WETWERKS

Artist Information

Biography

Wetwerks has always provided those unexpected surprises. Hailing from the Capital Region of Upstate NY, with an evolving sound spanning the gaps between melodic rock, metal, alternative and punk, these guys have certainly charted their own paths and proven a resiliency that is all but a prerequisite in today’s music industry.

Operating as an independent outfit since it’s inception in 1998, Wetwerks has raised the bar every year since; the band was recently awarded an opening slot on the world renowned Bon Jovi “Have A Nice Day” tour by XM Satellite Radio. XM’s Billy Zero has since debuted music off the band’s new record and the ongoing contest may land them the opening slot at Giants Stadium in 2006 – results TBA.

Fresh out of the gate with a new record (released mid '05) the band actually recorded the tracks themselves and teamed up with platinum West Coast producer and engineer Rae Dileo (FILTER, STP, Rollins) for the mix-down.

The result is an independent release that is anything but cookie cutter, yet carries the sonic weight and depth of a major label product...and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
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Wetwerks raised eyebrows at A&R departments across the nation in 2004 by landing hundreds of spins on major market radio in several states with their pre-release mix of the title track "Further Than my Eyes". Add their break into XM Satellite Radio to mix and see the BDS and Mediabase numbers that prove it; Wetwerks is poised for an even bigger year.

The hard rock quartet is ramping up live show dates on the East Coast with an eye towards a broader tour in 2006.

\\ Interview Excerpt…\\

“This record is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, a lot like this past year” Says drummer and studio engineer Rob Parzek. “We were all set to pound these songs out in early 2004 but life has a way of throwing curve balls at you, so you really have to go with the flow”.

Curve balls indeed.
In 2004 while halfway through tracking the new record at their self-run warehouse recording studio in Troy NY, the power went out.

Permanently.

“To say that sucked would be an understatement.” Says Seth Warden, lead singer and chief songwriter of the band, “Turns out that the building’s landlord owed some ridiculous amount of money to the Power Company and they finally shut the whole place down. It wasn’t like we were renting an otherwise empty building either. There were several businesses in there that got the rug pulled out from under them.”

“So, we were screwed. It’s the dead of winter; we’re barely halfway through tracking a record. Everything is suddenly below freezing and being an old textile mill and where we were located, the building is almost pitch black even when its broad daylight outside. Progress screeched to a halt”

After several phone calls searching for a new building to call home, word started to circulate about their dilemma. Out of the blue, the band received an offer from a local studio owner who, it turns out, has had his studio in mothballs for several months.
“He gave us a fair rate and we couldn’t turn it down” Says Rob. “The place was full of great mics and great gear. The only catch was that we had to figure out how to run it”

That was actually the easy part. The hardest thing was moving an entire studio and an entire live show production facility out of a building with no electricity, no light and no heat in February. That alone took us a month” Says Seth.

But good news was to follow the chaos of the winter’s events. “After we got back to being functional in the Spring we sent some of the material to producer and engineer Rae Dileo in LA who had recorded three of the tracks from our 2003 EP. We really wanted to get his input since we’d been immersed in this for so long. You start to loose perspective.

Turns out Dileo was willing to provide more than just perspective. In mid summer he agreed to mix the entire record based on the merit of what he’d been hearing through the preceding months. “We were floored he was willing to take on the project, but we weren’t about to argue!” Says Parzek.

After taking a brief studio break in mid summer to rehearse their live show, the band joined major label acts, Fuel, Hoobastank, Sevendust and Cypress Hill to play for a crowd of 15,000 at K-ROCK's Krockathon in Syracuse NY.

“KROCK had been spinning our pre-release of "Further than My Eyes" and after receiving several hundred spins and some amazing feedback they asked us to play the main stage at K-rockathon. "It was a great break from the studio process and totally re-energized us. The fans were amazing!”

After K-Rockathon, The band immediately got back to work polishing the tracks and finishing the recordings to be shipped out to LA. “In hindsight we would certainly have rathered the luxury of flying out to LA to track with Rae, but with what happened over the winter and being an indie band there was no way we could afford it. So this was the next best thing and we knew we could make it work”

Titled “Further Than My Eyes”, the new album represents a shift in the bands’ sound to something more organic and more compelling in it’s diversity. “You really get a broad taste of influences on this record and a broad range of emotions - it’s definitely a trip, but one we hope our fans enjoy.”

