After forming a Christian rock band in the summer of 2008, singer/guitarist Micah Lindner went through several versions of Waxpanel that would result in personal and musical trials and tribulations in an effort to drop the group’s initial release. A couple EPs — self-titled and Beginnings — resulted over the course of eight years.
Then the “Big One” hit.
Taking the songs from those EPs and adding them to six new tunes, Waxpanel dropped For Those Left Standing, its debut full-length album, Feb. 22 via Pavement Entertainment.
It only took 11 years.
Reaping the rewards of their hard work, Waxpanel graciously went Into the Pit on Saturday to discuss their long journey and why they chose to evolve into a Christian modern alternative grunge band. Afterwards, Lindner, bassist Chris “Fletch” Fletcher and drummer Steve Boldway jammed out one of the album’s tracks, “Absolution,” at their rehearsal space exclusively for ATM.
While the material on the album was mostly Lindner’s brainchild, Boldway wrote rocker “You Don’t Say.” That combines with other heavy tracks such as “Suitcase,” the significantly Christian tones of “From Here” and “My Life For You” and the early EP offerings such as “The Struggle” and “Dying Inside.” Lindner’s 8-year-old son even makes his presence felt on acoustic just-for-fun interlude “The Chronicles of Captain Sea Biscuits.”
Waxpanel finds itself in some noted company on Pavement Entertainment, whose roster includes Flaw, 9Electric, Powerman 5000, Vixen singer/guitarist Janet Gardner, Candlebox and Soil. Candlebox also has San Antonio ties, as singer Kevin Martin went to high school here. Fletcher, who has played musically with Lindner for five years, recently left San Antonio seven-member and former Pavement rap/metal outfit Pigweed. And he may not be the only forthcoming addition to Waxpanel.
Click the boxes below to watch the two-part interview and to see the band in action at practice. Special thanks to the guys in Waxpanel and the folks at Pavement Entertainment for making it all possible.
The local Christian modern grunge band goes "Into the Pit" with Alamo True Metal to discuss its 11-years-in-the-making debut full-length album For Those Left Standing that was released eight days earlier, and its evolution as a group that's about to grow in numbers, in this two-part interview. Then the guys were kind enough to jam a tune at rehearsal exclusively for ATM. (Interview filmed by Liesl Goes; song footage and photos by Jay Nanda).