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Whatfor: "Call That Girl"
I was supposed to be in Montreal when this show happened, but at the end of the two-day drive home from New Orleans, I realized that getting back into a car for 16 hours right away, with a grading deadline looming, was probably going to be a bad idea. A great local band showcase for $5 was a terrific consolation prize. But since I was skipping what could have been a productive conference with the job market coming up for me next fall, I figured I shouldn't fritter the whole night away. Thus, I spent the first three sets -- from local favorites National Beekeepers Society, His & Her Vanities and Pale Young Gentlemen, the latter of which played a ton of new material -- sitting at the side bar, reading articles for my upcoming prelims. This also had the side-effect of helping me to not be thinking about recording the whole time, which was nice. That brings us to the stars of the evening, Whatfor, a Sleeping in the Aviary side-project made up of basically an instrument-shifted Sleeping in the Aviary. This song, for instance, is from the CD that was released at this show, but it's also been played at Sleeping in the Aviary shows at least as far back as the first time I saw them.
Whatfor: "Nursing a Broken Heart"
The guys in Sleeping in the Aviary have many side projects, of which this is just one. Another is the Lark Voorhies, where this tune originates. Dig it!
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Location: Madison, WI, United States
Formed in: 2008
Label: Science of Sound
WHATFOR is more than just pop.
The man behind the moniker, Michael Sienkowski, has the mentality of the classics, a knack for sharp songwriting and a handsome set of pipes. This ensures that Whatfor's debut album is pointedly smart and crafty without compromising its levelheaded measure - the finest Midwestern gallantry tempered by the strong hands of wry humor and verse. With songs masking self-mockery in '60s-style pop, Sooner Late Than Never channels the sardonic joy of The Kinks, joined by Beatles harmonies and a vocal style reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright. Despite the oft-biting lyrical subject matter, the album sounds upbeat and manages to escape the trap of redundancy that can plague pop rock. Each track takes its own personality, from touches of baroque, finger-plucked rag to tongue-in-cheek misogyny that will put your hips in a twist.
Sienkowski is no stranger to the Madison, Wisconsin music scene. He's the drummer for spastic-pop trio Sleeping in the Aviary and was a founding member of the late, lamented Eyebeams. Whatfor finds him taking full advantage of his musical neighbors. SITA bandmates Elliott Kozel (guitar) and Phil Mahlstadt (bass) help flesh out Sienkowski's own work on piano, vocals and drums. Beth Morgan of Madison's Pale Young Gentlemen acts as cellist laureate, while UW music majors Erin Heinke (harpsichord) and Jamie Kember (trombone) add extra flavor to the mix. Cribshitter's Christine Christenson even busts out her tuba for a track. Overall, the crew conveys a sense of musical modesty, lending the album skillfully minimalist performances which Sienkowski has layered into an irrepressibly catchy whole.
Sooner Late than Never, recorded by Ricky Riemer at Science of Sound in Madison, was released May 20, 2008 on the Science of Sound label.
