The Wonder Years interview

Interview with Soupy of The Wonder Years at SOMA in San Diego on 10-23-2010.

Check out the interview from YouTube here:


You can currently catch The Wonder Years on tour with Four Year Strong.

Four Year Strong, Comeback Kid andThe Wonder Years concert review

And the day finally came where I was able to go see The Wonder Years, a relatively new band to my music arsenal but quickly rising to one of my favorites overall.

As Matt (KCR Radio/Music Still Exists) and I got to the venue, SOMA in San Diego, we met up with The Wonder Years tour manager John and got set up with the lead singer, Soupy, in the bands van to do an interview (will be posted on YouTube later today). As we shot him some questions, had some technical difficulties, and talked about cheese steaks, I was impressed by how genuine of a guy he was and how much he really cared about people just by the short time we got to spend together.

As we headed into the venue, we caught the last of local band A Dull Science’s set. The shirtless punk trio we stoked to be playing on the bill as they sold the required 150 tickets to get on the lineup.

Next on was a new band to me, American Fang. This music they played I could only relate to that of the Transplants, with hard lyrics and same style, it made for an interesting 20 minute set.

The Wonder Years were next on the bill. The band came out strong with “Logan Circle” of their album The Upsides. The ripped through several tracks off that album as well as some from past albums, and taking time for Soupy to talk to the crowd. He really emphasized on the importance of this album in his life and how it was meant to be uplifting to the crowd. The band definitely caught the attention of the few hundred fans that were there. They closed out their set with Washington Square Park and My Friends Play in Bar Bands. The high energy and creativity on stage made this band a much watch and made me more of a fan through their excellent live performance.

                                                               Soupy of The Wonder Years 

Comeback Kid came up next, and if you are afraid of contact, this band is not for you. The hardcore band brought their fast paced tempo their yelling lyrics and impressive guitar skills as the crowd responded with equal energy and even larger circle pits. It is quite a sight to see a bunch of kids running around in a circle listening to a band, but it seems to fit and I fully accept it. The band whipped up their 40 minute set with several new songs leaving the crowd stoked and ready for Four Year Strong.

Comeback Kid

As anticipated, Four Year Strong (Worcester, MA.) came out firing and played exceptional. Through the bands 60 minute set, they ripped through crowd favorites and invited the crowd to get amped as they responded throwing their hands in the air and having a great time with their hard core dancing. After getting to close to the dancers and getting a well placed kick to the groin, I moved back to enjoy the rest of the show from the back. Even from the back, I was able to enjoy the show and really made me appreciate what a show in a small venue is like. Seeing the full light show take place, seeing how excited the crowd was and viewing the whole band at once, truly amazing how great music is in everyone’s lives. Four Year Strong came out for an encore after their first part of their set to play one acoustic song and ended with the favorite, “Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die”.

Four Year Strong

Overall, really impressed with the show. The energy brought by the bands, the musicianship presented and the overall crowd led me to have an enjoyable night. If this show is coming through your area, make sure you attend, you won’t regret this show.

Review- The Wonder Years re-release of 'The Upsides'

Today I was fortunate to get my hands on a digital copy of the The Wonder Years re-released album The Upsides featuring all original songs, plus 4 bonus tracks to book, giving this album 16 songs total, many of which were re-recorded. Copies of this album were released in stores TODAY! As someone who has little to no experience with this sextet from Philadelphia , beside my roommates band getting to play with them at a show in San Diego, I figured I would take a crack at this CD to see what this band has got.

This album, as stated in their second song "Logan Circle" reminds me the world's not such a shitty place. What an amazing new sound sound my ears have gotten to behold when I had sat down for an hour to take a listen to this band.

As I go through each song, I can't help but become addicted to the lyrics of each song. Every song sends a message to the listener and have great meaning you can take from each song. With the catchy drums, fun guitar riffs, and solid vocals, each song becomes a must have and a new addition to my iTunes.

Traveling down the list from track to track, I stumbled across what easily became my favorite song of the CD, Hey Thanks ft. Rachel Minton and Matt Belanger, which almost didn't make the record according to Dan "Soupy" Cambell. The song is a definite change from the pace of the record as it starts with a ukulele, rather than guitar and slowly builds up to include a trumpet in the second half of the song, and is just a fun song to sit and relax to.

The album opens and closes with the same message: "I'm not sad anymore, I'm just tired of this place". This lyric sums of the overall message of the album to find the upsides and life and try to keep positive. And it is hard not to listening to this great piece of work.

Worthy tracks to check out: My Last Semester, This Party Sucks, Washington Square Park

Rating: 4/5

 You can catch The Wonder Years this fall on a U.S. tour with Four Year Strong. The full tour schedule can be found RIGHT HERE!!!

Tracklisting
1. My Last Semester 
2. Logan Circle  
3. Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack 
4. Dynamite Shovel 
5. New Years With Carl Weathers 
6. It’s Never Sunny In Philadelphia 
7. Hostels & Brothels 
8. Melrose Diner 
9. This Party Sucks 
10. Hey Thanks 
11. Washington Square Park  
12. All My Friends Are In Bar Bands 
13. I Was Scared and I’m Sorry 
14. Dynamite Shovel (Campfire Version) 
15. Logan Circle : A New Hope  
16. We Won’t Bury You