Michael Rault got his start in music playing in local punk bands, such as The Nightshades (with members of Let’s Dance and the Dance Floor Disasters) and the Morellos (with now notable solo performer Eamon McGrath), while simultaneously falling in as a guitar player with the Rault Brothers Band alongside his Dad and Uncle, Lionel and Ron Rault. In June of 2005 he ventured out on his own with his first self titled “Michael Rault and the Mixed Signals” CDR EP. The album became a minor local hit, and the band caught a break in being featured at the third and final Ruckus Compilation release, and their locally popular song “Numb” was included on the accompanying disc. Rault kept up the group’s momentum by releasing their second CDR EP in February of 2006. The disc, which was entitled “Edmonton’s Newest Hit Makers”, garnered rave reviews both locally and abroad. Edmonton’s Vue Weekly and Calgary’s Beatroute Magazine listed the EP as one of the top releases of the year and Paul Martin of the UK’s Shindig Magazine proclaimed, “Rault and his cohorts produce a great basic garage sound, which all garage heads worthy of their salt should check out. They are clearly worthy of a label signing and deserve to have their songs more widely heard.” Running on the steam heat generated by his current release, Michael was a featured artist on Luka Symons’ “Nightcap” on CKUA Radio in May of 2006, and that same year he was invited to play at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, as well as the Syncrude Next Generation Arts Festival (also known as Next Fest).
