Get a Grip on Yourself (BP)

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Crime Pays	2:26	Play
2		Forgiven (Down to the River)	2:44	Play
3		Paranoid	3:59	Play
4		Mickey	3:27	Play
5		Rollin' On	2:30	Play
6		On the Radio	2:33	Play
7		Never	3:02	Play
8		Diana's Haus	3:46	Play
9		Charity	3:13	Play
10		Quarterboy	3:20	Play
11		I'm Going Home	2:21	Play

Items may be purchased individually.

Contributors

Details

Royalties

See the payment distribution when this media is bought.

Description	Amount
Bitmunk Marketplace Service	USD $0.98
CD Baby Artist Royalty	USD $5.97
CD Baby 9% Digital Distribution Cost	USD $0.54
Bitmunk Download Service	USD $0.45
Bitmunk MicroPayment Service	USD $0.01
Total	USD $7.93

Bitmunk uses a micropayment system that is accurate to 7 monetary digits.
Mouse over an individual amount to see its exact value.

Description

Bobby Amodeo - Lead Vocals, Bass
Danny Walker - Guitar
Billie Stevens - Guitar
Spider - Drums

"Musically, it's almost like The Clash, Elvis Costello and The Ramones got into a rumble that The Beatles won," laughs WANK's DANNY WALKER when asked to describe the group's sound. But he's not far off. As the Los Angeles Times already noted, "Mixing a pop sensibility with pure punk drive, this Huntington Beach-based band cranks out crisply played, crunching rockers, delivered with gusto and skill."
A do-it-yourself punk ethic, years of writing, rehearsing and performing and airplay on a very influential radio station have helped the Orange County four-piece persevere. And now the group is getting the attention they've worked so hard for.
At the start of 1998, the two-year-old band was playing the Southern California club and festival circuit, promoting their self-produced GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF CD. That exposure and coverage in the Orange County Register, BAM, Los Angeles Times and Mean Street added to the group's already considerable momentum, which got another boost in early February '98, when L.A.'s KROQ/106.7 FM began playing the song "Forgiven" on its local artists' program.
"First we got played on a show called 'Zeke's Backyard.' Then Kevin Weatherly (program director at KROQ) suggested Jed the Fish play the song, and the following week said he was putting it in rotation," said BOBBY AMODEO, who along with BILLIE and SPIDER, live in Surf City, Huntington Beach. DANNY lives in nearby Tustin.
Within days, a number of prominent record labels found themselves all trying to sign the band that had elicited massive listener response on one of alternative rock radio's most influential stations. That led to the band's decision to sign with Maverick Records, which released WANK's debut CD GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF on March 31.

The CD has been remixed since the band's initial 1,000-pressing in May '97, and also features the newly recorded "Larry Brown," produced by Social Distortion's legendary front man Mike Ness. "Mike Ness being involved with us helped the band a lot," says DANNY. "He saw us at the Doll Hut (in Anaheim) and just came up to us."

Ness told the Los Angeles Times about WANK: "I'm not easily impressed. It's not every day that a band catches my ears. Putting three chords to a melody and not sounding generic is not that easy to do."

As for their commitment to the group and their music, DANNY says, "To me, WANK is all about a do-it-yourself attitude. Our shows cater to the rumble, but musically, there is a melodic focus. BILLIE agrees: "Artistically, our sound pulls from diverse influences with the songs being real catchy. Anyone can hear these songs and sing along with them." California's Mean Street magazine agreed, saying, "Wank is more rock in the way that Social Distortion and the Clash rock, with a great sense of pop that holds it all together." Other tracks on the CD include "Paranoid," "Super Normal," "Never," "On The Radio," "Fearless" and "Crime Pays." In examining the stories WANK's songs tell, the Los Angeles Times said, "Lyrically, the material relies mainly on youthful misadventures, from relationship woes to male rites of passage and run-ins with the law. Burning with anger or reeling from heartache, the protagonist in each song appears downtrodden and overwhelmed but fights back with admirable resiliency." The Orange County Register said, "Boasting a disc of great material, the band blends pop rock and alternative influences...beyond the obvious edge are the songs themselves--which are intelligent and melodic."
With an eclectic, rapidly-growing fan base that transcends generation and musical taste, WANK were able to develop a strong Los Angeles base even before the song got big radio play. WANK members agree that they knew they shared an uncommon chemistry from the get-go. "I knew straight away this is the best band I've seen and been a part of. Everything fits perfectly--like a comfortable pair of shoes," BILLIE said.
The group made their first music video for "Forgiven," working with director Kevin Kerslake (Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots) on a three-day shoot in L.A. In the concept piece, the band members portray gangsters who rob a bank. "I wind up in jail, but the other three guys get killed," admitted BOBBY.
But it's ultimately a commitment to smart songwriting and the band's connection with their growing legion of fans that matter most to WANK. "We try to write songs that not only last but transcend these times and lift you up," explains DANNY. "If we can create one tune like that, I'll feel really blessed...the songs are important to us," he says, defining the essence and philosophy of GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF.