Orange County pop punk vets WANK were recently in the studio, recording a new song (“Salvation”) with longtime friend, Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters.
Check out a video of the session here: https://youtu.be/dmS1RVMjAE4.
Shiflett says, “I had a blast working with my old buddy Danny and his band mates in Wank on “Salvation.” There’s nothing better than tweaking good songs under the microscope in the studio with a good band and leaving in a different place than you started in.”
Guitarist Danny Walker says, ” I’ve always been impressed with Chris Shiflett, the guitarist, even back when we met in 1994, but he’s got great producer chops, too. When I asked him to produce WANK, he picked the song “Salvation,” and he had a vision for it. He wanted it “live” and brought riff and arrangement ideas that all worked to make the track rock harder. Chris was awesome to work with!”
Guitarist Higgins X-13 says, “I feel honored that he was willing to make the time to work on this song with us. Working with Chris Shiflett on “Salvation” worked out super well. Not only was it fun to just hang out with him and reminisce a little bit about touring together during my time with the Offspring (and hanging out at various show once he joined the Foo Fighters) but he did a really great job on this song. We did a bunch of work before meeting up with Chris – trying a key change, different bridges, all sorts of variations. Chris came in and really got us focused and helped us realize which were the strong parts of the song. By encouraging us to extract the best parts of the arrangement he helped us to get excited about this song again and coaxed a really dynamic performance out of all of us for the basic tracks. He encouraged Danny to write a little riff that plays at the intro, outro and middle 8. I really love what the riff added to this tune! I figured that Chris would definitely be a good fit, but I guess I would just say “Better Than Expected”, about the result. It’s just more fun to play this song now. I’m really happy with it.
Featuring founding members Bobby Amodeo, Spider, Danny Walker, and the new addition of Higgins X-13 (formerly of The Offspring). WANK plans to release their new album ‘White Knuckle Ride’ later this year.
“Salvation” will appear on the upcoming album. A video for the first single “Shut You Down,” is streaming here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMjJB8DCBBE&feature=youtu.be.
Video shot and edited by Frontman Media
https://frontmanmedia.com
WANK will play two shows at their old stomping grounds, the World Famous Doll Hut in Anaheim, CA on Nov. 16 and 17. Dubbed ‘Wank Weekend,’ the gigs will feature a different supporting lineup each night. Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/292439218154056/.
WANK formed in 1995 in Huntington Beach, CA. Mixing pop sensibility, rock chops, and punk energy, WANK (influenced by the Beatles and the Clash, among others) quickly gained momentum and garnered a reputation for themselves with melodic songs and highly entertaining live shows. In 1996, WANK self-released their debut, Get a Grip on Yourself. Their continuing success as a live act brought them to the attention of producer Mike Ness of Social Distortion, who oversaw the recording of “Larry Brown” for a split 7″ on Time Bomb Records (1997.) Ness also produced WANK on their version of “Auld Lang Syne,” their contribution to the comp, Christmas Gone Wrong (1997.)
In late 1997, “Forgiven” was added to rotation at the World Famous KROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles, and WANK was still unsigned. An industry bidding war ensued, and WANK signed an historic record deal with Maverick Records. In 1998, following an expedited major label re-release of Get a Grip on Yourself, WANK took their show on the road, touring with The Specials, Goldfinger, Social Distortion, and Warped Tour ’98. The band parted ways with Maverick Records in 1999 and focused on other projects.
In 2000, Amodeo was diagnosed with cancer, and after years of treatment, he’s back and rock ready. Walker formed and fronted Handsome Devil and was signed to RCA in 2001. Handsome Devil released three albums – Love and Kisses (2001), Knock Yourself Out (2004), and Fully Automatic (2007), and toured with The Used, Lit, Zebrahead, and Warped. In 2007, Walker and friends (from Lit, Adolescents, and Cadillac Tramps) formed Rockers in the Round – an acoustic showcase series. Walker released two singer-songwriter albums – Mumble & Strum (2011) and Salvation (2012). Spider focused on session work and artist management, and he’s still the hardest hitting drummer around.
WANK reunited in 2016, self-releasing their 5 song EP – On with the Show and, in 2017, added guitarist Higgins X-13, formerly of the Offspring. In 2018, WANK is in the studio finishing a new full length album for release. Enjoy – WANK is back.
WANK
Bobby Amodeo (lead vocals, bass)
Danny Walker (guitar)
Higgins X-13 (guitar)
Spider (drums)
Social Media Links:
https://www.facebook.com/wankusa/
https://www.instagram.com/wank_usa
https://www.reverbnation.com/wankusa
https://www.youtube.com/c/WANKUSA
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