Wondernaut Concert Review At the Grape Room on 11.09.11
I decided to spice up my Wednesday evening and head into Manayunk to see Wondernaut at The Grape Room on November 9, 2011. I am no historian, but The Grape Street used to be an awesome club with a big stage that pulled in some great touring acts. Something happened to the original Grape Street venue - fire, flood, Godzilla, unfortunate Voltron accident, who knows. What I do know is the new Grape Room is much smaller, more intimate, and has a fairly odd vibe.
I will guess it was the bands who brought the "too cool for school" hipsters, but it wasn't my style of crowd. They were mostly harmless other than their constant leering of judgement at everyone not in their immediate circle of friends. I don't blame Wondernaut for this crowd as they rolled into Philadelphia hours before the show.
Wondernaut reminded me last night why I maintain this site. Wondernaut's main man, Billy Gro is financing this tour by himself. He picked up a couple of musicians off Craigslist (some could be hookers I didn't ask) and scheduled a tour around the East Coast. He was at Arlene's in NYC on the night before, Philly on Wednesday, and your mom's house today. (Yea I went there using an old tired joke, just like your mom).
There are plenty of solid musicians who spend their last dime in the music they believe in; music they pour everything in. Billy left his Wondernaut band mates back in Oklahoma City and is chasing that dream of playing music for the masses or at least the well dressed guys in overcoats dancing around like fairies. An admirable goal; and if nothing else, you should support that work ethic.
I covered Wondernaut's Mind the Pendulum Swing on the site in this review. I liked the album and felt it was a solid effort with solid musicianship behind it. Billy's sincerity shines through on each song he performs. Each lyric and verse/chours is sung with emotion and poise not seen by the listless bands running through their setlist that can't wait for the afterparty. For Wondernaut, the stage is the party because afterward they have to pack up and head to some flea bitten motel.
The humor Billy exhibits on stage is great too showcasing his charisma and caustic sense of humor illuminates the stage. "This is our most downloaded song on iTunes. About 17 downloads." Damn that is great, biting commentary on himself.
I will guess it was the bands who brought the "too cool for school" hipsters, but it wasn't my style of crowd. They were mostly harmless other than their constant leering of judgement at everyone not in their immediate circle of friends. I don't blame Wondernaut for this crowd as they rolled into Philadelphia hours before the show.
Wondernaut reminded me last night why I maintain this site. Wondernaut's main man, Billy Gro is financing this tour by himself. He picked up a couple of musicians off Craigslist (some could be hookers I didn't ask) and scheduled a tour around the East Coast. He was at Arlene's in NYC on the night before, Philly on Wednesday, and your mom's house today. (Yea I went there using an old tired joke, just like your mom).
There are plenty of solid musicians who spend their last dime in the music they believe in; music they pour everything in. Billy left his Wondernaut band mates back in Oklahoma City and is chasing that dream of playing music for the masses or at least the well dressed guys in overcoats dancing around like fairies. An admirable goal; and if nothing else, you should support that work ethic.
I covered Wondernaut's Mind the Pendulum Swing on the site in this review. I liked the album and felt it was a solid effort with solid musicianship behind it. Billy's sincerity shines through on each song he performs. Each lyric and verse/chours is sung with emotion and poise not seen by the listless bands running through their setlist that can't wait for the afterparty. For Wondernaut, the stage is the party because afterward they have to pack up and head to some flea bitten motel.
The humor Billy exhibits on stage is great too showcasing his charisma and caustic sense of humor illuminates the stage. "This is our most downloaded song on iTunes. About 17 downloads." Damn that is great, biting commentary on himself.
Wondernaut played for about 40 minutes and I think I could have listened to them for another 40 minutes. I can't emphasize this enough, support this band. They need it and deserve it.
I apologize for the shitty pictures, I am no photographer and my camera is no SLR. As per usual with our pics, click them to see the engorged version of them.
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