Musicians from Oregon and Connecticut bond in a tropical paradise.

Guitarist Daniel Nickels and drummer Tom Miller lived on opposite coasts of the U.S., but an open mic night at a beach bar on the Carribbean island of St. Kitts brought them together in 2008. 


Miller’s wife was attending veterinarian school on the island, and Nickels was in nursing school, but both guys were interested in pursuing music careers. After jamming a couple times, they realized they were an ideal fit and Leeward Fate – playing the Alternative Cafe on Thursday with touring bassist Ryan Smith – was born.


“We’re both obsessed with getting better and pushing ourselves,” Nickels says. “I had been looking for someone like Tom to play music with for 20 years.”


Adds Miller, “It was amazing to find someone who was just as motivated of a musician as I am.”


Initially, Leeward stuck to covers ranging from Men at Work’s “Land Down Under” to Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.” But eventually Miller and Nickels started writing their own material, and the locals on St. Kitts received their original tunes with open arms. 


“The people on the island really took to our music pretty abruptly,” Miller says. “The same people started showing up every time we played, and it kinda grew from there.”


Leeward’s 2009 self-titled debut is deeply rooted in the rhythm and sounds of the Caribbean. But on the outfit’s recent follow-up, Calling You, they abandon the island vibe for wholesome ’90s rock à la Hootie & the Blowfish and Switchfoot. Crisp acoustic guitar finger-picking and Nickels’ breathy voice – which has an endearing, Cat Stevens-like quality – carry the album’s final tune, “Apple Tree.”


Ever since Nickels and Miller returned to the U.S. a couple years back, Leeward Fate has survived a bi-coastal telecommute. The guys write songs together over the phone and computer and get together about every six months to record or tour. But their alliance remains just as strong as it was during those open-mic sessions at Ziggy Beach Bar & Grill. Who says long-distance relationships don’t work? 


LEEWARD FATE performs 7:30pm Thursday, March 29, at the Alternative Cafe, 1230 Fremont Blvd., Seaside. $8. 583-0913.