The Wet Darlings
Big sound, sexy as hell, and ready to take over the Midwest - one broken heart at a time
By Josh Fitzwater |
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Bicycle by The Wet Darlings
You almost certainly have no knowledge of this - but Beyonce is an enormous Wet Darlings supporter. It's true. Mrs. Jay-Z single-handedly united the band and set into motion one of the most accessible (and ridiculously attractive) music ensembles this side of the Scioto. Although, technically, Beyonce has absolutely no idea she did this.
The Wet Darlings' sultry odyssey of booze, minor fourths, and catchall-choruses takes us back to the year 2007 - when Daniel Day-Lewis was drinking our milkshake, Evel Knievel's luck finally ran out, and MySpace was still somewhat cool, which is where the Wet Darlings story begins.
The Wet Darlings. Left to right: Bill Patterson, Jennifer Lute, Aaron Bishara, Joe Patterson
614columbus.com Cover thumbnail: Kevin James. Story Photo: Chris Casella
The band's founding member, guitarist Bill Patterson, whose prowess for arrangement and witty lyrics are apparent upon the first listen, met lead singer Jennifer Lute through mutual friends on everyone's favorite site for legal stalking, Myspace.com.
They instantly hit it off, and, longing for a city with greater potential, Jenny moved from her small rural town and planted herself in Columbus looking for exhilaration.
"We both happened to be in Ravari Room at the same time. Through a lot of liquid courage, I thought it seemed like a good idea to sing karaoke . . . I let it rip on the chorus of Beyonce's 'Crazy In Love' - not even really knowing any of the words, and . . ." Jennifer is cut off just as she begins to reminisce on the band's unorthodox commencement.
"I remember hearing her and thinking 'Oh, shit - this is something special,'" interrupted Bill. "You kind of can't ignore that. We would be dumb not to see what she can do."
Bill, along with his brother, bassist and musical glue, Joe Patterson, were adamant. They coaxed Jenny into "jamming around" and spent the next year writing, drinking, and honing their power-rock craft.
All trips down memory lane aside, the Wet Darlings are a blend of sweltering big vocal sing-a-longs that you can reasonably bop your indie head to, mixed with interesting chord progressions that make you feel sad and happy almost simultaneously.
Once the jocular and incredibly gifted drummer, Aaron Bishara, permanently established a residence, the Wet Darlings morphed into a band poised for some big things, including opening the show for the Kings of Leon's last stop through Columbus.
The as-yet untitled debut EP from the Wet Darlings was recorded locally at Earthworks Studios with Grammy award-winning producer, Jeff Ciampa, which gives an indication of how dynamic this band can be. Album highlights like "Pretty'd" incorporate a 1950's "doo-wop" feel as the band shows what life could be like if Amy Winehouse traded in the white powder for a distortion pedal. Songs like "Bicycle" and "Drown Me" take us on a metaphorical journey through love (or lust) gone awry.
While recording their five-song debut EP, the Darlings recorded a second six-song EP set to be released later this year.
"If the first album is our Star Wars, the second is definitely our Empire Strikes Back," geeked Bill. "Songs get pretty dark, and there is a complexity that runs through everything."
Rather than toiling over the avant-garde, which they are talented enough to do, they permit you to fall in love with Miss Lute, whose vocal stylings range from wounded fawn to scornful woman, pairing the delicate strength of a woman with some monster musical balls.
The Wet Darlings Perform @ Ruby Tuesday
1978 Summit St.
February 13th, 10 p.m.
www.myspace.com/thewetdarlings
Originally Published: February 1, 2010
