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Wax On Radio
Monday Sep 04, 2006.
By Gavin Paul
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 photo: Benny Haber Formed in 2005, this surprisingly young quartet—half the band isn't of drinking age—has struck Chicago music scene gold in a sliver of the time of its predecessors, drawing 800+ kids to its first headlining show just a few months after its conception. The band headlined six more shows then found itself wined and dined into a contract by the East Coast label-head of Downtown Records (Gnarls Barkley, Art Brut, Eagles of Death Metal) in May 2006. It started as these stories do, toiling in the trenches of urban sprawl, working their Cold Stone, Jamba Juice and Starbucks jobs to rake in just enough financial freedom to play music for six hours a day. Mikey Russell and Harrison bonded first, immediately sending out the recruiting call to friends and music associates for a drummer and a lead guitarist. Their efforts landed them 18-year-old Sammy Del Real, son of a touring jazz pianist who "came out of the womb with drumsticks in his hands," claims Harrison. Bobby Buckstaff, 22, was next, winning the last spot thanks to years of classical training and short local jazz band stints. From here they practiced in Mikey's mother's house by day and played the pop-punk VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) circuit by night. "Places where old people have bingo on Friday nights...the bottom rung of the ladder," says Mikey. Still, VFW centers are no stranger to suburban success stories like Fall Out Boy and The Academy Is. Bands pool together cash to rent out the space and then charge a $4-$5 cover to make a little profit. Wax On Radio was able to win over a suburban following that catapulted the head-count at the city shows it went on to play. Four students of "passionate," "honest" and "genuine" music, Wax On Radio drew its name from the vinyl era, "when music was more heartfelt," says Mikey. "I'm not saying we're the paragon of honesty. It's just something that we strive for." When amps are cranked and chords and drum pedals cued, the band does well tapping energy that matches its credos and philosophies. Mikey's voice soars from mellow to shrill, backed by the build and charges of Bobby and Harrison's spacey sharp guitars, Sammy ready to stop his cymbal pounds on a dime. The stop comes and the four modern-day shamans blast into evocations of old monster Zeppelin jams, pushing and tugging you down the shadowy caverns of rock and roll, only to hand off the lantern to you to find the light. The band sets out on its first tour this fall, to promote the nine-track Exposition. Downtown Records is handing over a trailer, a van and a 28-show budget, with eight days of rest. To this they reply, "If we could play 360 shows in a year, we would definitely do that. And that's taking off our four birthdays and Christmas and that's it." Huge label, ample budget and a new album, but "still the same as it was in [Mikey's Mom's] garage," says Harrison. "There's this old Spanish saying, 'Soy quiénes soy en mis circunstancias,' that translates to 'I am who I am in my circumstances.'"
In the beginning: What's cool in your neck of the woods:
Here I am, rock you like a:
Coming soon to a stage near you:
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