Wallace was the first and best band I was a part of. Wallace was a DIY college band. Three kids trying to write songs without reference. I only take credit for a third of this project. The songwriting and performances were all very collaborative. Democratic even.
I always wanted to write songs that didn't sound like anything I had heard before. That's not to say we didn't have influences. Pixies were probably the first group that all three of us shared a love for. And beyond them, I remember being into artists like Primus, Jack White, Beefheart, and Zappa. I loved the zaniness. Still do. But I never wanted to copy anyone's sound. Only now that I've listened to more music, I can say Wallace sounds more similar to The Dismemberment Plan and Minutemen than any of the influences. All by accidental or “experimental” design.
It was painfully fun while it lasted. I only regret not recording our earlier material. We had another full-length album worth of songs that we were either too stubborn or too lazy to have produced. At least we made this one. It has all our best songs anyway.
And it's still great. Raw and quirky. It gets better every time I come back to it.
Lost in the Woods
You Are Here
Gears
Bam!
Inch Worm Meditation
At Fifteeth and Elephant
Sunskin
Prick
Weightlifting
MGH
This and That
Just a Bug