Over the past year, the local band Waxy seemingly disappeared.
Recently, Waxy has resurfaced by playing a couple of shows. The band will also be playing at the Desert Stars festival at Pappy and Harriet’s, which takes place Friday, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Sept. 24.
During a recent interview in Palm Desert, Waxy frontman Robbie Waldman discussed the band’s inactivity.
“You could make the argument that we’re still kind of inactive,” Waldman said. “I’m always writing songs. Waxy has had a lot of people who have been in and out over the years. We started in 2006, and it’s sort of been our Achilles’ heel: We get some momentum; we do some really cool things; and then it comes to a screeching halt. I had a recording studio for 20 years that is now closed. It’s been back to basics.
“Damien (Lautiero) and Jeff (Bowman) have kids and families, which I don’t. I have a girlfriend and regular life duties. So we’ve been hibernating, but we have a new record coming out. Our new record should have been out a while ago. We’re pretty excited about it. I’ve been working on the artwork for it, and I’m working with a talented artist named Rick Rodriguez, who I call ‘The Ricker.’”
Waldman said that although Waxy has released records and has toured around the world, the band still faces challenges.
“We’re fiercely independent and have been since the beginning. We don’t have a record deal, but we’ve come close a few times,” he said. “We’ve been writing songs and working on our live performances, and we always have cool ideas. We have a bunch of things (for live performances) that we haven’t debuted yet, mostly because none of us have a fucking van. We come in three separate cars all the time.”
Waldman talked about closing the recording studio he owned, Unit A Recording and Art.
“That was my second location. It was formerly Monkey Studios,” he said. “They made great records there before my time under that roof. Queens of the Stone Age made their first record there. Fu Manchu made a record there. Brant Bjork made a record there. Ian Astbury of The Cult made a solo record there, and there were very few places like that in the desert. I was in there for a long time, and I did a lot of really fun stuff in there. Solange Knowles came in; Brian Setzer came in; Fatso Jetson came in; Brant Bjork came in a couple of times. The Righteous Brothers came in, and John Garcia as well. I miss having it, but at the same time, I think it was time to try something else.”
One of the last projects Waldman got to work on with Unit A was former Kyuss frontman John Garcia’s acoustic record, The Coyote Who Spoke in Tongues.
“(John Garcia) is a close personal friend, and he’s such an undeniable talent,” Waldman said. “I only have nice things to say about that man. Waxy has been able to tour with Kyuss Lives! and his solo band. He’s a real brother in arms.”
Waldman said the biggest challenge for him regarding Waxy’s future involves expectations.
“We’re just a bar band now, and we have been for a while,” he said. “We haven’t really been out on the road since 2014. Even that was very short and expensive. I’m just happy playing with my friends. I’m not downplaying anything. I love playing at The Hood Bar and Pizza and other places we get to play, and I’m very honored to be playing Desert Stars. Traveling and tours are expensive, and we’re fiercely independent. I love playing music with Damian and Jeff. We have occasional guests who come through as far as the record is concerned, and a cast of characters who we enjoy the recording process with. In the end, we do it because we love it and have a good time doing it. I still hope for more, and I’m working toward more, but for right now, we’re just enjoying it.”
Waldman talked about the new Waxy material that is on the way.
“It’s been done for a while,” he said. “The songs are mixed, and the 16 songs we recorded are trimmed down to 11. I have a mastering session set up, and I’m working on getting the artwork finished. I wanted it to be done before Desert Stars, but definitely before the end of the year.”
As for Desert Stars, Waldman has one person in particular to thank for Waxy’s inclusion.
“The main reason were playing is thanks to Robyn Celia, who is one of the owners of Pappy and Harriet’s,” he said. “She put a good word into the promoter, and he said, ‘No problem.’ I really owe our participation to her.”
The Desert Stars Festival runs Friday, Sept. 22, through Sunday, Sept. 24, at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Road, in Pioneertown. Tickets are $29 to $59 for a one-day pass, or $99 for a weekend pass. For passes or more information, call 760-365-5956, or visit www.desertstarsfestival.com.