(Photo by Kevin James, Red Generation Photography)
I have a confession. I’ve fallen in love with four people at the same time.
They’re all musicians. It’s so scandalous.
The objects of my tawdry, booze-soaked affections are none other than Jenny Lute, Aaron Bishara, and brothers Bill and Joe Patterson… collectively known as The Wet Darlings.
It started with a Tuesday night meeting at a dimly lit table at Surly Girl Saloon. There were Fritos and egg salad. It should have been just like any other interview. I ask a few questions, they give a few answers, we have a beer or two, and I write a perfectly delightful piece about the band and their upcoming CD release party for their fantastic debut EP, X. Instead, we stumble out of another bar four hours and at least six rounds of cocktails later with a secret handshake, a nearly unintelligible audio recording, plans for a diaper party, a slew of inside jokes, a new love for Blanton’s bourbon, and perhaps some gaps in our collective memory. Luckily I remember just enough to make you swoon for The Wet Darlings as much as I have. I hope.
The band came together just as you’d expect. Boy (Bill) stalks girl (Jenny) on MySpace. Girl moves to the big city from small-town southern Ohio. Boy and girl and boy’s brother (Joe) meet up over Ravari Room karaoke. Boys talk girl into singing their tunes. Then along came one fantastic drummer (Aaron), a little fairy dust, more great songs, a bunch of booze, and The Wet Darlings were born.
But these guys are more than just a gathering of four gifted musicians. As soon as they’re in the same space, you can feel the undeniable chemistry in the group. They’re like family, and they’ll draw you in instantly. Even with a killer headache, Jenny is absolutely CHARMING. She’s warm and welcoming and sweet and endlessly talented. But there’s no doubt that she’d be the first one at the party to get rowdy enough to stand on the table and sing, then knock the table over, maybe throw some Fritos, and then take her top off. Wait. No. She’s a class act. She’d probably take your top off instead. Joe tells me that he plays the bass because it’s easy, and the chicks like it. He also prefers Chingy over Nelly, for what that’s worth. Drummer Aaron (or Bishara as they all seem to refer to him) graciously takes a lot of ribbing from his band mates for being the brainy, organized type. But turn your back on him for just a second, and he’s got his fist in a pint glass making lewd gestures at the table while your face aches from laughter. Guitarist and primary songwriter Bill becomes the default mouthpiece for the group answering most of my questions leaving all of our mouths free to drink more cocktails. He likes his rock stars to be sexy and drink a lot, and he likes his Blanton’s neat. He talks about the unique challenge of being a guy writing for a female singer. Jenny tells me about the major challenge of overcoming her vocal surgery earlier this year and that her major fear was not for her own singing voice but fear of letting her band down. Aaron shows me pics of her vocal folds (aka: Jenny’s laryngina) that he’s saved on his phone. Everyone giggles at their resemblance to girly parts. And most of all, they all talk about how excited they are about playing together and for their upcoming release of their EP, simply titled X.
X is a five song EP that will leave you hot and bothered and begging for more. The boys provide a heavy unadulterated rock and roll backdrop for Jenny’s vocals. Her voice evokes that feeling of running from a hot shower and jumping naked into a bed full of clean blankets. Velvet blankets. Or, you know, the sexiest blankets you can imagine. Last year, Columbus’ Other Paper referred to The Wet Darlings’ style as “sex-pot rock,” and it’s pretty damn spot on. The album, produced by Grammy –award winning Jeff Ciampa, leads off with Bicycle, which seems to be a band fave….and for good reason. The first few seconds tease with a seemingly innocent little melody until Jenny and the fellas launch into a no holds barred sexy rock-fest that just might make even your teeth a bit sweaty. The second track Vampires has already seen radio play on CD101 and brings more of the same lusty yet gritty brilliance. The band takes a bit of a throwback retro turn on Pretty’d which will leave you wrapped around Jenny’s CHARMING little finger and have you swearing that she’s flirting directly with you through your stereo speakers. The final tracks Drown Me and Ordinary Sunshine close the record at a slower tempo but don’t bore you for even a second.
So let’s get down to the dirty details. I can hear you aching for the scoop on how to get your own piece of the Darlings’ action.
X is available for free download through the band’s website www.thewetdarlings.com. Yeah, you heard it right. It’s FREE. But, if you love it like I do and want to support local music, it’s also for sale on iTunes. You can get a limited edition hard copy of the album at local shows, Magnolia Thunderpussy, Lost Weekend Records, and Used Kids. And speaking of live shows, The Wet Darlings CD release show is slated for Saturday June 12 at 10pm at Skully’s Music Diner. Phantods and Happy Chichester will be opening making it a night of Columbus music you’d be crazy to miss. And after you get the record, see the show, and fall in love, watch for the second EP from the band coming out later this year.
In case you didn’t catch it earlier, keep up with the Darlings on their website www.thewetdarlings.com, keep up with them on Facebook and MySpace and on their great blog Wet Sounds: Diary of the Darlings.
Lauren Wilson is a featured writer for Columbus Underground and all comments, suggestions, requests, and boozin’ invites can be forwarded to [email protected].
