Time to strap in, we’re going for a ride to the 14th floor, higher than the 13th and that was high if you know what I mean. This is art and it is art that I appreciate. Wild Wild Wets reminds me a little of The Black Angels meeting up with The Fresh & Onlys and then getting mixed together with a little Ty Segall. It’s a very cool, fresh sound, big, fills the speakers with lots of strumming, a band that knows what it wants to do and does it well, nicely layered textures, that take you for a ride, I hope they have been slotted for The Austin Psych-fest, if they haven’t and some of you big time decision makers are reading this, give a listen for 3 minutes and I can guarantee, you will be looking to book them. I’m glad to see that we (Americans) aren’t going to let the Aussies corner the psych market, I’m not a music historian but I think it all got going in the Haight . Anyway, listen to this , really kick ass psych coming out of San Diego…
Hi our name is…. Wild Wild Wets
People say we sound like….. The Velvets meets Thee Oh Sees meets The Flintstones
We are….. Mike, Taejon, Marco & Yegor
We are from……. San Diego, CA
Who are some that have an influence on you….
•I (Mike) grew up with Lou Reed & Pink Floyd as some of my favorites, but now, bands like Cosmonauts & Ty Segall are putting out incredible music left & right. It’s inspiring to see such hard work & determination in rock music.
How old were all of you when you started to play and who plays what in the band
•Mike: I’ve been singing in bands since I was 12, but have been singing to MJ since I was 3
•Taejon: Guitar on & off since he was 15, battling his time with girls, drugs & the bums of Baltimore
•Marco: drums since he was 13 to help control his feistiness, but instead it has turned him into the guerrilla beater he is now
•Yegor: got his first guitar when he was 13 & it all went downhill from there
Can you tell us about the process you use, from writing the songs all the way through getting the songs out…..
•We usually write the music as a unit. I’d say 90% of the songs are written together. Then the lyrics are up to me afterwards once I feel out a good rhythm & see what the music brings out of me. Then we tighten up all the loose ends & structuring. There’s usually a fair amount of concerns & somehow we always come out all being stoked on the product. It gets easier & easier the longer we play together which is very rewarding.
What are some of the challenges you face as musicians and how have you overcome those challenges
•Living in San Diego is amazing!!! The downside though is the lack of an industry here which makes our struggle for getting ourselves out & taken seriously difficult. We have been fortunate enough to have the support of our city & others who have helped us. EJ of Grizzly Records & Robbie of Rubber Brother Records have helped us release our music on vinyl & tapes for our first few releases which was a great help. Otherwise, we keep it pretty DIY & just keep working harder. That so far has allowed us to hone in our sound & perfect our live show, which is pretty badass, I must say. Our band & projectionist, John Kelley, are gearing towards what our next step will be & we are quite ready for it.
If you could pick any time to travel back to for music, where would you go and what year would it be….
•I think we would have killed it in the late 60’s/early 70’s. Bands were playing punk rock & didn’t know it, so it was still all smothered in what Rock was, but gaining the aggressive repetition that we thrive on.
Who are all of you currently listening to ….
•Mike: As I write this I have “Magic Moments” by Perry Cuomo playing, but recently I’ve had Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s album, “II” & Ty Segall’s “Manipulator” on repeat.
•Taejon: the newest Cosmonauts track, “Party At Sunday” and also says he finally “gets” Ariel Pink
•Marco: The Mac, Fleetwood Mac
•Yegor: Real Estate & has gotten Ariel Pink for a while now.
• & our projectionist, John: He’s been dipping back into some Jay Reatard action
If you could open for any Band right now who would that be and why?
•Our artist & great friend Andrew McGranahan thinks up & coming bands like Elephant Stone & Holy Wave would be a great start. Bigger acts like Foxygen with their party vibe of freakiness would also be a good fit. Taejon said something similar about us playing with The Flaming Lips. They have been putting on consistently crazy shows for two decades, a total trip with a diverse crowd. I’m pretty stoked on all of the bands we have already shared the stage with (Primal Scream, Thee Oh Sees, Acid Mothers Temple, Growlers, Night Beats, Dahga Bloom, Cosmonauts, Mystic Braves…. SO MANY!) because it’s been a diverse mix of great artists who complement our sound in different ways.
My youngest son is 13 and in a Band, what advice would you offer him…
•Start touring now! Gain experience, make mistakes, learn the ins and outs of In & Out, see the world!
The one thing we want you to remember while you’re listening to us is….
•We don’t really smell too bad and are not too hard on the eyes!
Our plans for 2015…..
•We just released our first record, 14th Floor, which you can pick up on Bandcamp. We are also being added onto a couple of rad lineups coming up and our next record is about to be finished with a third currently being written. All of us are stoked to be so busy & productive & we are starting to see people take notice outside of our little corner of paradise. We hope to keep working with more of the same incredible people we’ve met on our path so far & see what else we are capable of.
listen to some kick ass tunes…..
