WAGNER

Bio:

WAGNER is a band for people who are simply fans of music. Dan Wagner has been crafting his unrivaled music, putting together his crack lineups and presenting spectacles long enough to know that he is cut from a different, uniquely rewarding musical cloth. From the people that never miss a show, to the musicians sharing the bill that envy the fun of the performances and the freedom of expression allowed, Dan has more of the raw ingredient of songwriting ability and stage charisma to become a fixture in the field of infectious music.
The sound of WAGNER has been described as "Zappa meets Nirvana", and draws comparisons to the uniqueness of bands/artists such as Steely Dan, Jethro Tull, David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails and Gordon Lightfoot. Original music inspires more of the same, and Dan fits the progression of the truly talented...the game changers. His band, consisting of Brian Williams (lead guitar, vocals), Matt Hampson (bass, vocals) and Matt Houghtaling (drums) has the pleasure of making great songs better. The colors and textures brought forth help create the extra magic needed to make the material timeless and extraordinary. With Dan's varied and incredible songs as a base, making them shine is as easy as it looks. Simply put, the live show is a completely satisfying, completely original event…and one way or another, the crowd with have a immediate reaction and a lasting impression of the performance.
The songs WAGNER are remarkable for two reasons: every song is completely unlike any others out there. While most great original bands exist in their own dimension of sound and structure, Dan's songs all sound different from each other. He's unique without trying to be, as most musicians' excessive attempts at originality usually leave them in the same uninspired bin. Hearing a handful of Dan's songs instantly shows an extremely impressive range, a sign that no trend can affect his orbit, and that no one song shows anything other than…one song. The live show bears this out. Folks have their favorites, and some aren't used to the band's ability to make the show more than a set of music…but every one in the room gathers close, and people can't pull themselves away, even those that have low levels of original . Everyone develops their own opinion of the spectacle they witnessed, but "I never heard or saw anything like that before" is a common phrase… It's just how Dan does it. With a catalog approaching fifty random masterpieces and the drive to include all fans of good music, there's plenty of great music coming round the bend. Like Dan, the tracks are traversing ground not usually traipsed on…but the ride is found nowhere else, and the destination is a place to be revisited over and over.

...From the thoughts and recollections of Dan himself: Dan Wagner began his musical adventure at the age of six starting with classical guitar. That was nice and cute, But it contained no feedback from a distorted whaling amp. So the journey continued into punk rock/70's rock/and anything else that sounded good. Coupled with an understanding of music and a hunger for some music that Dan found interesting he began creating songs. These songs landed him time after time as the frontman for all the original bands he had formed or joined up with. Eventually all the songs played by these original bands were songs that Dan had written. After the turn over of several musicians Dan's close friends stated that the band should just be called "WAGNER". With the name in place, Dan began his hunt for the best of the wackos. People who knew their instrument and weren't afraid to try everything that music has to offer. It soon became apparent that they would need to have a backbone as well, as Dan has always let his music and his content go "into the red".
Although the line up of musicians that play in "Wagner" may change, Be assured that the integrity of the songs and the entertainment value of the live shows will always be "WAGNER", and will always take you away........

MUSIC VIDEO "C-SECTION" ENJOY.....

THIS IS A SHOW WE PLAYED AT MAC'S BAD ART BAR. IT WAS ONE HELL OF A NIGHT. WE PLAYED "DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.", AND "FLASH & SWAGGER". Filming and audio By Rich Stahl of UVTV.) PROVING AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT ORIGINALITY CAN BE SHOWN WITH NO PRACTICE NEEDED (GIVING THIS BAND PRACTICE TIME TO FLESH OUT THEIR ENTIRE 40 SONG SETLIST AND A SMALL BUDGET COULD WELL RUIN ENTIRE GENRES OF SO-CALLED "ROCK".) IF YA WANT IT FULL SCREEN, GO TO UVTV AND SEARCH "WAGNER".

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Member Since:

January 28, 2005

Members:

-Dan Wagner/Guitar/Vocals/Songs/Structure
-Brian Williams/Guitars/Vocals/Live Performance
-Matt Houghtailing/Drums/Live Performance
-Matt Hampson/Bass/ live Performance
-Greg Cwikla/Drums/Bass
-Jeff Tripoli/Drums
-Dave Fibiger/Guitar/Recording
-Jeff Jakubowski (aka Top Heavy Express)/Bass/Recording -Sully/Drums/Bass
-Other Nasty Musicians/Bass/Guitars/Drums/Keys. The sky's the limit with "WAGNER"

Checkout tons of music videos & live videos here:

Influences:

STEELY DAN/HOLE/BUFFALO SPRIGFIELD/THE TURTLES/FRANK ZAPPA/MINOR THREAT/SONIC YOUTH/NIRVANA/MEGADETH/JETHRO TULL/TALKING HEADS/DAVID BOWIE/NIN/CSN&Y/CAT STEVENS/THE BEATLES/STRAPPING YOUNG LAD/ENDORPHINE/CAROLINE BLUE/GOD LIVES UNDER WATER/ETC.

Sounds Like:

A real good time.