The foundation of MIRIAH began to form in the late 1970s when Gragg Entwistle and Jeff Martines came together. Entwistle was a musical renaissance man who played five different instruments and had formal vocal training. He also studied music theory. Siting THE WHO's John Entwistle and jazz bassist Stanley Clark as influences, Entwistle would provide a melodic counterpoint to MIRIAH's compositions. Alongside self-taught drummer Martines, who was influenced by John Bonham and Tommy Aldridge to Lenny White, the two would create a perfect synchronized rhythm section Sometime in the mid-80s, Entwistle and Martines began playing in a cover band called HAT TRICK. After HAT TRICK ended, the two sat out to find a guitarist more aligned with the type of heavier rock they wanted to be playing. Subsequently, the duo found a 23-year-old self-taught flamboyant guitarist that had been playing for six years prior and had four years of live performance experience. A native of Germany, Shawn Vickers had arrived in the United States four years earlier, and upon his arrival, Viclers immediately hit the Maryland music scene. His progressive and neo-classical influences of Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen and Alex Lifeson would not go unnoticed. Now as a trio, they would form a cover band called XS. This flirtation as a cover band would only last a few months before the three decided to start writing original material. With this shift in the band's direction came the new band name, HIGHER ARCHY. However, the threesome felt something was still missing and decided that a lead vocalist/frontman was it. So after a short search and scanning classified ads in local papers like the Maryland Musician, they would come across 25-year-old Jerry Magallanes. Formerly a drummer, Magallanes would decide to switch his focus to his natural vocal abilities, eventually even undergoing formal training that would develop into a uniquely powerful sound. With the influences of singers such as Steven Tyler and Ronnie James Dio, Magallanes proved to be an energetic and ambitious vocalist who brought the professionalism of an experienced band musician. Once the band became a foursome, the name would be changed a last time to MIRIAH. The band would take nearly a year to refine their songs and sound before playing its first gig at a battle of the bands at The Copa (later known as the infamous Jaxx in West Springfield, Northern Virginia. They would take second place in the contest that would introduce MIRIAH as a new contender on the circuit. Several shows in the DC/MD/North VA area would follow. Several of these shows would be with some of the biggest acts on the Eastcoast club circuit at the time, such as MYSTIC FORCE, WRATHCHILD AMERICA, CHILD'S PLAY and HEAVEN'S EDGE. MIRIAH would only ride the circuit for a few years between 1988 to 1992. Within that short time, the band had developed a solid professional relationship with Bob Yesbek and Omega Sound Studios in Rockville, MD. There MIRIAH would record much of its demo material. The band's buzz continued to grow locally as it became one of the bigger local live attractions in the local hard rock/heavy metal scene and was particularly embraced in Baltimore. Plenty of local news articles and radio airplay would help to increase MIRIAH's reputation despite the inevitably changing musical climate. The band would also venture out regionally into neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and New York. MIRIAH would shop demos to several record labels gaining some interest but nothing more would come from the efforts. It was becoming increasingly more difficult for hard rock and heavy metal acts to score that allusive record deal at that time in the 1990s. In 1991 Magallanes would exit the band. The remaining members of MIRIAH would find a replacement vocalist and continue forward. Entwistle would then leave and the band would bring in a new bassist. With this new line-up, MIRIAH would record some additional demos However this attempt to carry on would be shortlived before the band would simply call it a day. In 1994, the original lineup of MIRIAH briefly reunited and did a couple of reunion shows.
