A recap to a quarter following The Wife and Kids

I have spent the last nine weeks following around my roommates' band The Wife and Kids. I said in my very first post that I love them; I live with them, but I don't always like them, and that is still true today.

Over the course of the quarter, TWaK have gone from a group of four guys competing with one another to a real band that work together to write and perform music. When I started writing this blog, the band really conflicted with one another. They did not want to share music, and there were many tense moments during song writing and practicing.

However, some time after the Wire show things really started to change. TWak started working together. There was less competition during song writing and just generally more respect among all the members. The Wife and Kids became a band.

I do not know what caused this change, and I really hope TR, Adam, Coert, or Chad comment on this post to tell me their opinions.

I really noticed how much the band had changed during the interview. Listen to the history of The Wife and Kids part, and you will see that the band started off on semi-rocky ground. However, you can also here the respect that they have for one another now. Each gives the other the benefit of the doubt and listens to try to make TWaK even better.

It has really been a great experience from my perspective to follow them. I do not know a lot about music. In one way I have learned a lot about guitars and amps, and what is takes to perform a show. It literally takes as long to set-up for a performance as it does to play the show. I was just amazed by that, and it made me have a lot more respect to see what the band was willing to do to perform for an audience.

It has also been really great to watch the band interact. All of the members of the band are creative, and it has been really great to sit in on practices and hear songs evolve. I knew song writing was a organic experience, but it can be really amazing to hear how a song changes within the first couple practices or when lyrics are added.

This project has been more successful than I ever thought it could be. I think I have really captured The Wife and Kids, especially by being able to get photos, video and audio of them. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

I do not expect this to be the end of this blog. I will still be living with Chad and Adam next year, and if TWaK survives, I will continue blogging about them.

Riverfest

The Riverfest show was very good. Their set was cut by several songs, and they had to stop a song because Adam played when he was not supposed to. Musically, other than these things, it was a great show. Good stage presence, and being outside meant I could finally get good pictures of Chad.

The set was about 45 minutes long, so it was one of their longest shows too. I think this is TWaK's last show this quarter, and it might have been their last show with Coert, so that is kind of bittersweet. All of the band's friends were there, though.

Chad wore a black Spiderman costume meant for a 6-year-old on stage, so that was pretty good and got some cheers.



If the slideshow doesn't load click here

An Interview with the Wife and Kids

Wednesday night I finally got to sit down with The Wife and Kids and have an interview with them. Chad was in class so he wasn't there to participate, but the interview went really well. I will warn you though there is some swearing and bad language in the interview.

I split it up into 8 parts. The last one is by far the longest at about 20 minutes. The rest are all 6-8 minutes long and "Fun Questions" is only 2 minutes long.

Part 1 is the band introducing themselves and talking about influences.

Part 2 is talking about performing

Part 3 is about song writing.

Part 4 is about other bands in Athens.

Part 5 is the bands future.

Part 6 is just more general information about the dynamic of the band.

Part 7 are just some fun questions.

Part 8 is a detailed history of The Wife and Kids (warning this is 20 minutes long.

Practice Last Night

Well I got to hear two songs before I left to go to a lecture last night. The band is sounding a lot more solid, as they get ready for Riverfest on Friday. I bought a digital recorder so I am hoping to schedule and publish an interview with the entire band by then, but I've been really busy this week so it might get postponed until next week. The songs are sounding stronger with each practice, and there is another tonight. I should be able to stay for the whole thing this time, so I'll post a full review then.

Tentatively, according to Adam and I also heard TR say this, TWaK will be playing as the opening act of Riverfest on Friday starting at 5 p.m. with at least an hour long set.

No Rest for the Weary

The Wife and Kid's practice last night was significantly better than the night before. Coert was back on bass and vocals, and the songs sounded a lot better.

TR has written a guitar solo for To the Broken Man. Personally, I don't know if I like it. It changes feeling of the song. The solo links the two parts of To the Broken Man and tries to get the audience ready for the punk second half, but the solo feels too long.

