Wheatus: “Still Going Strong and Carrying On”

The Skinny: Wheatus is an odd band. They had a major hit back in 2001 with “Teenage Dirtbag”, followed it up with an Erasure cover, then due to a dispute with their record label Sony, disappeared completely from the limelight. But it’s a little known fact that they’re still skulking around the music world, working totally autonomously out of their studio in Northport, Long Island. The band are now pioneers in Super Audio CD, a high resolution format that hasn’t been widely accepted within the mainstream, but remains strong in the audiophile populace.

In the spring of 2010, Wheatus embarked on their 10th Anniversary Tour of the UK, and have since returned to New York to continue work on Pop, Songs & Death: Volume 2. It’s titled The Jupiter EP, and lead vocalist and producer Brendan Brown has promised even greater things than Volume 1, The Lightning EP, and considering how that was something pretty special, we can only assume that Jupiter will be magical.

Difficult to pigeonhole in terms of genre, Wheatus’ influences range from old school hip-hop, to 1970s progressive rock, and the result is an authentically individual sound that’s as diverse as it is beautiful, and songs that are powerful and yet subtle. There are no gimmicks here; all the band members are exceptionally skilled musicians, and their music speaks for itself.

With no delusions of grandeur, Wheatus will continue to make music as long as people are willing to listen to it. On their recent UK tour, an independent filmmaker followed the band with his video camera recording a feature-length documentary. Sure to be an insight into one of the independent music business’ hardest working bands, Wheatus: You Might Die is set to reflect the band’s vision, their wisdom, and the wry personableness that makes them so special. Wheatus is certainly an odd band. But I can’t help but think that they’re nothing short of genius.  [ END ]

Genre(s): Rock, Pop Punk, Powerpop, Alternative, Indie