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Bio

  • "Aesthetically, Wave Array has created music that defines and transcends barriers of privacy that harbor human emotion and self-reflection." - Tanya Fuller, Performer Magazine
  • "Like a more psychedelic Spoon or a more shambolic Pinback...The East Bay band’s debut politely ignores prevailing trends" - Nate Seltenrich, East Bay Express
  • "A powerful, fresh sound that builds on the past and adventurously anticipates the future. Psychedelic flourishes enhance intricately layered rock." - Paul Freeman, San Jose Mercury
  • "There's a deep fluidity in the songs of Wave Array that makes the group not just another drop in the ocean of psychedelic garage-rock bands." - Delfín Vigil, SF Chronicle

Wave Array's debut full length, Cheapjack Moon, is a sign of things to come. Propelled by the success of “Dream Sequence” from their self-titled EP (2007), which garnered XM radio play and internet buzz as the #13 song of 500 in Ourstage's national Noisepop competition, the San Francisco Bay Area rock foursome aimed to record a watermark in their musical evolution. After arriving home from their Pacific Northwest tour, singer/guitarist Strom Lee, guitarist Nich Pak, bassist Johan Alfsen, and former drummer/vocalist Will Halsey spent the next two years gathering their thoughts and throwing them shamelessly onto a blank audio canvas. The results were refined through live performance, recorded in their “No Hassle Castle” home studio, and finalized into what is now Cheapjack Moon.
 
“We always want to do something out of the box, something unconventional that will make it special for us and for the people listening,” Strom explained to Paul Freeman of the San Jose Mercury. And the band has done just that, using unusual techniques like spring drum vocals layered over droning guitars in “Future Tense”, synthesized chaos on tracks like “In the Peel”, and vivid lyrical imagery found in “Paper Wings” and “Leave Me In” to push the boundaries of genre lines and musical creativity.
 
If you take a look at Wave Array's previous performances, you will see that the band plays anywhere and everywhere because they know potential fans are listening anywhere and everywhere. Untraditional venues such as outdoor malls, space observatories, dance clubs, and eco friendly fashion shows have all served as stomping grounds for these four journeymen. The same musical passion that transformed these Craigslist acquaintances from strangers to best friends and housemates in just a few months can be seen in every performance, and the audience knows it; children who can barely walk suddenly learn to dance, older folks are subtly reminded of the good old days, and concert goers put their conversations on hold for a brief moment to observe the dynamic soundscape before them.
 
However, don't think that the band is going to be resting on its haunches with the milestone of their first record. Shortly after the release of Cheapjack Moon, Wave Array and Will Halsey decided to part ways, and Strom, Nich, and Johan reformed with current drummer Alex Curran. Within a matter of weeks, the new quartet began exploring different sounds and textures, which led to the single “Rest Easy”. This new track showcases a completely different side of the band than previous recordings, and indicates Wave Array's desire to evolve and create great music without boundaries.