Considering all three members of W.C. Lindsay are also members of Steady Hands, you’d think the bands would have a bit more in common than they do. But besides the fact that both groups got their start in Philly when they met fellow band members at Drexel University, the similarities are scarce — especially when it comes to music. However, W.C. Lindsay’s electro-pop stylings contrast just fine with Steady Hands’ folk punk.
W.C. Lindsay’s frontman and namesake, guitarist Will Lindsay, claims his band’s sound is “like the Beastie Boys watching the Breakfast Club at Warped Tour,” which is to say they’ve got a sort of dance-punk/electro-pop vibe. The band’s newest album Easy Victim, Charitable Deceptions was recently released by Big Footprints Records. Through the altruistic label, ten percent of album proceeds go to a charity of the artists’ choice — Lindsay and his band members opted for the Big Brother, Big Sister program. “It ties in with the narrative of youth and of being young, which is a major theme of the record. So it appeased us both as philanthropists and literary geeks,” Lindsay says.
The record truly does make you feel like a carefree kiddo with catchy, upbeat tracks like the electronic “Kids These Days” and the dance-punk tune “Finally Learning the Language.” And presenting a youth-versus-adulthood dynamic on the record is the, according to Lindsay, crowd favorite, “Little Ghost,” which tells the story of two parallel relationships falling apart and the difficulty of walking away. “It was built off a sample of my friend Jamie and audiences have taken the liberty to sing her part with me … It’s blown me away because it freaked me out to release that song. I rap and the lyrics are very close to home for me, and I’ve never really done anything like that before,” Lindsay says.
After years of working with random college buddies, Lindsay finally has a consistent and hardworking band in the studio and on stage, and it’s paying off. Playing in W.C. Lindsay these days are drummer Richie Straub from New Jersey and bassist George Legatos from New York. And it seems being a part of multiple groups is a trend for these Drexel-based bands, as W.C. Lindsay’s touring partner Steady Hands features not just all three members of W.C. Lindsay, but also Sean Huber — drummer for Modern Baseball.
Huber, who steps out from behind the drum set as lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for Steady Hands, says his songwriting is “folk at its core, with a twist of punk.” That’s a big leap from the practically unclassifiable electro-genre of W.C. Lindsay. Still, like Lindsay, Huber has recently locked his band members down for some new recordings. The EP Brandy of the Damned will be released within the month through Lame-O Records and will feature some twisted tunes. “Pretty Good Year” is one Huber is particularly excited about. “It’s definitely, in terms of arrangement and style, more demonic and weird, than any song we’ve ever done— almost a little indie,” says Huber.
Lindsay says he won’t be playing with Steady Hands for the tour, to make the two bands a little more distinguishable by their players. Both bands will showcase their genre-defying skills on Aug. 10 at King Dusko.
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