Wydown takes the indie rock category and turns it upside down. The intensity of Interpol, the artistry of Early Genesis and the pop stylings of Death Cab for Cutie...check it.

9 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Progressive Rock, POP: British Pop



Details:
"College students, take heed: Wydown is the perfect house band for your campuses during the next school year. Worldy without being weary, quirky without being cutesy, the quartet would make the Lou proud as an opener for Guster or Death Cab for Cutie. In fact, elements of both bands are clearly evident on Wydown's new CD, Noise of America â namely in the form of sad piano; earnest, wounded vocals; and midtempo riffs. At their recent Pageant gig, the bandmates' crisp dress shirts matched their professionalism, although shades of Ben Folds' playful melancholy ruled the night." | Annie Zaleski, The River Front Times

"St. Louis' next big band." | Kevin Wilson, Caffe!ne Magazine

"Wydown boasts thrilling vocals, tight guitar riffs, crisp percussion, and unusually moving lyricism." | Laurel Schamp, PlaybackSTL Magazine

"Their crisp, minor-chord breakdowns play like the Interpolian id of Ben Gibbard, while their eccentricities conjure everything from Queen to Radiohead." | Kristyn Pomranz, The River Front Times

"Wydown is an exceptional band." | Jenny Lush, Midwestbands.com

"Wydown could be the next band to sing you around town." | Sean Rose, Leo Weekly (Louisville)

"If there is anything to be said about Wydown, it's that they can really play their instruments." | Jon Kujawaski, PlaybackSTL

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Not your typical rock band, Wydown began in St. Louis, Mo. with vocalists/songwriters Ethan Balis, Nate Dewart and an arsenal of original material. What started with a bass, a keyboard and for their first gig, a classical string trio, has evolved into a devoted group with a tenacious approach towards focused and inspired songwriting. With the addition of Karl Eggers on guitar and Aaron Story on drums, this prog-indie-rock quartet has not only expanded its musical influences, but has refined the live delivery of its intense, intelligent songs.

With 85+ shows throughout the Midwest including performances with Athlete, Lapush and Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, and successes on college and online radio nationwide with its EP, Message From the Yes Man, Wydown has found itself in its commitment to writing and performing energetic rock music for people who are too smart for their own good.

Live, the magic of the group is readily apparent. The shared vocal duties of Balis and Dewart - sometimes harmonizing beautifully, other times dueling through call-and-response - set Wydown instantly apart from its peers, while the musical chairs school of instrumentation makes for a stunning display of talent. Though the lyrics unabashadely regret and loss, innocence or otherwise, the cathartic, upbeat instrumentaion and arrangements are nothing if not life-affirming.

Their first full-length, "Noise America," (summer 2006) co-produced by J. Christopher Hughes (Moderndayzero, Greenwheel), is a culmination of these efforts: an intense look at life, love and the complexities of the American Dream. As Balis puts it, âThis band has never been one for lack of ideas, but for this album we really tried to focus our creative energies into complete, cohesive thoughts.â The result is a grand collection of stirring vignettes. Each song carves out its own space to ruminate on ideas of innocence, apathy, abuse and loss but in a vibrant, celebratory way.

The diverse topics all share a common goal of trying to get beyond the advertised America and to the heart of the condition of living in this country with the hopes of acknowledging and honoring our shared human experience.

Welcome to Wydown; we're in this together.