They had to replay a few songs, but it was a successful practice. I am looking forward to the marathon of shows next week for Washington Fest and Riverfest. I plan on taking a lot of pictures with Coert's new D40 and hopefully get some video too.

Adam will be bar tending on the stage for a song during Washingtonfest. So look forward to that.

*EDIT* Apparently, there will be no Washingtonfest show. It has been canceled.

The Wife and Kids Practice?

I wished that I was deaf last night. The Wife and Kids had a pseudo-practice last night. I say pseudo-practice for two reasons.

1. Coert wasn't there, so there was no bass and Adam, TR and Chad shared vocals.
   
2. It was the absolute worst they have sounded since they formed. In fact I remember their early practices well, and they never, ever sounded as bad as last night.

Generally, I try to give the band the benefit of the doubt at practices. I understand that they aren't supposed to sound as good at practice as live or recorded. That consideration was not deserved last night. The joys of listening to microphone feedback and a random instrument (something was wrong with the mixer because I could never hear the whole band simultaneously) as I sit down for the first time to rest and eat dinner.

Also, Chad can't sing. He carries no tune at all. This was the first time I had heard him try to sing any of the band's original songs and hopefully it is the very last. Not only can he not sing; he can't sing and play drums at the same time. He gets off beat. I was very surprised that TR didn't say anything. He has a reputation for clearly identifying when the band sounds atrocious.

To be honest Adam and TR weren't a whole lot better. They were missing parts in several songs and TR forgot some lyrics, but nothing quite equaled the sonic fury that assaulted my ears as I heard a random instrument and squealing feedback.

Band Meeting

The band had an important meeting last night. The most important thing addressed was the search for a new singer and bassist. Since Coert leaves in September, the band is looking to replace him. There have an ad on musicians network. They will be auditioning singers by giving them three songs to learn, but the band is adamant that they have to tryout more than one person. They want to hear what's out there and give things a chance.

The bassist will get similar treatment. He/She will have to learn three songs and tryout. They've heard from one guy already, but no one has heard him, so it's very up in the air.

Coert said that he is willing to help the new person learn his parts. He seems to be taking things quite well. It's not as if he is being thrown out of the band, but I'm sure it's hard to discuss your replacement in a band that you started. I don't know if he will resume his spot when he comes back next year. There might not even be a Wife and Kids because TR is graduating this year and Adam will be graduating next year.

Maybe Chad will take over and turn The Wife and Kids into a noise-rock band. That's a joke, obviously. Chad is into a genre called noise-rock, which is just what it sounds like. No melody, lyrics, or anything that makes music, music. Based on his descriptions it does not sound very listenable.

The other thing that the band covered was recording. They already recorded the four song demo that is on this site, and they would like to record their new material. They agree that this should be done after the new singer and bassist are in the band. Their friend Eric is willing to do it for $20 an hour, and he will record the four songs that they previously recorded for free. His mixing is also free.

Their other option is to record with a guy they met at the Baker show. He is charging $12 an hour, which may or may not include mixing. They listened to his Myspace and were generally unimpressed. It sounded like his recording equipment wasn't as good as Eric's.

The last thing that the band talked about was practices. They haven't practiced since the Baker show. They have Campaign for Literate Dogfood to learn, a solo for To the Broken Man, and a reprise for Farewell Collision. They are practicing three times this week.

Live recordings from the Baker Theater show

So even though the show was five days ago, I finally have everything that I want online.

If you look to the right I posted five songs that were recorded in the sound booth that night. They are hardly professional recordings but give a good idea of what the band sounds like live.

Race Against Myself and My Hero are covers.

The other three are the band's original songs. Someone asked me at the show if To the Broken Man was a cover of Tool, but it is not. It's an interesting song though. It starts off light, then gets really heavy at the end. The cool part about having a live version of it though, is that you can listen to it side by side with the recorded version.

