Music
Press
--“This is instantly familiar classic pop that you've never heard before … word is slowly spreading about what great songs this band has. Apparently, music is really and truly the main focus of these folks' efforts. This, their first full-length album, is embarrassingly honest and genuine. So much so that this band puts many other New York bands to shame…There are no musical gimmicks or labels involved here because there is no need for them. For our own personal tastes, bands just don't get much better than this. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” Rating 6 (out of six) -- Babysue/LMNOP.com
(http://www.babysue.com/2006-August-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor2002)
- Babysue/LMNOP.com
--“…New York's The Waylons' self-titled full-length debut is a solid rock/pop album with country charm. While not as sugary as some Tullycraft or early Of Montreal, The Waylons do play Splenda hooks and have playful sing-alongs a plenty. One of the real successes of this album is the production, which gives these seemingly effortlessly crafted songs extra character… When listened to in its entirety, the album plays like a checklist of tried-and-true pop hooks. But The Waylons somehow make it new again.” –- Delusions of Adequacy.
(http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=7113)
- Delusions of Adequacy
"the too-alt to be alt-country Waylons always score" - Listings, Feb 5, 2005 - The Village Voice
--"Their self-titled debut is a solid slab of rock that begs comparisons to other no-frills acts like the Replacements, Buffalo Tom, and even Sloan and the Shins." - PopMatters.com
These boys deliver excellent twang while keeping their horse on the beaten path, but that’s not always a bad thing; particularly when it comes to poignant country efforts like “Day For Night,” “Take Me Out,” and the Big Star inspired “Stunning"...a debut bristling with promise. - one times one
"...the great songs are packed with enough pop goodness to leave me wanting more." - Punk Planet. Issue #66, March and April, 2005.
...This six-song EP presents a young band with a real knack for writing great guitar pop. The tunes are meaningful, sincere, and instantly memorable...and feature some wonderfully intertwined guitars. The overall sound is timeless ... What more can we say...? This excellent little EP paves the way for an upcoming full-length, due out later in 2005. (Rating: 5)
http://lmnop.com/LMNOP-Reviews-February-05.html#anchor1415344
- February 2005
...It's no mean feat to be able to craft a genuinely good pop song, much less one that doesn't sound hollow or fake. The self-titled EP by Brooklyn's The Waylons has craftsmanship in spades. The six cuts here are, for the most part, a winning medley of R.E.M. jangle and country poetics. The charmingly crafted melodies and Karl Wachter's pleasingly shambling voice lend these songs a heft and professionalism that seems effortless ... While some of the songs have an interchangeable quality, it's not a deal breaker and this self-titled debut is a solid introduction to a promising band. - Sponiczine
http://www.sponiczine.com/review_detail.asp?wfArtist=Waylons,%20The
- 2005
...These great vocal harmonies are recalled from the early to mid decades of the 20th century and recite from the cookbook the recipe for melodic success. Nothing is pushed too heavily in the mix with the studio production being perfectly attuned for this quartet. I guarantee this is one of the most exciting new bands that the Big Apple has offered up lately. - J-Sin, Smother.net, Editor's pick.
http://www.smother.net/reviews/modernrock.php3?ID=669
- Smother review
Unjustly overlooked thus far, this indie four-piece bangs out a good line in ‘hardfolk’ and, on the strength of this record, deserve to be snapped up by a decent label. Reviving the lost art of melody with jangly guitars and ‘proper’ choruses, they manage to sound accessible without ever getting sugary or predictable...The name ‘The Waylons’ suggests country but this is about as country as The Replacements; i.e., not at all... Apparently the word is spreading that this New York band is up for greater things and, obviously, for good reason. In the fine tradition of bands as far back as The Kinks to more modern outfits like Buffalo Tom, The Waylons give the (sometimes unfashionable) three minute pop song the credibility it seems to have lost over the years. The next album will be on a major label. Guaranteed. - Americana UK
Discography
The Waylons have self-released an EP (2004) and full-length CD (2006), both titled eponymously. The CDs are available online at InSound, Itunes, and Amazon.com.
The full-length disc was recorded in February-April 2006 at Seaside Lounge Studios with Josh Clark in Brooklyn and mastered by Nathan James at Jigsaw Sound in Manhattan.
The Waylons are currently recording a second full length in Brooklyn, NY and Rupert, VT, scheduled for September 2008 release.