Look for Wetwerks’ “Further Than My Eyes” online and in stores mid 2005

Instrumentation

Seth Warden - lead vocals, guitar
Dan Castle - lead guitar, vocals
Jesse Downing - bass
Rob Parzek - drums

Discography

2003 EP "What's Been Done"
2005 Full length "Further Than my Eyes"

Audio

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Taking it Further [+ Show ]
  

  ….And speaking of snarl, Wetwerks wrapped up the evening with a brilliant, over-the top, ass-kicker ...….And speaking of snarl, Wetwerks wrapped up the evening with a brilliant, over-the top, ass-kicker of a set, grinding through some truly teeth-chattering versions of the choicest cuts off their eponymous debut CD, released earlier this year. Wetwerks’ concert presence has been greatly enhanced by the recent addition of bassist Tyler Krupsky to the fold, filling in any possible empty spaces in the group’s music, creating a massive, dense sound in the process that arc-welded the best of electronic and organic instrumental approaches into a crackling, exciting whole. The crowd (still formidable as 2 AM approached) ate it up, every drop, yum, and enjoyed it all, very much, indeed. And if you’ve seen as many empty clubs during late-night sets around here as I have, you’d know how much of an accomplishment that really is.

• Love You Live [+ Show ]
  

  “When you’re at a Wetwerks concert, you know why you’re there: to hear the excellent songs contained...“When you’re at a Wetwerks concert, you know why you’re there: to hear the excellent songs contained on their eponymous debut made even more effective and exemplary in their over-the-top live incarnations. Because all the lights and sound gear in the world can’t cover for inadequate musical product, which is no problem for Wetwerks, since their songs and performances are up to the high standards and challenges set by the professionalism and attention to detail that their preparations dictate. Or demand, actually. Wetwerks opened their hourlong set with “Bluff,” which I consider to be one of the very best songs to come out of the Capital Region in quite some time, and which completely and concisely lays out the framework upon which the Wetwerks experience is built in one terse, tight, tension-building number: powerful drumming from Rob Parzek, emotional and melodic vocal delivery by Seth Warden, robust and experimental guitar attack by Warden and Dan Castle, and intensely rhythmic, groove-Heavy bass work from Nate Giordano. All told, an excellent show by a band who seem to have reached critical mass over the past six months or so. Let’s see what doors their hard work and excellent results open for them next. -J. Eric Smith, Metroland Magazine
  : Review of January 4th performance
  

• READY FOR TAKEOFF [+ Show ]
  

  Fans of hard rock might want to give a closer listen to the Albany, NY-based band WETWERKS, whose so...Fans of hard rock might want to give a closer listen to the Albany, NY-based band WETWERKS, whose song “Tongue & Groove” is taking off at Alternative WHRL/Albany. The station began playing the song Nov. 12, according to Mediabase, and from Nov. 12-18 played it 15 times, with only two plays during
  overnights. The band (who do not have a manager or publishing deal) have been steadily building a fan base in the region since forming in early 1998. The group also selfreleased a 10-track debut album to modest success in April. Drummer Rob Parzek comments, “We pretty much tried to keep things on the DIY level when it comes to touring and marketing and stuff but make the album sound as professional as possible. I believe we succeeded.”
  A couple of months later the group began working on new material for a demo, which included “Tongue & Groove.” WHRL put it on, and the band’s phones started ringing. Parzek notes, “Things were getting kind of calm for a while, but now our whole world has been turned upside-down. We’re just trying to stay grounded and focus on our shows.”
  -Steve Wonsiewicz
  

• The Best Of [+ Show ]
  

  Best Band: WETWERKS www.wetwerks.com We’d tell you that Wetwerks are truly at the top of their game...Best Band: WETWERKS www.wetwerks.com
  We’d tell you that Wetwerks are truly at the top of their game right now—except that we see potential for even further growth and development, and we don’t want to sell that potential short. Wetwerks have exploded onto the regional musical collective consciousness over the past year with their over-the-top live performances, and the three sharp new songs they recently recorded with Filter knob-wiggler Rae DiLeo have got “hit” written all over them.
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• Miscelaneous Press Clippings [+ Show ]
  

  Fans of hard rock might want to give a closer listen to the Albany, NY-based band WETWERKS, whose...Fans of hard rock might want to
  give a closer listen to the Albany,
  NY-based band WETWERKS,
  whose song “Tongue & Groove” is
  taking off at Alternative
  WHRL/
  RADIO & RECORDS
  MAGAZINE
  ________________________
  
  “Word will get around-not everybody can do this, and who knows,
  you could be in demand if you’re not already.” -Recording
  Magazine
  ---------------------------------------
  “Dude, nice sounding band you got there…quite nice indeed.”
  -Boston Soundcheck Magazine
  

Setlist

As an opening act, set times range from 20 minutes to a half hour. As a headlining act the band typically plays a 45 minute to hour and 15 minute-long set.
95 % of the material is original modern rock punctuated by the occasional "remixed" cover song. (a recent example is a punked out raw version of INXS's "Devil Inside")

Basic Requirements

Calendar