By: Cassandra Dhaenens 8/7/2018
I was sitting in a booth eating garlic & Truffle French Fries in an old bank that had been converted into a venue in downtown Spokane, that’s when I heard the band Waking Things. Their upbeat sound is what got me intrigued and pulled me away from my delicious food. Chris Sicard, at the time their only frontman had an explosive energy that really got the crowd going. You could immediately tell that they enjoyed what they were doing, and their music was impeccable. After the show, I had to introduce myself; it was the kind of music that needed to be heard in Spokane. I was immediately greeted with joy and love when I told them I loved their musical performance and wanted to invite them back to Spokane. Hugs were given as well as handshakes and then goodbyes as we all needed to go home. Since that day forward Waking Things has become part of the Bella family. They have always been delighted to join in on shows that we put on, even welcoming my husband's bands to their city.
To all of us, there had seemed to be something missing with this three-piece band, though it didn’t hinder them in any way. They continued to push forward making memorable songs and hilarious music videos. In November 2017, that missing something appeared in the Waking Things life. After a few soft auditions resulting in a final, Samantha Aiello was added to the band as a lead singer, leaving Chris to do backups. They immediately began working on recording some of the favorites of their old songs adding Samantha's beautiful voice into the mixes. Singles were pushed out throughout the year, and on July 1st the band released their first EP with Samantha.
Samantha has really brought something to this band. Like an untamed animal waiting for its moments of stardom in this wild circus called Waking Things. I think that’s why she fits so well with this bunch of crazy monkeys. She indeed is one of them, and I love that. Though I’ve only heard her voice through a recording without a doubt, I know this lady is going to surprise me even more with a live performance. Her sultry, smooth vocals a sound you might find in a back alley jazz bar. It reminded me of a rendition of Amy Winehouse voice. Brought together with Chris's high boisterous almost effeminate voice her low register voice, cleverly flipping the traditional gender expectations when it comes to duets which really mellows out the band’s sound.
As I sit here writing this article, I have the sweet, catchy melodies mulling over in my head of the song Fickle Bitch. If ever given a chance these songs I feel could be in a movie, TV show and maybe even Broadway. The production of the songs is tight but never overproduced yet catchy as all get up. The songs are definitely authentic and radio-friendly but has a bit of a DIY spice that I love so dearly. This band doesn’t comfortably fit into a box. Some songs give you the feel of a pop-punk band than others give you that alternative indie-rock that you can hear all over the radio. I have come to the conclusion that Waking Things are their own box, and they have no limits on what they can do. Frankly trying to put this band into a box to be categorized would just be an insult.
If their new release of their EP “Hang in there” is any indication of what is to come now that Samantha has graced their fan base with her presence, then I think we have a lot more coming to us in the future. Frankly, I can’t wait.
The band will be going on tour soon, starting it off with their CD release of “Hang In There” at the Skylark in West Seattle as they play with Tiger Rider and The Requisit August 9th. They will then make their way to Spokane, playing with The Emergency Exit BAR TALK Skunktopus and Foxtrot Epidemic at the Bartlett on August 10th. “Hang In There” EP can be found on all streaming platforms including Bandcamp, Spotify and apple music. Highly recommend listening to it and also going to their show. See you there!