Waxwing (band)
| Waxwing | |
|---|---|
 Left to Right: Rocky Votolato, Andrew Hartley, Cody Votolato, Rudy Gajadhar | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Emo, indie rock, folk rock, punk rock |
| Years active | 1996–2005 |
| Labels |
Henry's Finest Second Nature |
| Associated acts |
Rocky Votolato The Blood Brothers Gatsbys American Dream Jaguar Love Head Wound City Bugs in Amber Lying on Loot |
| Website | Archived Site |
| Past members |
Rocky Votolato Rudy Gajadhar Andrew Hartley Cody Votolato |
Waxwing was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington 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 Votolato (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 has been rehearsing together when Rocky is home from touring but as yet no plans of concerts or releases have been confirmed
Per Rocky Votolato at tonight's Revival Tour at the Tractor Tavern, the band is getting back together and are playing a show on August 24, 2013 at The Vera Project in Seattle. The show date is confirmed on The Vera Project‘s website as a reunion show.
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 Lottery (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 City with Jordan Blilie, the vocalist for The Blood Brothers, and members of The Locust. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon and is the guitarist of Jaguar Love with Johnny Whitney, The Blood Brothers' other vocalist.
- Rudy Gajadhar played drums in Bugs in Amber (with Rocky's older brother, Sonny), and also played with Gatsbys American Dream until the release of their 2006 self-titled 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.