Ever since I reviewed the new Wakey!Wakey! album, Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to see them live in concert. They’re from Brooklyn, so I knew that time would come sooner than later, and sure enough, they came to town this past Saturday night to hold an album release party. I went into the show with high expectations as I always do. I set myself up for disaster right?

Absolutely not! Wakey!Wakey! was fucking amazing live. Though I really enjoy the album, it’s difficult to hear the intricacies that become so evident when watching them perform in person. The gig was at Mercury Lounge, which as I state all the time, isn’t one of my favorite venues. I think it’s starting to grow on me though. The acoustics that particular night was right on target, and the crowd was VERY into the performance.

Now the stage at Mercury Lounge isn’t exactly big, but Wakey!Wakey! fit 11 (that’s right, 11!) band members on stage at one point. The arrangement included trombones, drums, trumpets, tambourine, keyboard, guitar, violin, bass, and a very talented whistler (obviously!). If I were to write about everything I enjoyed about this show, you’d be reading for days, so I’ll limit myself to one more paragraph.

Lead singer, Michael Grubbs is breaking through and proving to be a musical talent that just can’t be ignored any more. He’s been recognized by the music supervisors of One Tree Hill, as they are featuring his music on their show (and rightfully so). Every song played at that show was amazing, and so complex. My favorite songs had to be “Almost Everything”, “Take It Like A Man”, and “Got It All Wrong”. I also have to mention the band’s final song of the evening, which was a cover of “Ambling Alp” by Yeasayer. It was fucking amazing.

So how do I follow that review of Wakey!Wakey!? Well, pretty easily actually. Opening band, Harper Blynn was also a very pleasant surprise. I had never heard of them before, but there was an instant likability to them. Their pop rock tunes were a fun and easy listen, that even appealed to my exclusively hip-hop listening brother. Yeah, congrats Harper Blynn, that’s quite the accomplishment.

All band members were very skilled on their respective instruments, and seemed extremely comfortable on stage. This was refreshing after enduring the painful performance by Taken by Trees earlier in the week. It’s clear these dudes know what there doing, and have a path of success waiting for them as they continue to mature. Great stuff.

It’s going to be tough to conclude this review, but I’ll give it a shot. Both bands really impressed me. I’m looking forward to following their road to successful careers, as I believe that they both have what it takes to make it in this rough industry.