Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Remember that euphoric morning after Chris Cornell left the garden of sound? During this brief interval, it seemed that Jeff Buckley, before he waved goodbye, had helped his new friend Cornell discover that being Louder Than Love was fine, but it's okay to be quiet every now and then, too. Cornell looked as though he'd become the consummate songwriter, tempering his own ferocity with some of Buckley's elegance and grace. Instead of continuing to evolve, however, he ended up selling his soul and became a slave to audio. And we were left only with what might have been. Fortunately, Wan Santo Condo has arrived with a debut that serves as an effigy. Except the Austin-based combo has one-upped Cornell and formed a holy trinity with Radiohead. What follows is ten expansive tracks that range from arena rock sendups to mid-tempo rockers that recall Bends-era Radiohead, with somber ballads in between to cleanse the palate. No doubt, Wan Santo Condo feels a little lived-in, but the view sure is nice from here. - Westword
Discography
2004 Wan Santo Condo
2004 I Wish I Was a Drug 7"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
AUSTIN, TX 2004-2005
Its a miracle you even have this record.
Bob Via drives a van. He picks up rock stars and shuttles them from the Four Seasons to local stadiums, sheds, and festivals. Bob has been driving this route for 10 years, glancing in the rear view mirror at The Black Crows, The Pretenders, and The Cult; dreaming of the day he would be in the back seat.
Overnight success? Well maybe in New York or LA but in Austin, TX everything requires tremendous diligence, patience, and eternal optimism. In the real world rock stars have day jobs driving vans for bigger rock stars.
Wan Santo Condo is the creation of partners Jason Mozersky and Bob Via and has existed since post college days where the two became instant collaborators with bassist, Aaron Herbster and later drummer, Steven Sanders. The four steadfastly marched on through countless Liberty Lunch gigs and SXSW showcases. For years they lived on the verge of the elusive record deal.
One sunny day, Bobs passenger was Ben Harper. Bob slipped a Wan Santo Condo CD into the vans player and looked into the rear view. Ben was flipping out. He loved it. Harper took this to his label, Virgin, thinking that they should sign this right away. Virgin was slow to move and the band ultimately signed with Kneeling Elephant.
Well that was about 6 years ago. So much for overnight success.
Enter the era of music industry collapse. Kneeling Elephant buckled before Wan Santo Condos debut could be released. Virgin quickly signed them but soon fell victim to industry woes as regime changed and downsizing left their roster in shambles. A subsequent deal with Universal/ Enjoy Records crumbled. Enjoy and Universal parted ways and Enjoy became Everloving Records. Everloving loved this record though and they spent the next year untangling them from Universal deal while Everloving partner/producer JP Plunier went back to the studio to refine the album once more.
The purpose of all this is instantly audible. The journey. A labor of love, an epic drama spanning over a decade: The wailing voice of passion fighting to be heard. Wan Santo Condos self-titled debut is full of singles like the anthemic How does it Feel? and Right or Wrong. There are gorgeous down tempo excursions like Dandelion and Strip the Feel. Throughout, the album performs like a timeless rock classic. Aaron Herbsters bass lines are dizzying. Steven Sanders beats have purpose and tone. And the guitar play between Mozersky and Via is reminiscent of The Bends era Radiohead.
Famed graphic artist Laurent Fetis (Beck, Bjork) has created a stunning package and logo that mirrors the grandeur of this effort, boasting that this album intends to be around awhile.
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