Brooklyn band Wakey! Wakey! drew me to my old stomping ground, Park Slope, on March 13, 2008 when they performed at Union Hall, opening for both Jason Anderson and The Zambonis. I’m torn in describing the venue: I cherished the intimate atmosphere and small space that prompted the bands to mingle with the audience while waiting for the show to begin, yet the acoustics and lighting did nothing for the bands.
Wakey! Wakey! took the stage first, playing to a small crowd. Critics continually make the comparison. It comes as no surprise. Wakey! Wakey! sounds like Ben Folds. An obvious comparison considering both Ben Folds and Mike Grubbs, lead singer of Wakey! Wakey!, sing and play the keyboard/piano. The similarities were most apparent in the song Messy Girl, an upbeat song that stood out amongst a performance consisting primarily of slower, angst-ridden songs. While Ben Folds has a poppy, revitalizing, energetic quality, Wakey! Wakey!’s tendencies toward minor keys and depressing lyrics concerning drugs and broken hearts results in much moodier songs. Wakey! Wakey! is the dark, deep, brooding version of Ben Folds.
Even Wakey! Wakey!’s sappier ballads had a dark undertone. Blame You, a ballad showcasing Grubb’s earth-shattering vocal talents, is a song a girl dreams of having written for her, but with a twist. Women all over the world would melt when hearing Grubbs sing:
So you are the only person in this room
And I can’t take my eyes off you
I bet you can’t guess what I would do
Just to kiss you in the middle of the room
But the romance diminishes as soon as he sings:
Cause I don’t blame you anymore
Songs like this are an “uplifting” break from what Grubbs described as the “slit your wrist portion of the evening”.
Wakey! Wakey!’s performance was the highlight of the evening. Awe inspiring keyboarding skills, heart-wrenching and intriguing lyrics, unique tempos and beats, and talented vocals make Wakey! Wakey! a promising group that I predict will take NYC by storm.
The next band, Jason Anderson, caused me the most difficulties. Facts must be observed: 1) Jason Anderson had a cold. 2) It was the band’s first performance together. That being said, I was unimpressed overall, finding the band’s performance mediocre, the lyrics simple and obnoxiously repetitious, and the overall vibe disjointed, this at least being understandable considering it was their first performance together.
Towards the end of the set, the band hit their stride. While at the beginning lead singer Jason Anderson was the only one who appeared to be comfortable and enjoying himself on stage, the entire band eventually began to exude confidence and energy at the end.
The performance peaked with the final two songs, which is the sole reason I was tempted into checking them out on iTunes upon returning home. The rest of the set consisted of songs that were only partially memorable or enjoyable. Having said that, they were by no means bad but I would not choose to see them again, however, as luck would have it, they are opening for Tilly and the Wall on Friday, March 21, 2008, the next concert I am to review. So for now, I will leave off judging them completely.
The final band to take the stage was The Zambonis and the crowd was loud, ready, and waiting. It was like a sports bar suddenly emptied and spilled into Union Hall. The smallness of the venue yielded some interesting sights as the band stripped down to their skivvies in the “back stage area”, really only the left corner of the room, in order to dawn their hockey regalia before taking the stage. The Zambonis were entertainers, pure and simple. With songs that were reminiscent of Weird Al Yankovich, they sang entirely about hockey. Even their ballads concerned the sport. One of my favorites, titled The Referee’s Daughter, was belted by these 40 year olds in helmets. If you like hockey, you will like them and if you don’t, you will smile and laugh at their silly antics. And how can an evening be anything but excellent when there is a large monkey mascot downing beers, playing the tambourine, and at times singing back up?
