From Makyo Star to solo star

(Credit: Andrew Lipovsky )

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You might expect Paul Rankin to be a little angry. After three years of investing his time, money and passion into local pop-punk band Makyo Star, Rankin was abruptly booted from the group by his bandmates, whom he considered to be his best friends. Surprisingly, though, the 25-year-old guitarist doesn't sound bitter.

"I wish those guys the best," he says. "Honestly, the best thing that ever happened to me was getting out of that band and being able to pursue my own personal goals as a musician."

In the time Rankin spent with Makyo Star, the band never officially put out a studio album. Yet, in less than a year of going it alone, Rankin has finished recording his first full-length release and will make his solo debut at The Club at Water Street on Saturday, Oct. 24.

He's come a long way since the weeks following his split with Makyo Star, a period when music was the last thing on his mind. He says he was ousted after a dispute over his "technical abilities as a musician." The band puts it more vaguely, saying the breakup was caused by "creative differences."

Regardless, unlike the other members of Makyo Star, Rankin's music of choice was never pop-punk. His influences range from Metallica and Dream Theater to Coldplay and Radiohead. Still, that didn't ease Rankin's pain once his bandmates gave him the news.

"I gave up playing guitar and made the decision that I would never play in anything again," he recalls. However, as the weeks went on, Rankin put his love of music back to work on some new tunes. The end product is the appropriately titled Clearing The Air, a collection of diverse songs molded in Rankin's emotionally introspective personality.

On the U2-sounding "I Believe," he croons in high-pitched harmony about the idea of never-ending love, while the grungy vocals and instrumentation of "Apertures" radiates with the tortured sophistication of bands like The Vines or early Radiohead. He even touches on his once-close friendships with the members of Makyo Star on two songs: "Thieves" and "Remnants of Relationships." On the latter Rankin sings, "You made your choice and now I'll go/You let your pride consume you."

Clearing The Air, Rankin said, is merely the beginning for the young guitarist. He hopes to release the album before the end of the year. And he plans to head back to Time Bomb Studios in Boston (where he recorded Clearing The Air) to begin work on an acoustic album with Rochester native and producer David Fondiller (formerly of local rock band Third Estate).

"For me it's just happening right now," Rankin says. "I don't think I'm the best singer or the best musician in the world. I don't need to be. All I need to be is me. I'm extremely confident in where I'm at, and I really think it's going to be an experience for people."