Between the shows, the press, the Family Records/Liberated Matter compilation, and the series of weekly covers released digitally, 2007 was a productive year for Mike Grubbs and his band, Wakey!Wakey! All of that though was just a precursor to the band’s official debut - the live Silent As A Movie, recorded at Pianos back in April and recently seeing wide release. .
If the sold out record release party last month at Mercury Lounge was any indication, WakeyWakey! is a band on the verge of much bigger things. That night Grubbs and his 16(!)-piece entourage of musicians and friends played before a rapturous crowd. From the start the show felt like the party it was intended to be. Musicians came and went from the stage, seemingly at will but more likely as a result of some careful choreography. And on “Honey Covered Hands”, which featured all 15 musicians playing together (full string and horn sections, an accordianist, and 2 extra guitarists joined the core band of keys, guitar, bass, and drums), the band reached for a huge sound and achieved it, somehow managing to keep everyone in time with the song’s take on carnivalesque piano-pop.
The live CD the show supported was well worth the wait. Wakey!Wakey! has come a long way since the album was recorded in April, but as a document of where this band came from, it works beautifully. Favorites like “Messy Girl” and “Cokehead” have never sounded more fleshed out and spacious, nor have “LGA” and “Car Crash Song” sounded more beautiful. And “Falling Apart”, already one of my favorite songs of 2007, really comes to life with the backing of a rhythm section as it kicks things off. Grubbs has promised even more for the coming year, including the recording of the first Wakey!Wakey! studio album, and continued touring. Silent As A Movie is more likely than not just the start for this guy, but oh what a way to begin.
MP3 :: Falling Apart
MP3 :: Cokehead
(from Silent As A Movie. Buy here)
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Here are some of the recent covers that I haven't yet posted:
MP3 :: For No One (Alicia Keys cover)
MP3 :: Letters Home (Joei DBG cover)
MP3 :: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (yes, that song)
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PHW :: Related (More Covers)
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