Waxwing (band)
Encyclopedia
Waxwing was an indie rock
band from Seattle, Washington
that drew influences from a wide variety of folk and punk groups.
(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. Recently the band have been rehearsing together when Rocky is home from touring but as yet no plans of concerts or releases have been confirmed
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
that drew influences from a wide variety of folk and punk groups.
History
The band was formed in 1996 after the dissolution of Lying on Loot, of which Rocky VotolatoRocky Votolato
Rocky Votolato is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Dallas, Texas on March 8, 1977. He was raised in a small town called Frost, roughly 50 miles south of Dallas, until the age of 13. After his parents were divorced, his mother remarried and moved the family to the Pacific Northwest...
(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
Cody Votolato
Cody Votolato is a musician from Seattle, Washington, best known for being the guitarist in the post-hardcore band The Blood Brothers. He grew up in the eastside suburbs of Seattle, attending high school with his bandmates in the late 1990s when the band originally formed...
as a second guitarist.
The band released a self-titled 7" single for Henry's Finest Recordings before signing with Second Nature Recordings
Second Nature Recordings
Second Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
. 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
Gatsbys American Dream
Gatsbys American Dream is a Seattle-based indie rock band. Since their founding in 2002, they have released four full-length albums and one EP. They have also appeared on several compilations with original songs and covers. Gatsbys American Dream drew their name from F...
. 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. Recently the band have been rehearsing together when Rocky is home from touring but as yet no plans of concerts or releases have been confirmed
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 LotteryThe Casket LotteryThe Casket Lottery is a three-piece indie rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, United States signed to Second Nature Recordings.-1997:The band started in 1997 after Nathan Ellis spent time on the road with Coalesce. He and Stacy Hilt struck up an instant friendship and love for music beyond the...
(Second Nature Recordings, 2000) - Track "Laboratory" - This Changes Everything (Second Nature Recordings, 2001) - Track "Laboratory"
- Copper Press Presents ... Volume 13 - Track "Color"
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 CityHead Wound CityHead Wound City is an American noisegrind supergroup consisting of Jordan Blilie and Cody Votolato of The Blood Brothers, Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Justin Pearson and Gabe Serbian, both from The Locust and Holy Molar...
with Jordan BlilieJordan BlilieJordan Blilie is the vocalist for the bands Past Lives and Head Wound City. However, he is best known as the co-lead vocalist and co-lyricist for The Blood Brothers, which he was a part of since their formation in 1997 until their breakup in 2007...
, the vocalist for The Blood Brothers, and members of The LocustThe LocustThe Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
. He currently lives in Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and is the guitarist of Jaguar LoveJaguar LoveJaguar Love is an American indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, composed of former members of The Blood Brothers.-History:The band was formed by members of the bands Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves...
with Johnny WhitneyJohnny WhitneyJohnny Whitney is a singer, author and multi-instrumentalist from Seattle.He is probably most well known for his vocals alongside Jordan Blilie in the now defunct post-hardcore band, The Blood Brothers. He is currently the vocalist of Jaguar Love. Johnny has also provided vocals for The Vogue,...
, The Blood Brothers' other vocalist, and Jay Clark, former guitarist for Pretty Girls Make GravesPretty Girls Make GravesPretty Girls Make Graves was an art punk band, formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths song of the same name...
. - Rudy Gajadhar played with Gatsbys American DreamGatsbys American DreamGatsbys American Dream is a Seattle-based indie rock band. Since their founding in 2002, they have released four full-length albums and one EP. They have also appeared on several compilations with original songs and covers. Gatsbys American Dream drew their name from F...
until the release of their 2006 self-titledGatsbys American Dream (album)-Track Title References:* "You All Everybody" is the title of a song by Charlie Pace's band "Driveshaft" on the TV show Lost. Aside from the title, this song and the one on the show bear no similarities....
album, after which point the band went on an unofficial hiatus. The rest of his band went on to play in other bands, not reuniting until 2010. - 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). He also recorded a track with vocalist James Koppert available as a free download on myspace under the name 'Vacant Hand Puppet'. Andrew's current projects, if any, are unknown.