Cigarettes and Shooters is one of the band's newest songs. Adam sings lead on it and TR is backup. I don't really know how to describe it. The song is very much in the vein of mid-90s rock, though.

Slow Play was known as Best Damn Song up until about two weeks ago, when Adam wrote lyrics for it. The song is musically probably the band's oldest. They've been practicing since last quarter when they formed.

Saturday with Adam

Adam and I went out on Saturday to the bars. So of course at some point the conversation moved to the band.

Originally, we were just planning on going to Courtside for a pitcher of Dos Equis. Well that is the worst bar that I've ever been in. They were out of both Dos Equis and Coors, so we both got pints of Bud Light and then got the hell out.

So we went to Casa Neuva, which is much more our vibe. I had a hard cider, and he had a Blue Moon. We sat at the bar, and he asked me what I thought the major weak point of the band is. I immediately responded that they for the most part lacked energy on stage. For instance, at the Baker show it would have been better if they had invited the audience up to the stage, instead of letting them sit down.

He agreed and reiterated that he would like it if the band could sound more diverse musically.

We had another round: two Pyramid Apricot Ales, which were quite good. We then started discussing the finer points of guitar design. I am a neophyte and prefer the look of a Gibson SG. Adam prefers the Les Paul because it was designed by a guitarist to be played.

Videos from the Baker Show

These are videos from the show at New Baker Theater. I took them, so I apologize that they're a little shaky. The band made a recording of the show, so I'll have a link up as soon as the band gets the recording to me.

Farewell Collision

Cigarettes and Shooters

To the Broken Man

Show at Baker Theater Reivew

The Wife and Kids had an eight song set at the New Baker Theater tonight. It was a pretty energetic show; too bad they only played to about 20 of their friends. The first two songs -Simple and Honest and Farewell Collision- were a little quiet, but by the end of the set with To the Broken Man. I made videos of Farewell Collision, To the Broken Man, and Cigarettes and Shooters, so I hope to have those videos embedded into the blog soon.

It's really interesting watching the band play. It takes them as long to get to the venue and set up, as it does for them to play their set, and often the only people there are the band's friends. I don't know how they do it, but they press on writing their own music and finding shows to play.

After the show, the band, except Chad, came back to the apartment to celebrate. They were talking about what they would do if they get signed, which they realize will never, ever happen. All of them would buy various guitars. They also wish that they could vary their sound a little bit to be a little bit different.

What I can't get over is how the band works itself out. They don't always get along with each other. Chad likes to talk on the phone while drumming; practices never start on time, but they bring all of that together to play for their friends as shows.

In case the slide show fails to load here is a link that will make it open in a separate window.

New Baker Theater Show

The band didn't practice today for the show tomorrow at New Baker Theater. Chad wasn't able to come over.

Adam is writing yet another new song. He is quite prolific.

A Wire update

The show at The Wire may not have gone as well as tWaK would have hoped. They left some equipment there overnight, and now they're missing an AC adaptor and a guitar stand was completely broken. According to TR, that's $30-$40 in damage.

But things go on. They have a show on Thursday at 9p.m. at New Baker Theater. It's part of an open mic night, and they're playing with three other bands. As usual, they don't know who those bands are yet. I'll update this as soon as I find out. I will also be there taking pictures again.

They have one new song, but it's still being worked out. Adam wrote it. I don't even know if there is a title yet.

*Edit* According to TR's comment, the song is called A Campaign for Literate Dog Food. Adam and I discussed it, and the name comes from an inside joke between him and his girlfriend Emmy. She has a T-Shirt that says, "Out side of a dog a book is a man's best friend, inside of a dog it's hard to read."

Well Blogger is being a little weird and not letting me edit the previous post. The thing I wanted to add was that my only criticism of the show was that early on there was a lack of energy coming from the band, but the audience really wasn't feeding them any energy so it is hard to blame them for this.

A Show at the Wire

The show tonight came together nicely. When I arrived tensions were still stressed, but by the time St. Jude was lit, the band was ready to rock.

