Published: March 19, 2010 6:02 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight March 2010 Edition
Wolfe and the Wayside
Music Now Artist/Band Spotlight Weekly Series
Wolfe and the Wayside
Aaron Wolfe of Wolfe and the Wayside recently chatted with me online via email about his band's music and what makes them so darn fun to listen to. What our Webzine discovers is that Wolfe and the Wayside are made up of super talented group of men who have come together to make some great music that features catchy hooks and fun lyrics. If you want to learn more about this band, then read on in this fun spotlight. Enjoy!
Isaac: I just listened to several songs off your new EP/CD. What was the inspiration for making your new album?
Aaron Wolfe: This is our second EP, our first "Bugs & Bottlecaps" was just a tool to get us gigs and try to get our name out there, but after playing out a bunch we started to want a stronger representation of what were all about. I started writing songs from a stronger place of reflection, taking in all the stories and feelings I had of my childhood and boiling them down into a few themes and concepts: The party on Friday night in the summer that you hope never ends, the first date with a girl that might, just might, be special, the heartache of alienation, and ultimately the devastation and pain of aging and changing. It's heady shit, but really we just wanted to record our four favorite songs.
Isaac: Who were your influences?
Aaron Wolfe: We're really influenced by 70s power-pop bands like Big Star, and their modern off-spring such as Wilco, The Replacements, Teenage Fanclub, and The Shins. Take all that and add in a healthy respect for Bob Dylan and Weezer and I think that pretty much rounds us out. Actually, I've been listening to a lot of songs that I grew listening to lately. Bands like the Cure and Nirvana feel like they are more important now than almost ever before.
Isaac: What do you consider to have been the highlight(s) and lowpoint(s) of your career to date?
Aaron Wolfe: We just had our EP release party at this unbelievable club in Brooklyn. It was an amazing turnout almost 200 people packed it in, and we played a great set. At the end as we were wrapping it up, we sort of did a sing along version of one of the songs. To hear 200 people sing your lyrics is pretty unbelievable.
As for lowpoint... it's silly but we played this show in NYC that I thought was really special. I had this distinct feeling that I was really reaching people, that there was a sense that people were truly engaged in our tunes and were listening to the music. At the end of the gig, someone gave me a video that she had filmed of the show. I was so excited to hear it! After all, it felt like a triumphant gig. That night at home I heard the truth which was the whole time people were yacking it up and bored out of their mind. In one particularly quiet moment, you could literally hear someone ordering Mexican food. I'm thinking, "Hey! Can we hold off on the enchiladas for a second? I'm emoting over here."
Isaac: Brief history about your background plus the style of music you play.
Aaron Wolfe: I grew up in the New York area, I taught myself how to play guitar from a Hal Leonard book. When I was 17, my friends and I formed a band called "The Magic Possum Band" we were a huge hit in the suburban three block radius of my friends house. After dropping out of three or four colleges, I fell into a great situation playing bass for a touring band and then soon after formed my own band with a few other friends. Wolfe & The Wayside has pretty much been the core group it is now for a couple of years.
I'd say we play Indie-Pop. Though I also think we're sometimes just a rock band.
Isaac: How easy is it to gets gigs for you as an artist? What is the live music scene like in your area?
Aaron Wolfe: We're pretty lucky, because NY is such a rich music town. That said it's hard to find good rooms to play in because there are soooo many bands in the scene. It's also really very hard to get new fans. People tend to support their friends and when it's your set they split for the bar. But we do alright. We've got a core group of folk that come out and support and slowly slowly we're building a head of steam.
Isaac: What do you think of the state of Indie music at the moment? Do you listen to radio much at all? Has the Internet helped music grow or hindered it in your opinion?
Aaron Wolfe: Indie music is great as it always is and will be. People are always writing and recording great music. The business is dead. I don't know what it will take but there it is a fucking desert out there. You hear success stories but they're few and far between, no one buys music, no one is supporting music, and no one has figured out a way to make this whole thing work. And the only people that are out there working with Indie music seem to be trying to make a buck off the musician rather than make money WITH the musician. It's pretty sad.
Isaac: If you could create a fantasy band - what would be the line-up and why?
Aaron Wolfe: It's corny but I like my band the way it is. I'd like to know how to play accordion, though.
Isaac: What CD's do you currently have available and where can they be purchased from?
Aaron Wolfe: We've got two CDs on iTunes, eMusic, and those kinds of places.
Isaac: Where can fans access your music, videos, blogs, and anything else about you online?
Aaron Wolfe: If you're interested you should check out www.wolfeandthewayside.com/ we post photos, new music, videos, etc. pretty regularly. Also you can see when we're playing next!
Isaac: Message to your fans?
Aaron Wolfe: Spread the word! We musicians need all the help we can get!!
