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Waxwing

 
Artist: Waxwing
Waxwing

Group Members:

Rocky Votolato, Cody Votolato, Rudy Gajadhar, Andrew Hartley

Similar Artists:

Influenced By:

Formal Connection With:

Rocky Votolato, The Blood Brothers, Gatsbys American Dream, Lying on Loot, Head Wound City, Lightheavyweight, Bugs in Amber
  • Formed: 1996, Seattle, WA
  • Disbanded: 2005
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns", "One for the Ride", "For Madmen Only

Biography

Seattle's Waxwing has successfully combined a myriad influences into a distinctive sound, blending elements of punk, folk, rock, and Southwestern music. With two full-lengths and a host of EPs under their belt, they have emerged as one of Seattle's most interesting and dynamic young bands around the turn of the century, along with Juno, Death Cab for Cutie, and Pedro the Lion.

Following the 1996 breakup of the band Lying on Loot (which included future Red Stars Theory violinist Seth Warren), singer/guitarist Rocky Votolato and drummer Rudy Gajadhar began playing with bassist Andrew Hartley under the name Waxwing. Rocky's younger brother Cody soon joined the band on second guitar, and the band recorded their debut 7" for Henry's Finest. In 1999, Second Nature released the band's first full-length, For Madmen Only. Blending the straight-ahead rock approach and emotional honesty of the Replacements with the moodiness of Black Sabbath, the record was a critical success and earned the band a solid local following.

When One for the Ride was released in late 2000, Waxwing's profile had grown substantially. Rocky had released several well-received solo records, while Cody's other band, the arty hardcore outfit the Blood Brothers, had a strong following of their own. Gajadhar also handled the drumming duties in Bugs in Amber (fronted by Sonny Votolato, Rocky and Cody's older brother), while Andrew played bass in Lightheavyweight. One for the Ride found the band exploring more diverse dynamics in their songs, exploring new styles of music (some moments wouldn't be out of place on a Calexico album), and focusing on a wider dynamic range. The band toured the Midwest and West Coast with the Casket Lottery in support of this album and returned home to Seattle to work on new songs and allow the members time to focus on other projects. In 2002, the band went back to their roots with the animated Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns before going on something of an extended hiatus. When the band officially disbanded in late 2005, Rocky continued his solo career, Cody continued playing with the Blood Brothers, and Gajadhar carried on with Gatsbys American Dream. ~ Tobias Carroll, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Waxwing (band)
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For the Detroit band featuring Dean Fertita, see The Waxwings.
Waxwing

Left to Right: Rocky Votolato, Andrew Hartley, Cody Votolato, Rudy Gajadhar
Background information
Origin Seattle, Washington, USA
Genres Indie rock
Years active 1996 - 2005
Labels Henry's Finest
Second Nature
Associated acts Rocky Votolato
The Blood Brothers
Gatsbys American Dream
Jaguar Love
Head Wound City
Bugs in Amber
Lying on Loot
Website Archived Site
Former members
Rocky Votolato
Rudy Gajadhar
Andrew Hartley
Cody Votolato

Waxwing was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington that drew influences from a wide variety of folk and punk groups.

Contents

History

The band was formed in 1996 after the dissolution of Lying on Loot, of which Rocky Votolato (vocals/guitar) and Rudy Gajadhar (drums) were members. The two began playing music with bassist Andrew Hartley and later recruited Rocky's younger brother Cody as a second guitarist.

The band released a self-titled 7" single for Henry's Finest Recordings before signing with Second Nature Recordings. The band released their debut full-length, For Madmen Only, in 1999 and released a follow-up in 2000, titled One for the Ride. In this time, the band's profile in the Seattle music scene had grown substantially. Rocky had released several solo albums containing material he'd written that didn't fit Waxwing's style while Cody's other band, The Blood Brothers, had gained significant popularity.

The band's 2001 release, Intervention: Collection+Remix, collected the band's numerous vinyl and compilation appearances and a handful of live and rare tracks. In 2002, the band released Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns and toured briefly in support of the album. In early 2003, the band announced they were taking an indefinite hiatus to focus on their other projects, which now included Gajadhar's role as drummer for Gatsbys American Dream. The band officially broke up in late 2005, stating simply "we are finally calling it quits." The band played 2 farewell shows in the Seattle area in December 2005.

Discography

  • Waxwing 7" (Henry's Finest Recordings, 1998)
  • For Madmen Only (Second Nature Recordings, 1999)
  • One for the Ride (Second Nature Recordings, 2000)
  • Intervention: Collection+Remix (Second Nature Recordings, 2001)
  • Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns (Second Nature Recordings, 2002)

Compilations

  • Living Silent (Status Recordings, 1998) - Track "Charmageddon"
  • Split 7" with The Casket Lottery (Second Nature Recordings, 2000) - Track "Laboratory"
  • This Changes Everything (Second Nature Recordings, 2001) - Track "Laboratory"

Post-Waxwing projects

  • Rocky Votolato has since enjoyed a successful alt-country solo career.
  • Cody Votolato played in The Blood Brothers until their breakup in late 2007. During this time, he was also in Head Wound City with Jordan Blilie, the vocalist for The Blood Brothers, and members of The Locust. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon and is the guitarist of Jaguar Love with Johnny Whitney, The Blood Brothers' other vocalist, and Jay Clark, former guitarist for Pretty Girls Make Graves.
  • Rudy Gajadhar played with Gatsbys American Dream until the release of their 2006 self-titled album, after which point the band went on an unofficial hiatus. The rest of his band went on to play in other bands, while Rudy currently has no other known projects.
  • Andrew Hartley also played as a member of the band Lightheavyweight during the time that Waxwing was active. They released one album on Your Best Guess records before disbanding (members went on to play in Slender Means, which features Rocky's older brother Sonny). Andrew's current projects, if any, are unknown.



 
 

 

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