Feature: The Wet Darlings
Columbus band soaks listeners with its stunning sound
©Copyright 2009-2010 Out Of The Blue.
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I had been hearing about The Wet Darlings and especially about how “sexy” the band is. So
I went out to the Rumba Cafe in Columbus and checked them out. I admit, they are a pretty
good looking band; but, I’m here to tell you that their sound is stunning.
Jenny Lute’s sweet yet powerful voice is accentuated by the band pounding out a blistering
stream of hard and heavy rock. It’s a combination that gets into your body like an aphrodisiac.
It is absolutely captivating. I was left staring at them there onstage, wanting them to do it
again.
“There have been a handful of shows where the entire crowd has been so into it that it’s
actually made us a little uncomfortable,” said Bill Patterson, guitarist. “We’re not complaining,
but it’s practically unheard of for a band to stop a song, get the applause and then have the
entire club waiting silently for the next song. No conversations, nothing. We had their
complete attention, and if you don’t start the next song right away, you become hyper aware
of everyone in there.”
So, sexy? Yes. Talented? Absolutely. They know what they are doing.
“It’s all about surprise,” Patterson said. "It’s about someone thinking they’re about to have an
average or even underwhelming Saturday night in a bar with some unknown local band
playing the background music. But they end up with a melody drilled into their brain that they
weren’t expecting to love, and they can only get it from us."
He said, "If you sound like 30 other artists that are already out there, you’re not surprising
anyone and you may be comfort food at best. But we want to be a commodity.”
The Wet Darlings succeed in that.
The Wet Darlings' singer and keyboardist Jenny Lute.
Band Members Jenny Lute (vocals, keys)
Bill Patterson (guitar)
Joe Patterson (bass)
Aaron Bishara (drums)
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Out Of The Blue ootb646.com
Watching them together you may get
the impression that the band has been
working on its sound for a long time.
However, the group has only been
working together since their vocalist
moved to the area just a few years ago.
The Wet Darlings AUDIO BREAK
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Listen to The Wet Darling's "Bicycle" from the album X.
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Lute said, "It was scary for me to put myself
in the position for criticism and judgment
based on performance and content. It's a
different kind of world on the outside.”
Obviously she worked it out. Like I said
before: sweet and powerful. A choir girl in
patent leather heels.
Lute, the Patterson brothers, and drummer
Aaron Bishara will be performing Friday,
October 29 at The Park Street Tavern in
Columbus (see flier here).
For more shows check thewetdarlings.com
and while you’re there get a free download of
their debut album titled X.
“We’re working on getting out of town more
and expanding our fan base outside of
Columbus," Patterson said. “Also, we’re
about to release our second EP and we can’
t wait to record the material for the third. We’
re way ahead of ourselves, so we already
know what our future sounds like--we just
wish we could play it for you now.”
Lute made the move from Peebles, Ohio to Columbus in 2007 only having some MySpace
friends for support. Bill Patterson was one of them.
“The hardest part of leaving home was leaving the only stability I'd ever known," he said.
"Leaving for a fresh start is especially intimidating when it's not supported by those you
love.”
When Bill and his brother, bassist Joe Patterson, first approached Lute about working with
them, she was hesitant. Her only previous singing experience was in choir.
“In church everyone thinks that what you're doing is just lovely,” she said. “When you grow
up fronting a charismatic church choir, you get used to producing a particular type of energy
that doesn't fit so much into the outside music scene. I must admit that in the beginning I
wasn't confident that I would be capable of conveying material that was meant to be
entertaining, rather than meant to detour eternal destination."
Album cover for The Wet Darlings' debut: X
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