, and all the ladies love me,'' said Ander.

He is in it not only for the music, but the fame.

``I'm the man, I'm the legend! Next question,'' he said. Although he plays the drums, his favorite instrument is the piano because he likes the ``soft and romantic'' sound.

The Revelators edgy sound is anything but that. The band consists of Ander on drums, his dad on guitar and vocals, Charlie Pickett on slide guitar and vocals and Chris DeAngelis on bass.

``We don't have a leader,'' Milne said. ``If I get tired of playing, he'll [Charlie]pick up.''

All the band members have more than three decades of playing experience, except for Ander, 22, who has been playing since he was 6.

He attends the Learning Experience School, a Coral Gables school for students with developmental challenges. He is in the adult program.

Ander said he wants to be a role model for those with disabilities. He's already his dad's hero.

``I'm his dad and I underestimate him all the time,'' Milne said. ``Sometimes people will look at those with Down syndrome or autism as if they cannot understand what's going on around them.''

Ander has a passion for music, and his meticulous work ethic as a drummer makes him the perfect fit for The Revelators.

``This is like a teenage garage band,'' said DeAngelis, 46, of Miami Shores.

All the band members collaborate on songwriting. They will play about 14 songs Saturday night, half of which are original tracks. DeAngelis and Ander wrote two of the songs.

``As far as our song writing, he'll come up with a line and I'll try to make it about what he is thinking,'' DeAngelis said.

The Revelators, who have been playing together for three months, are planning on recording in a studio soon.

For Ander, that's only the beginning.

``Our next gig will be in Washington D.C. at the White House,'' he said.