It's a sad thought, but bands fall apart. No matter how much you loved them, no matter how many shows you went too, everyone from your favorite local jam band to the Jonas Brothers might not make it to tomorrow. But lucky us, for each band in South Florida that goes to heaven, another one gets its wings. Like Wake Up. As their name implies, it's risen from the ashes of fallen bands and emerged a phoenix of catchy tunes.
Wake Up is an indie rock melting pot with Evan Mui at the helm. Mui, who spent some time playing bass with the Dewars and garnered success with Guy Harvey, is now embracing his latest project. Fresh off a mini-CMJ tour with fellow Decades Records label mates Band in Heaven, Wake Up are one of the more buzzed about bands playing this year's Moonfest on Clematis Street. We got a chance to sit down with Evan and find out what it's like starting as a solo artists coming up in our local music scene. But the real question still remains, what will he be for Halloween? We got some clues, but his uncertainty is just another reason you have to catch them live on the Moonfest stage.
See Also: Meet New Local Foursome Wake Up, Featuring Members of the Dewars and Guy Harvey
New Times: Wake Up is pieces of other bands coming together. Does one of those bands sound pretty similar to what Wake Up sounds like, or are you guys a totally new sound?
Evan Mui: I think that we kind of have our own thing. The band I was playing with before I started this project, Guy Harvey, is probably the most similar to what it is that we're doing now. But I think we have our own thing going on. A lot of people are really concerned with trying to accommodate something trendy but we just want to make music that we enjoy, and be true to that, and not really trying to do anything else.
Are you guys pretty psyched to be aligned with Decades Records?
Yeah definitely. It's run by some friends of ours. We have known each other for a long time and played shows together. We have always been supportive of each other, and we are stoked to be working with them.
We are happy someone is doing something like that, because this area has really needed that for a long time. There are a couple labels in Florida, one in Orlando and one in Miami, but there really hasn't been one primarily out of West Palm Beach. I think it is really awesome that those guys are doing that and Rodney Mayo is involved and he kicks ass. We're keeping it real for the musical community around here.
So are you recording?
We have been recording for a while and we are just now deciding to release an EP of the songs we have finished. We have a lot of other stuff that we have recorded but we don't really have plans to release that. We are going to put a 7-inch out too with Decades.
How long have you been involved with the local music scene?
Well I started writing songs around 2002 or 2003 and then recorded them and started playing shows. I lived in Broward, and I did a solo thing for a long time, and then my ex-girlfriend and I moved up to Lake Worth about three or so years ago. A lot of the friends that I had that were involved in the music scene were living in Delray at the time, and a lot of them ended up moving up here, so I was coming up with them. And there was a really great music scene here. And that was around the time I started playing bass with the Dewars. So that is pretty much how that happened
Are you excited for Moonfest?
Yeah, definitely! We are stoked to play that.
What can someone expect from your set who might other wise never heard of you?
We are fun, I guess. We are loud. People have said that we are catchy. We want to have a good time so we try to go out and have fun and we love to play with our friends. Everyone should come out, because there is a really great lineup, there are a lot of good bands playing. If you want to have fun, come and watch our set.
Are you guys going to dress up?
We are considering it. I think we might. I just came across some pretty random and funny costume accoutrements at the thrift store the other day, so I might have something ridiculous. We'll see if it actually happens.
I'm pretty sure you have to dress up.
Yeah you know Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I was a kid, and I just feel like the last couple of years, I have been neglecting it a little bit. So this year might be the year to make amends for that. We'll see.
Moonfest is 7 p.m., Saturday, October 26, on Clematis Street in West Palm Beach. General admission tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. VIP $50 in advance, $75 at the door. Visit the official website for more information and to buy tickets.
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