Wolfe & the Wayside

Simple Honesty - Indie Pop Report

Wolfe & The Wayside is a Brooklyn-based band whose backgrounds bleed through to the music itself. Aaron Wolfe, Jon Lundbom, Danny Reisbick, Colum Young and Clayton Colwell are just regular guys that do regular ‘guy ’stuff. They are proud to tell it like it is, have fun and be themselves – these are the guys that end up being the banner holders for other regular guys to rally around. Their second EP, On The Radio, is described as ’stories about weary anti-heroes that wander a world of radio-pop songs that tell the truth about growing up and finding out that things aren’t always what they seemed.’

The first track, On The Radio, starts us out with lyrics that linearly don’t make much sense and are not likely to cause any deep reflection, but nevertheless are amusing and exceedingly catchy. On the Radio is a not ready to grow up yet anthem about girls, getting high and making the best adventure out of a situation. Making a little more sense in story form is Cathedral Stars, which follows with an honest portrayal of a no-win relationship. The chorus adds that optimistic view from the regular guy perspective, “You can’t stand when I’m high and I can’t stand goodbyes, so we’ll just shake and hope we’ll make it all right” - a perfect, no drama approach to moving on when there is no way to resolve a situation.

One of the best things about this EP is the imagery created by throwing a few well paired words together to bring a clear yet slightly skewed vision to life. Blueberry Dress uses a beguilingly poppy melody to cart you through the ride while dropping candy coated cough drops in the head. Ice cream cones and soda stains and colorforms and cigarettes are just a few of the not quite perfect ideas that become stuck in a non-stop circling loop in the mind. Jailhouse rounds out this album with its most addictive song yet. They beat the score again with a memorable melody, cleverly hinted at scenarios and a hook that will not leave you alone. Oh, whoa, oh, oooh. Damn it! Again and Again!

Although On The Radio is only a four track EP, it packs a lot of punch. It’s simple honesty and flawless melodies offer a fun, absolutely non-serious series of songs that keep you moving. Throw in the off color wordsmithing and their first EP, Bugs & Bottlecaps, and you have a full 10 tracks to keep you dancing till the buzz wears off.

3.5 Stars (Out of 5) - Wildy's World

Wolfe & The Wayside - On The Radio
2010, Wolfe & The Wayside

Brooklyn’s Wolfe & The Wayside have a somewhat magical feel about them. Sure, it’s great pop music, but there’s alchemy in their songwriting where the different parts of the band come together and transmute into something more than just their individual contributions blended together. While only four songs long, their latest EP On The Radio makes that abundantly clear.

On The Radio opens with the title track, an incredibly catchy alt-rock tune with roots in the garage rock era. Centered on an incredibly catchy riff, “On The Radio” is a post-modern take on the innocence of youth. This tune has a very high commercial ceiling for both radio and licensing. “Cathedral Stairs” has something of a Tom Petty meets Wilco feel but with a great pop beat. Wolfe & The Wayside get a bit messy on “Blueberry Dress”, trying hard to get things together but never quite managing. The song does features Aaron Wolfe’s best vocal performance on the EP however. “Jailhouse” closes things out; a promising tune with a chorus that’s neat but a bit too monochromatic. “Jailhouse” is the sort of tune that will really catch your attention the first time through but lose you after a few listens.

On The Radio shows tremendous promise for Wolfe & The Wayside. What becomes abundantly clear is how good these guys can be. They don’t put it all together for all four songs on this EP, but On The Radio displays the band’s ability to blend strong songwriting with a touch of pop magic the likes of which makes for a long, successful career. On The Radio has its bumps, but is a thing of beauty just the same.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Our Story

You see, Jon and Aaron used to play in a different band, and then one day the singer broke a string and turned to Aaron and said "Play one of your songs." And so he did. Five years and two EPs later, Wolfe & The Wayside rocks the poppier side of your alt world, on the radio, nationwide.

Their new EP, "On The Radio," tells stories of weary anti-heroes wandering a world of radio-pop that tells the truth about growing up and finding out that things aren't always as they seemed. "On The Radio" was recorded at the unbelievable Fireplace Studios by Gabe Schwartz and was mastered by the incomparable Seth Foster.

The Players:
AARON WOLFE (vocals, guitar) - Found his mother's guitar when he was 12, his father's record collection at 13, and watched "The Wall" with his great aunt at 14.

JON LUNDBOM (guitar) - Creates much more than he destroys though if music was your sandcastle he'd be the kid with the shovel and the shit-kickers.

DANNY REISBICK (bass) - May or may not have lived in the town you're from but definitely is the kind of guy that knows where the nearest guitar shop is. Also lays bass lines like construction workers lay foundations.

COLUM YOUNG (drums) - Remember that day when you were hanging in the basement listening to a record with your old buddies and that song started all mellow but then the drums started and it reminded you that these moments are precious and you should remember them forever?

CLAYTON COLWELL (vocals, guitar) - Some people sing harmony and that's like saying they sometimes play tennis with their buddies on the weekend. Other people sing harmony like they breath, and you never doubt that there never was a time that they couldn't.

Bugs & Bottlecaps

BUGS AND BOTTLECAPS is the debut EP from Brooklyn based quintet Wolfe & The Wayside with a traditional lineup (two guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums). Such aggregations usually stand or fall on the worth of their material and what we hear on BUGS AND BOTTLECAPS portends good things for this band.

Wolfe & The Wayside lists Wilco and Bob Dylan among their influences, and it is the former, especially, that informs their music, particularly on tracks such as “Uptight” and “Brown Eyes/Pink Barrettes.” That is not to say that anything on BUGS AND BOTTLECAPS sounds as if it was cribbed from the Wilco playbook; it is more the mood that Wolfe & The Wayside captures, as opposed to any particular chord progression. There is a rustic angst of loss and desire that weaves its way through BUGS AND BOTLECAPS without sacrificing energy, with the arrangements being full without sounding cluttered. And while there is no particular track that especially stands out from the others, there are none that you will find yourself skipping over, either.

As musicians move closer to releasing tracks on an individual basis, rather than 14 or 15 track increments, we will undoubtedly see a trend toward collections such as this which will demonstrate whether the band can stand or fall. Wolfe & The Wayside with BUGS & BOTTLECAPS have shown they have the chops. I’ll look forward to more. (8 out of 10)

Joe Harlaub from Music-Reviewer.com