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All of the members are scene veterans who met during the '90s. Guitarist/vocalist Jesse Gilsinger was playing lead guitar for St. Louis-based Small Ball Paul when they opened for Bad Brains in Cincinnati. At that show, he was introduced to bassist Robert Moore (former Starshaker) by mutual friend Chris Lee. Around the same time, drummer Keith Adams was performing with another well-known regional band, Sound Mind. The three remained aware of one another's projects, but only last year did they finally get around to collaborating.
"We've all been at it for a long time, but this is by far the most fun," admits Moore.
"I remember Rob putting together this giant festival at Annie's when he was like, 19," recalls Adams. "He conned all these big local acts into playing, and it was a huge success."
That's exactly the kind of gonzo enthusiasm that they share. Adams owns his own multimedia service company, Fluid Media. Gilsinger recently built a fully functional studio in his place in Northside. They also share promotion and other duties, so no one has to bear the brunt of the work. As a result of this cross-functionality, Giant Wow has excelled as a self-managed band. They were one of the 30 (out of 1100) unsigned bands chosen to perform at CMJ's Rock Hall Music Fest in Cleveland earlier this month, and one of two bands asked to play on Cleveland's Fox 8 Morning Show.
Giant Wow is adept at both upbeat Pop tunes and more melancholy compositions. Their distinctive sound recalls '80s music, but not just the instruments and attitude that many revivalists focus on. Instead, they apply the dense songwriting approach that Synth Pop outfits were known for.
"One of my heroes in music is Henry Mancini," says Gilsinger. "He's always got at least one melody going at all times. I mean, why have a song with one hook? Why not have a bunch of hooks? That was the sensibility of the '80s keyboard bands."
Their sound is also devoid of Grunge, Indie, Emo and most other influences that have dominated the airwaves for the past 15 years. And there's a trademark Cincinnati component missing: "We have none of the Folk that creeps into everyone else's music," says Gilsinger. "That's why we don't sound much like anyone around here."
Like the band's music, Gilsinger's voice sounds eerily familiar but impossible to place. In fact, people are always telling him he sounds exactly like ... someone. "I tell them if they figure it out, let me know." With power and tension throughout his impressive range and a decided lack of theatrics, I'd suggest a combination of Men At Work's Colin Hay and The Outfield's Tony Lewis.
As seasoned players, Giant Wow's smorgasbord of influences lends taste and complexity to their music. "I love that challenge of bringing Latin and Hip Hop beats on an acoustic kit to give the grooves an otherworldly Rock feel," Adams explains. "Jesse does all these percussive things on the guitar, and Rob is the center point."
"We all do little out things, but we're not trying to be some Prog Rock power trio," adds Moore. "Jesse plays a lot of lead parts, which definitely helps the hook factor."
And hook people it has. Since they started back in November, Giant Wow's fans have been demanding recorded material. They banged out a dozen songs in Gilsinger's studio over the last few months, and the final mixes are positively luminous. After some paring, they picked seven tracks for Erwin Musper at The Bamboo Room to master. The results will be available soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the band's buoyant live show and another of their best assets: quirky, incisive humor.
"We sound just like Muse if you cut a limb off of everybody and gave two of us lobotomies," insists Gilsinger. "Just like Muse."
GIANT WOW (giantwow.com) performs Friday at the Southgate House as a part of the "80s Pop Rocks II" benefit/tribute.
