HOUSE OF WAX by Waxapples

Whether listening to the bands debut album WAXAPPLES/WAXAPPLES, or watching a live show, the response from people to WAXAPPLES has been nothing short of amazement. It seems people are finding a reaffirmation in new music through WAXAPPLES extremely fresh and vibrant take on rock-n-roll. The live show has been described as “jaw dropping” and “unbelievable”. Dicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones calls them “Talented, hard hitting and original”. “It’s something else.” says Jamie “To see people line up and wait patiently to shake our hands and tell us how much we moved them, and it’s perfect because, rock-n-roll is, at it’s core, about moving people. On stage, it’s a little like a bar fight and a little like the tango. It’s rhythm and energy and release. It’s where safe collides with unsafe. Push the envelope a bit. Breath the music in and let go.”

It took three years of working in players, until WAXAPPLES line up (a power treo with saxophone and both male & female vocals) finally solidified in 2003. “We have a screaming sax (Matt Kalin) that can double vocals, as well as play guitar riffs. We have a drummer (James Grissom) that can play to a click or improvise jazz fills. We have a bass player (Marcus Irvin) that knows when one more note is too many and how to keep it all in the pocket. We have a female lead (Jamie Coakley) that can carry a note and kick ass on stage, and we have a band that feels like a family.” says Brian about WAXAPPLES. “We really wanted to find players that complimented the songs I write and my style on guitar. But we also wanted to find people who were as passionate and committed to making great music as we were. People we truly liked. These guys just fit in and it has made all the difference in the world. From rehearsal to recording to playing shows...it’s what rock-n-roll should be, fun! And I think that really comes across live.”

In 2004, Brian and Jamie established Nadine Records, to support WAXAPPLES, and released their first album, WAXAPPLES/WAXAPPLES, in August of that year.

Since March 2005, they have received steady air play on Indie 103.1 in L.A., “America’s Coolest Radio Station - Rolling Stone Magazine” and have appeared live on Dicky Barrett’s (The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) Mighty Morning Show, four times. They earned, without the help of a booking agent, coveted opening slots for world famous, world class acts such as The Violent Femmes, X, Social Distortion, The Gin Blossoms, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, & Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, to name a few.

“We truly are D.I.Y. personified.” says Jamie. “Brian is the musical genius, and I run the label and manage the band. We do our own booking, our own publicity, as well as coordinate all the things a record label does when releasing an album. It makes for a busy life, but we really love what we do and the rewards; when you book a great show, or read a glowing article about your band, or get an email from a stranger who loves your music, it really means something. It tells us what we are doing is worthwhile. It’s what sustains us, pushes us forward, and at the end of the day, why we feel we are really lucky to be here and to have the opportunity to share our passion for music with others.”

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