I always think of the midwest as being rich in good ol’ American rock and roll. And I think Michigan is in the midwest or maybe near it, right? Well, since this isn’t a geography lesson and the location is only important for pinpointing where WAYLAND calls home when they’re not on the road touring, that is.
Saturday found me scurrying from one venue to the next as the unofficial music hunting season begins when the sharpness of the sunlight starts to return to the skies, the temperatures get a little higher, and there is a light at the top of the gray clouds that seem like they were going to cover up the sun forever. In Dallas, we’re lucky that the feeling that winter isn’t really going to last forever (some winters that is) and that we can hold on a little longer to temperatures that only dip below 40 at night.
I’m not sure the band WAYLAND can say that about their hometown and namesake of their band. I do think it gets pretty darn cold in Michigan and I can only imagine that forming a band sounded like the best idea for those winter months for the sheer fact that it was an activity that could keep them warm on and off stage, if ya’ know what I mean!!
Like their 2014 release “Get A Little” dictates in the beat and the catchy chorus that sticks to the guitars, having a little fun and getting a little crazy at times is just what is needed to melt away the blues or the end of winter, at least in our case. WAYLAND takes the American sound of straight up rock and just like the flint and metal that starts a flame, WAYLAND starts a full on fire with their version of American Rock.
Surprisingly, their live show is just as full and swings out to the audience and connects with them just like a bat connects with a ball for a homerun. What impressed me about their set was the organic creation of music right in front of the audience. It was refreshing not to have backtracks playing something that you knew couldn’t possibly be coming out of any instrument up on stage.
As a matter of fact, Phillip Vilenski played from an acoustic rig-stand as opposed to switching between acoustic and electric either from a tech, or backing tracks, he played both and maybe at the same time, I couldn’t really tell from my perspective.
Now, look in NO way is this shooting bands that do have backing tracks or play direct. All I’m saying is that it was kind of nice to listen to the music that was happening right on stage. There are bands that I LOVE that use these techniques in their live shows. I LOVE drops, I love those noises that sound like they are originating in your head until they’re slapping you in your face, blasting from the PA.
On tour providing direct support for OTHERWISE, WAYLAND gave the audience 40 minutes of guitar perfection from both Philip and Mitch both. While making sure that their energy was pulled along by the drums and the bass from Nigel and Dean respectively. I have to say that Mitch has a vocal range that could go up against anyones in rock right now and give them a good run for their money, if not blaze right by them like fire from the tail of a comet.
Without sounding like a cliche or without being generic here, I thought the show rocked and as their set started, with Rabbit River Blues/The Other Side, I felt the presence of the music in the room. It wasn’t just background noise or sounds to escape or distract in my mind. As that song played on stage, I saw a band that has mad skills and abilities. Unlike just hearing it on their record, seeing this song live completely showcased the band’s abilities because it has everything in it – acoustic riffs that circle around the melody, I think it even has a ukulele or some other tiny stringed instrument, that I assume Phillip is playing on the record, but live there’s someone else that plays that part, at any rate, this song spikes the attention of an ear listening live or from a record, I mean if there were such a thing as a musical-money-shot, this would be it.
What I also dug about WAYLAND’s set, was each member’s incredible understanding of their instruments. A band’s live performance hinges on how well a musician knows their instrument backwards and forwards. WAYLAND’s knowledge of chord changes and the progression between verse and chorus or chorus and bridge creates a fullness to the music that isn’t just playing what sounds good from a jam session. I also dig the hell out of the key and cadence changes that appears live, just as on their record (Rinse and Repeat, specifically).
This band pummels over in leaps and bounds with technical abilities, stage presence, and the overall good time feeling of what being at a rock show evokes. WAYLAND is just about as true to form rock and roll as they come. There’s nothing hoaxy about them, gimmicky, or trendy so to speak. What we hear that leans towards the last 10 + years in music is the deep understanding of the guitars, bass, drums, cabinets, and amps that they have mastered and how stringing these together creates the WAYLAND sound.
When I listened to the LP Rinse and Repeat last year and to be honest, it wasn’t that I didn’t like it, I did. I just didn’t feel the “hole-y spirit” of WAYLAND on the recording until I saw them live and put round pegs in the round holes, if you will. Then the round peg goes into the holes that they’re made for much like WAYLAND’s music fits onto a stage. Rinse and Repeat is an extremely well-done record; mix, mastered, produced, written – the offering is great, don’t get me wrong. But after experiencing the band at Trees Saturday night live and in front of my face; I circled the wagons around the album again and as the flashes of my memory projected what I remembered about their show onto the screen in my brain; the wires connected and I could hook into the currents and pull that powerful force from both sources.
WAYLAND still has tour dates to check off the list so perhaps they’re coming to your city or town soon! They are still on the road and living the dream so I totally want you to go see them! You can also pick up a copy of Rinse anf Repeat or have them drop it down to you from up in the cloud belonging to any online music outlet! You can visit the band’s Facebook page for all other tour dates and stay connected with WAYLAND right there!
Til Next Time – MRML
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Cherri Bird
