The Wannabe Hasbeens are four guys from Minneapolis who coined the term "dumb rock for smart people" to describe their pop-rock shenanigans. They've been playing around their hometown of Minneapolis for three years, at high-exposure events and venues, and have had the opportunity of opening for Augustana, OneRepublic, Ziggy Marley, NeedToBreathe, The Fray, Guster, Mike Doughty, Ike Reilly, Flickerstick, The Parlor Mob, This World Fair, Barcelona - to name a few. Their debut EP, Former-Trans-Future, Vol. I, was well-received on CMJ radio stations across the country, and even received play on MTV programming. More recently, they were invited to perform at Mid-Point Music Festival in Cincinnati, OH and South By Southwest in Austin, TX. Currently, the Wannabe Hasbeens are putting the final touches on their sophomore release entitled "Lights Out For Up And Comers".
Booking:
We'd love to crash your party, or spoil your otherwise-perfect evening. After all, we've got nothing better to do! You can contact us at booking@wannabehasbeens.com, drop us a message on the ol' MySpace, or check out our EPK.
1st Place: Cities 97/Basilica Block Party Minnesota Band Competition, June 2008
South By Southwest / Red Gorilla music festivals: March, 2008
Former-Trans-Future, Vol. I charted on over 30 CMJ stations nationwide: Summer, 2007
1st Place: Pillar To Post Battle Of The Bands, October 2006
1st Place: Drive 105 Battle Of The Bands, September 2006
Cities 97/Basilica Block Party, July 2006
2nd Place: Cities 97/Basilica Block Party Minnesota Band Competition, June 2006
1st Place, Rock Category: Club 3 Degrees Music Tournament, May 2006
3rd Place, Best Band Name: CityPages "Best Of 2006" Issue, April 2006
1st Place: Minnesota State University, Mankato - Battle Of The Bands, February 2006
Quotables:
"Their new record, Former Trans Future, Vol. I, is glossy and bombastic - rich with distortion, double-tracked vocals, and angst-rock lyrical pathos." -CityPages
"...the tracks stretch from syrupy power ballads to heavy rock anthems that beg to be cranked up and enjoyed with a PBR and a fist pumping in the air." -The Pulse Of The Twin Cities
"The group's new album, Former Trans Future, Vol. I, is a pop production masterpiece..." -Perfect Porridge
"The Minneapolis quartet's debut effort sounds fresher than a punk pop band made of fifteen year old hipsters. What is particularly refreshing is that it nimbly avoids all the potholes the style invariably throws in its way. The Wannabe Hasbeens are mature without being tired or world weary, and fresh without sounding like another Blink-182 clone." -Broken Dial, IndiePulse.com
"They shouldbe way more famous. Throughly addicting powerpop with hard rock edges and melody to spare." -ADDReviews.com
"Check it out. Do I ever steer you wrong on music? Click through on their Flash player to the song Hey, George Bailey and just try to convince yourself that it’s not better than 98% of the crap on the radio." -Music Find Of The Week, O'DonnellWeb.com
"A real blast of fresh air and a very interesting first release. Although other influences bubble to the surface, this is a band that still manages to have it's own identity and one that is going to be very interesting with new releases to come." -IndieLaunchpad.com
"Of anything on FORMER TRANS FUTURE VOL. 1 it is probably the most likely to be on your local FMer, sounding better than 90 percent of what they’re playing. FORMER TRANS FUTURE VOL. 1 is an impressive debut, with six tracks that demonstrate a talent that seems like it runs long and deep. Right now I’d say that anything these gents release would be worth a listen, and more. Recommended." -Music-Reviewer.com
"The Wannabe Hasbeens worked the intersection of Fountains of Wayne and Jimmy Eat World with both directions sporting green lights, producing some entertaining collisions of style and volume. With a pair of talented guitarists and an animated bass player who was the polar opposite of the stoic, stand-and-pluck four stringer, the Wannabe Hasbeens churned out a set that was engaging musically and visually." -Cincinnati's CityBeat.com - Spill It! Blog
"Whispers of a hit lurk in here, and I'd have no fear of putting these guys as the soundtrack to an angst-ridden love story or coming-of-age film. These guys are solid, reliable, and not so weird that you have to take arty drugs to appreciate them. Maybe they'll make it big some day, and regret their name." -Ink19.com
“Hey, George Bailey is a damn cool rock song. The song has a fantastic guitar riff, great melodic resolution, and will continue to loop in your head for weeks." -RevoltMedia.com
"And the music, the music is lovingly pounding, waking me up, making me listen." -EarTaste.BlogSpot.com
"Hey, George Bailey is one of those tracks that meets the requirement of a perfect pop tune; plenty of hooks, like making love to a large woman, too much wonderfulness to digest in one sitting, not to mention a short-but-sweet solo and a Jimmy Stewart reference." -Broken Dial, IndiePulse.com
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Hey guys long time no see :( I hope everything is going well for you all. I work overnights now and my schedule is brutal. Next time I'm off and you play, I'm there. I have off tonight but you guys play tomorrow :( but I keep checkin
yeah it'd be great to see a show of yours again. I actually just discovered Camera Can't Lie b/c a friend of mine recently started playing guitar for them, and I was hoping to see a show one of these days - so even though april is a long ways off, I'll try and make it to that show!
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