By Tiffany Razzano

ong Island folkies Miles to Dayton are swimming like mad to stay afloat in a sea of hardcore, emo and pop-punk - and they're ready to rock out a little bit more themselves.

Miles to Dayton, named as a tribute to guitarist Jon Preddice's grandfather Dayton, first formed as a trio out of the open mic scene on Long Island. Preddice hooked up with siblings Dave and Krista March, who respectively became guitarist and vocalist for Miles, when he played open mic nights at local venues, particularly at the East Enders Coffeehouse in Riverhead.

Preddice, the band's primary songwriter, was coming off a bad break-up, as was Krista. The two soon began dating, but that didn't change that fact that all the songs from their debut album were influenced by heart break.

"At the time I was heartbroken," Preddice said. "Initially all the songs were heartbroken songs, your typical love lost."

As both their relationship and the band flourished, Miles added Rob Caniglia, a student at Five Towns College, as a drummer, incorporating his edgier and raw sound with their acoustic melodies and three-part harmonies. The group is "slowly marrying their sound into the realm of rock," Preddice said.

They plan on recording their second album this summer at the Captain Cabesa Studio, with Bill Ayasse, the violinist from Frog's Café. A lot of the songs are already written, with more on the way. The group has also been joined by Preddice's younger sister Leanne on violin, which, much like the cello was the main instrument on the first album, should prove to be a major force on the upcoming album, which is anticipated to be released this fall.

The new songs show that Preddice, along with the group as a whole, is taking on an edgier sound.

"Now we want to go rock out at bars. We're not heartbroken anymore," Preddice said. While some of the songs are still about relationships, they have more of a "global feel." They're "about enjoying life instead of being sad and wanting to kill yourself; that was a little too maudlin. Now we think life is beautiful so they're happy songs."

Since harder rock is so prevalent in the Long Island music scene, it's hard to find many venues, aside from coffeehouses, that cater to acoustic, folk music. "Our music is so different. As far as punk goes, punk is in right now. Once [something is] in, it's in for a while," said Krista March. "I notice venues only taking certain kinds of bands, so we have to think if our music will fit in before trying to book a gig."

While Miles to Dayton tends to have an older crowd of college-aged fans and even those beyond college, the group believes that it's easier for bands in the hardcore punk scene, which tends to have a younger audience, to market themselves. "They can bring a flier to school, and word spreads," said Preddice. "When promoting to adults it's more individual marketing ... it's a little more leg work."

Still, Miles to Dayton has formed itself a niche in central and eastern Suffolk, routinely playing venues such as East Enders and University Café. They've also discovered other local artists also in the folk-rock or singer-songwriter vein, such as John-Flor and The Corduroys.