David Wax is one of the universe’s misplaced souls, a Mexicali Folk troubadour whose soul was inexplicably dropped into the relentlessly Caucasian flannel-and-denim backwoods of Missouri. Wax found his musical passion while working with the American Friends Service Committee in rural Mexico, where he returned after finishing his degree at Harvard.
On a yearlong fellowship, Wax began absorbing the rich heritage of Son, a particular Mexican Folk genre, and applying those rhythms and instruments (including the guitar-like jarana and the quijada, a percussion device that literally utilizes the jawbone of an ass) to his own unique translation of Midwestern Folk, Country and Rock. After starting the Museum, Wax met Suz Slezak, a fiddler and well-rounded student of Folk and Roots music. The twosome has remained the core of DWM for the past four years.
David Wax Museum plays the Southgate House's Parlour Tuesday. Go here for Brian Baker's full Sound Advice.