The Wire is a very interesting place. I think it's a converted basement with exposed pipes and a concrete floor. It is run by some hippies who were holding the show in benefit of Mexican protesters who were arrested.

Sadly, the vibe of the show really didn't come up until the last four songs. The show was mostly made up of friends of the band who just stood there listening to the music, but during the last four songs a group of hippies started moshing near the band. It brought the energy of the entire crowd up, and people really started getting into the music. All of the songs were really on target tonight, and I think it might be tWaK's best live performance to date. I hope they can keep it up at their next show on Thursday.

After the show, the band left and Turning Pages came on. I left with the band, so I can't comment on how Turning Pages faired. As Coert smoked a cigarette after the show many people from the audience commented on how good the show was tonight. After that everyone went their separate ways. Chad stayed; TR and his girlfriend Darcy went to see a band at Casa; Adam went with his girlfriend Emmy, and Coert went with his girlfriend Sarah.

I just realized that I haven't introduced the band yet. Coert is the bassist and generally the lead singer (He is in the first photo of the slideshow). Chad is the drummer. TR plays guitar (in these pictures he is wearing a polo shirt), and Adam also plays guitar (he is wearing the black button-up shirt).

In case the slide show fails to load here is a link that will make it open in a separate window.

Abandon all hope ye who enter here

It is an hour and a half before the show and 20 minutes before they leave for the wire. The vibe is that of cautious pessimism. TWaK just learned that the other band (Turning Pages) just picked up a bassist today and have never played with their drummer.

TR and Chad are visibly shaken. Chad has done one shot already and is too nervous to sit down for anything longer than a few minutes. He's being neurotic and won't stop talking. TR is always nervous before shows and is keeping his feelings inside.

Adam has forgotten the lyrics to Cigarettes and Shooters and is playing guitar to learn the song.

Coert is sitting with Sarah (his girlfriend) holding her hand. She is cuddled to him, and he seems by far the least nervous. He's watching They Shoot Horses Don't They. He's looking for the cigarette that he will smoke after the show. He's mentioned it three times now.

I never knew that you could fit so many amps into a Ford Contour. Ford of Europe would be proud. 5 amps packed into a euro-sedan is a feat.

St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, will be burning proudly on stage as the band plays. A symbol of the band that accompanies them to all of their shows. An ironic symbol of the band's faith in themselves.

The band is leaving now to play their third show- their second in front of a live audience.

Practice before The Wire

The Wife and Kids are practicing now for the show at The Wire tonight. The list of bands has shrunk to two- TWaK and Turning pages. Turning pages have never played with their drummer, so it could be really, hilariously bad. TWaK's set list could be as many as 13 songs or as few as four depending on the show's vibe. The band also isn't exactly sure where they are playing at the Wire. It could be in a room the size of my bedroom, which is about 10X12. The band's vibe is generally good. They all want a good show, but no one really cares about the other bands that are playing. This practice is one of the best I've heard recently. There is more energy, and the elements of the band have come together. I'll have pictures of the show up either sometime tonight or tomorrow afternoon.

Just listened to practice except for the first two songs. The only weak song in the set was My Letter to God. I couldn't hear any of his vocals, but the band seems ready for a show.

"I will never, ever play a flying V guitar," Adam Caudhill

MP3s

Mp3s are up and working.

Welcome to the Project

Welcome to this little project of mine. For Journalism 314 I will be following The Wife and Kids. I live with them; I love them, but I don't always like them. So the experiment is follow this band around. I will be sitting in on practices, band meetings, watching them book gigs and play shows. I want to provide the truest account I can of this band this quarter. Over time I will fill this blog with pictures, videos and songs from the band. This site is not a band promotion. If they screw up or do something stupid, you will know about it. Since I live with them, expect a few posts a week on the happenings within the band. I will always try to remain fair and balanced, but I know my opinion will seep into things sooner or later. Thanks for reading, and please check back often.