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New Groove of the Month: The Big Wu
by Robert Hubanks
Photo by Amar SinghConjure up Minneapolis. An arctic wind is blowing down Hennepin, whistling through the beams of the skyway. A few streets down, you are blowing into your hands as you shuffle into the bar. The oncoming rush of heat greets you like an old friend as you begin to de-layer, and feel the palpable energy in the room. A soothing wash of purple and green is blanketing the stage, and the vibe thickens. You strike up a conversation, but your new friend has to go...he has a show to do. Good thing you brought your dancing shoes. Since the Big Wu began their run of weekly shows at Minneapolis' Cabooze in 1996, their music has snowballed into something much larger than just themselves. The energy that began as the marriage of their songs and the people who drink them in, has grown into a family. With lots of cousins.
The Big Wu is comprised of drummer/vocalist Terry VanDeWalker, guitarist/vocalist Chris Castino, bassist Andy Miller, keyboardist/anything-he-can-get-his-hands-on Al Oikari, and guitarist/vocalist Jason Fladager. The variety of their influences is as wide as the scope of styles they play. A self-described genre of rock music with a folky twinge to it does not begin to do justice. From the jazz intoxication of "Oxygen" to the colorful tapestry of "Red Sky", the Wu can run the gamut. But more importantly, they can turn it over. Be it a cozy bar, a small theater, or Alpine Valley, the Wu can push the envelope, and then they can turn it inside out. Raucous dissonance resolving to a sweet dual lead melody, rapid fire rhythm dropping to a rich sustain. The Big Wu takes musical chances, and hit or miss, they are always turning some type of corner. The scary thing is that they just keep getting better. Says Fladager, "I like the notion of five human beings going up on stage and doing the best they can with what they know. The audience is able to watch the band progress and grow on stage." Let it grow.
Like all great jambands, their onstage communication and dynamic is fun to watch. As they transition from a funk-spun "Help>Slip" into a sensual "Southern Energy," you find yourself mirroring Terry's contagious grin, and snapping your head to Chris and Jason's perfect compliment, while barely holding on to the edge. It's then that you notice John Kahn is everywhere, pearls of fragile thunder rolling around the room. Actually its a heavy metal kid with magic fingers. But that's another story. As is their extraterrestrial keyboardist Al Oikari. Wicked slide to a phat Moog, Al splashes the canvas with the color of the day. When the band is in full swing, they become difficult to dissect. Not so much playing off of each other, as just playing together, and consistently reaching a destination.
Yet more powerful and alluring than the texture of their jams is their colorful pallet of songs. Lyrically, the Wu's originals talk to you like your favorite book. You know all the words, and they make you smile every time your hear 'em. "We write good songs, there's actually some thought put into how the words and the music work together." Each song has its own unique character and tells a different story every time you here it. Be it a tempo change or an increased emphasis on a newly discovered sub-rhythm, the songs open new doors every time they're played. As Mick Skidmore recently stated in the March 99 issue of Relix, "...these guys make some great music that stands comfortably on it's own." Very comfortably.
My wife Micky and I first saw the Wu at O'Gara's Garage in St. Paul in December of 97. What struck us then, and what still strikes us today, was the vibe we felt when we arrived. We were new to the area, and most definitely outsiders to scene, yet the prevailing sense was as if we had just returned home. Warm eyes and knowing smiles. That sensation of impending release. As Fladager says, "I think there are peaks in shows that strike people in the heart, and people come back to get a dose of that, hoping it will happen again." The hunger for those moments of satori, like most pure things, transcend all age groups and social statuses. The Wu's extended family consists of a strong and growing contingent of young and professional students, working folk, newbies and old school heads of all walks. Would you believe even a Lutheran Minister? As the family continues to grow and more folks are turned on, the band seems to grow as well.
Perhaps the embodiment of this symbiotic relationship occurred this past Memorial Day weekend at a place called Harmony Park in southern Minnesota. Call it a wrinkle in time or your most convenient astrological definition, but there was something very special about that weekend. Nearly 2000 souls gathered for a camping festival and witnessed two high energy, visually stimulating sets from the Big Wu, excellent sets from The Disco Biscuits, the David Nelson Band, the talented and youthful Medulla Oblongatta, and a handful of other outstanding artists. All the flavors were in the soup. Folks had come from far and wide, from St. Louis to Big Sky country. Minnesota had experienced two straight weeks of rain, but come Saturday morning, the clouds had parted and the skies were shouting. The positivity was ubiquitous . As Jason put it, "2000 people with the same consciousness getting together and saying, "look ...we're gonna show you how to have a good time." Indeed, that is what happened. The Harmony Park Family Reunion peaked peacefully and without incident. By Monday morning, the clouds and the campground had been returned to the way they were found. And while it may have seemed like a zenith at the time, certainly this very same vibe exists at every Big Wu show. A sort of homecoming every time.
After two plus years of the weekly slot at the Cabooze, the Wu is no longer the best kept secret in the Twin Cities. The combination of an aggressive tape trading fan base and some solid touring will do that. The past few years has seen the Wu play three H.O.R.D.E. Festival date including Alpine Valley, WI, and Vernon Downs, NY in August of 97, a June 98 debut at the Wetlands in NY, and last year's 4th of July bash at the High Sierra Music Festival in California. Interspersed with frequent trips to Colorado and throughout the midwest, and you can see why the Wu is getting Big. A few weeks ago the Wu completed their first big East Coast tour.
Rest assured the Woad to Wuin is not a lonely place. As the band takes their act to "as many places in the country that will have us," the relationships and crowd dynamic will follow. With new folks joining the list-serve, getting new tapes, or seeing their first show, the community is growing at a staggering rate. Fortunately there is no cap on the membership, all are welcome. Just be sure to bring some soft-soled sneakers, and an umbrella. The clouds that began gathering in southern Minnesota seven years ago are ready to bring about storm without delay.
For more info, check out their website.
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