Photos
Bio
The Waylons, a New York City-based band, play pop/rock music. After releasing an EP and playing heavily in NYC clubs for the last two years, the band released its first full-length album, which contains 14 songs in 40 minutes. The songs are melodic, coarse, short, and instantly memorable. The Waylons third release will be available in September 2008
Please visit www.waylons.com for up-to-date news on the band.
Our myspace address is www.myspace.com/thewaylons.
visit www.waylons.com/advance to hear the whole record.
Playing regularly in New York, the band has performed at such notable venues as the Mercury Lounge, NorthSix, Southpaw and Pianos, sharing the stage with touring acts such as People in Planes (UK), Hem, Die!Die!Die! (NZ), The Chapin Sisters as well as noteworthy local bands Akron/Family, Other Passengers, Teenage Prayers and JayMay.
The Waylons played the CMJ Music Marathon in 2006 on a bill with Los Abandoned and The Upwelling. The Waylons were featured in a Reuters TV spot about the festival, along with The Decemberists and Califone.
In the few years since its founding the band has played to a steadily growing and committed fanbase, and their sound has been compared to bands like Pavement, Built to Spill, The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, and The Replacements.
RECENT NEWS about The Waylons
- 3 Tracks from The Waylons new CD are being played on Indie Pop Rocks! Soma FM, and Harris Radio.
- The Waylons were featured artist of the week of June 18 on UK’s RadioNowhere (http://www.myspace.com/radionowhereuk)
- The Waylons eponymous full-length was a top pick at Babysue.com and was also reviewed favorably by Delusions of Adequacy and Americana UK.
- The Waylons were featured artists on the The Deli Magazine website and have been featured downloads at several music blogs including Large Hearted Boy, Drink at Work, and hey you! hurray!
- The Waylons recently played a 'mini-tour' with shows in Philadelphia and DC. Plans are in motion for an East Coast tour late Sept/early Oct of 07.
....so you want to know even more about the Waylons???
The Waylons came together for the first time in a Williamsburg, Brooklyn practice space in 2003. As Sean Leadem (vocals, guitar) tells it, he’d been playing drums in a country band for a while, but was itching to return to guitar and “especially not play country music.” Sean heard that an old friend of his from college, Pennsylvania-born Sandy Levering, was a drummer without a (musical) home, and the two agreed to hang out and play some Billy Bragg covers while Sean worked on his forthcoming arsenal of songs. In short order, while out boozing one night, Sean met Karl Wachter (vocals, guitar), who’d been writing and recording music for years starting back in his hometown of Seattle, but was also fortuitously band-reft.
While there was little agreement initially on musical direction, spirited and earnest music started to emerge--fueled largely by the beer vending machine in the hallway. All the band needed now was a bassist, some songs, a gig, and a name.
In due course the band found a bassist, and more, in Patrick Cadigan, and a sound began to emerge. Karl, whose first instrument was the piano, lugged his own brand of melodic melancholia suffused with classic tonalities into the waylons sound, citing influences--The Flaming Lips, Nick Drake, and The Beach Boys. Paired with Sean’s more frenetic, yet similarly tuneful style (think The Clash meets The Boss meets The Old 97s), the pop songs that reared their heads were the kind that would stick in yours.
The band performed its first gig as The Sandies at the Charleston, on Bedford Ave., to a packed house, and, upon receiving requests for a fifth tune, they gamely launched into a crowd-pleasing cover of Mike Nesmith’s “Different Drum.”
The band, now re-named The Waylons (sans good story) were soon refining their sound on stages at venues other than the Charleston, and began working their way up the latter to the better known clubs in town.
In late 2004 the band released its self-titled debut EP, to rave reviews, via a launch party thrown in conjunction with online magazine The Black Table at the East Village’s Lit, an event which drew an audience of well over 100.
Pat’s take on the band’s sound is: “60s rock/pop with modern influences and a hint of old school country.” Karl describes it as “The Band meets Pet Shop Boys—a polished scruffiness,” while Sean takes a stab with “Jangly but driven. Fierce whimsy?” Sandy opts to leave that question to the boys. At base, the Waylons are the kind of rock and roll band that’s all too rare these days—no gimmicks, no faux-hawks, no hotpants. Just a wealth of finely crafted pop tunes with melodies that stick with you even after the hangover has worn off.
Stay tuned for the continuing saga.
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