Wax Fang played last week with The Features at Mercury Lounge and I was blown away by the sheer musicianship that this Louisville, KY 3-piece displayed. Their sound is so epic, crisp and tight. Originally a solo project for Scott Carney (vox, theremin, guitar) developed in his basement playing all the instruments himself until he eventually added Kevin Ratterman (drums) and Jake Heustis (bass, keys) to round out this retro/but updated indie rock outfit.
Carney sounds Michael Stipe-ish when he sings as some of the songs are instrumental or with lyrics with little regard for the traditional chorus, verse, bridge, chorus etc formula (below are two songs with lyrics). Their influences seem to range from southern 60s rock, to the obscure indie rock. They have recently toured with My Morning Jacket. Here's what Jim James of MMJ had to say about Wax Fang:
"...it’s got futuristic energy, a lot of elements I’ve never heard work before. A combo of all these things you remember from the past. You can sense some David Bowie in it. It’s so unique, it’s hard to place. The cool thing about it is he [Carney] made it by himself. Every single instrument is played by him and he paid attention to the details….The production is amazing, the songs are amazing. It takes you to a different place." - Jim James of My Morning Jacket from the New York Times
MP3:Wax Fang - Sweet Bloody Murder.mp3
MP3:Wax Fang - Bi-Polar Bear.mp3
