Wakey! Wakey! @ All Asia, Cambridge
July 26th, 2008 - by Eddie
Last night (I know, it’s rare that I write about a show this quickly), I checked out Wakey! Wakey!, a band we were touting last week thanks to their free album download “Wakey! Wakey! Live at the Bowery Ballroom.”
Armed with a sensitive beard and a keyboard, Wakey! Wakey! took the minimal stage at the Asian-themed restaurant/bar/music venue, All Asia, as the opening act for the CNC marathon (not the music factory, though they are kind of like a music factory).
I know, the name is offputting and now you don’t even want to press play to hear his music. You should. He’s like Ben Folds.
“But I’m better looking than Ben Folds,” said Mike Grubs during the show. “You can tell Ben Folds that…now he’s going to kick my ass.”
The comparison is warranted. When a young, hipster white guy sits down at a piano and starts to sing, the first thought in everyone’s mind is “Ben Folds” followed very quickly by “Hey, I want to hear ‘Brick‘ again.”
In fact, after Grubs sang a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (it’s not weird when you sing it with the passion of a white pianist with a beard), some dude yelled out “Ben Folds!”
(Right the music. I’m losing track here. I have “Brick” playing in the background and am thinking about abortion.)
Wakey! Wakey! - “LGA”
See? Once you get past the name, it’s engaging, sensitive music.
He’s got a couple of albums out, mostly of live material (he calls it the Bootleg Series and as far as I know, there are three volumes. The second one is called “Silent as a Movie”).
The show was intimate. It was 8:30pm on a Friday night, so the crowd was somewhat thin. But Wakey! didn’t care. He treated us like we were an army of music fans, talking about drinking his first Sam Adams Light (”It’s great. And it’s light so I’m going to drink four of these and sing at the bar later”) and how awkward it is to sing “War Sweater” in front of his sister (who may or may not have been hit on by an older guy at the bar).
But something else happened during the show, and I’m not sure if it’s because there’s been a lack of it in the world or it I just haven’t been paying attention: I’m ready for sensitive piano rock once more.
It was refreshing to hear a song with the lyric “I bet you can’t guess what I would to kiss you in the middle of the room” and fully enjoy it. Maybe it was his easy-going style or the fact that I needed a calm moment from enduring another horrible week at the office (why did I think Journalism was a good career again?).
In many ways, the name of the band is appropriate. Not only does it foreshadow the idea that it’s something you won’t expect, but Grubs music helps you wake up from the familiar sound of the guitar/bass combo. Tis time for the piano.
Before he went on, Grubs mentioned that he’ll be doing something with the violinist from The Arcade Fire. I don’t care what it is because whatever this guy releases, I’m ready to hear it.
Aug. 26 TT the Bear’s, Cambridge
Aug. 28 Rockwood Music Hall w/ Pearl and the Beard, New York City, 9 p.m.
Aug. 28 Public Assembly 0 Warhouse Songs Vol. 2 CD Release Party, Brooklyn, 11:30 p.m. (yes, 2 shows in one night)
Aug. 30 The Red & Black Washington DC
Sept. 24 The Black Cat Washington DC
