The Wanton Looks are playing the Jivewired Showcase in Austin, TX during the week of SXSW at the 311 Club, 311 E. Sixth Street on Thursday, March 14th at 8:40 PM CST.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Jivewired Digital Press Kit:http://jivewired.com/thewantonlooks
Artist Website:http://wantonlooks.com
Facebook:http://facebook.com/TheWantonLooks
Twitter:http://twitter.com/thewantonlooks
Latest Release: The Wanton Looks (Self-Titled)
Get it at:
Amazon | iTunes | Bandcamp
PERTINENT FACTS
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Genre: Rock
Label: Haughty Eyes Records
Booking Contact:Traci Trouble
Press Contact:Traci Trouble
Band Members: Traci Trouble, Inga Olson, Meg Thomas
VIDEO
PRESS JUNKET
The Wanton Looks aren't a secret anymore. X The local female quartet has been rocking in relative obscurity beyond the modest number of friends, family, underground rockers, and investigative music lovers who've witnessed the group's explosive live shows in numerous dive bars and the occasional club across the city since the band formed in 2009. The buzz about the band became much louder, almost instantaneously, heading into the official release of its long-awaited album at its Saturday concert at Schubas. X A couple in-studio radio interviews and two glowing online reviews of its self-titled album were just the beginning of a big week for the band. WXRT played one of its songs (and subsequently another one), and Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot touted the CD-release show as the weekend's top concert. Not only did The Wanton Looks officially release their knockout of an album at the show, but they also premiered a video for the song "Electromagnetic Force." X "Thanks a lot for coming out," Wanton Looks lead singer Traci Trouble told a sizeable crowd at the club. "This is a special night for us. A lot of years, a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this." Then came time to unveil the video. "Dim the lights," Trouble said, before quickly returning to the mic. "And crank the music!" The video screening played like a pep rally. Cheers, whoops and hollers erupted at different points. Fans were proud of the band's video, which features some interesting visual twists -- like the normally black-clad band members wearing white. It contained lots of stop motion. Perhaps the coolest part was seeing the picture divided into four vertical, black-and-white frames, each displaying a band member. You could envision that shown on a giant screen at an arena show. The performance shots were easily identifiable as being filmed at LiveWire Lounge. X The band remained onstage to start its show. "Let's do this," Trouble announced, and off the band went. The 12-song album was played in sequence with the exception of the leadoff track, "Electromagnetic Force," being bumped to the end. Maybe due to nerves or excitement caused by the magnitude of the event, the band was uncharacteristically out of sync on the first couple songs. That didn't last long, however. It loosened up and found its footing, rocking hard and singing sweet harmonies on "Worst Side of Me." The band built on that momentum and ripped into "86 Me," taking off like a jet and soaring high late in the song. Two numbers later, the show reached its zenith with an atomic-bomb version of "Demons." Drummer Meg Thomas rumbled with rapid fire, guitarists Inga Olson and Susie Q responded in kind, and Trouble rode the shock waves with forceful vocals as her bass rampaged, hopping all the while in the sonic fallout of a glorious three minutes that would be the envy of any band. "Motherfucker!" an awed audience member exclaimed when the attack subsided. X Susie Q flashed her guitar like a switchblade in "Used & Abused" after which the band passed around a flask offered by a fan. Shots from a glass were downed, too. That came into play when "Electromagnetic Force" completed the airing of the album. "Since we did shots we have to play something else," Susie Q said. "Cut Off," a promising start to the band's next album, followed. The audience wanted more and received "This Night Alone" to end the longest show in The Wanton Looks' burgeoning career.
— CHICAGO CONCERT GOERS (Apr 4, 2012)
Traci Trouble and Meg Thomas had been bumping around the Chicago scene for several years in separate bands when they finally saw each other play at a pool hall in Buffalo Grove in 2006. Thomas, a classically trained drummer, loved Trouble's take-no-prisoners stage presence and commanding attitude. Trouble admired Thomas' ferocious virtuosity. Before long they were writing hard-hitting but melodic rock songs together and decided to form a band: the Wanton Looks. "We got together at first for the sake of fun, and then eventually we thought that there were no heavy female rock bands in Chicago, so why not try to make one?" Trouble says. "Where are these women that are upset, ticked off and want to rock?" Advertisements on Craigslist brought more than 20 candidates, none of whom made the cut. "Trying to find other people on the same page with us was a nightmare," Trouble says. "You wouldn't think it would be that difficult as big as Chicago is, but it was exhausting," Thomas adds. The worst candidate was a guitarist who brought a shoebox-size amplifier to the audition for an unabashedly loud rock band. "I could've put the amp in my back pocket," Thomas says with a laugh. "It was cute." Then there was the transvestite who could really shred, Trouble says, "except he/she was 50-something years old and brought his/her girlfriend-manager, who just sat in the corner the whole time watching. An amazing guitar player, but it would've been awkward for the band." Finally, they were introduced to Inga Olson, a classically trained cellist who could also rock a guitar. Olson was earning a degree at Elmhurst College and playing in several bands, but she finally came aboard — much to the relief of Thomas and Trouble. "She was the missing link," Trouble says. Another tryout brought Susie Q on rhythm guitar. A photo she sent in advance of her audition was not particularly promising — it depicted Susie in uniform for a disco cover band. But she more than measured up, and the Wanton Looks finally played its first concert in 2009 at the Cobra Lounge. Work began in earnest on an album, which was recently completed, and again Trouble, Thomas and their bandmates brought a seriousness of purpose that has defined the Wanton Looks since the start. The songs blend girl-group harmonies, a thumping bottom end, rapierlike guitars and big melodies. "I wanted to do something we could be proud of and love," says Trouble, who says the band will put the album out this year with or without a label's help. "Some of my favorite albums growing up were by bands like the Pixies and the Breeders, and I remember listening to (the Pixies') 'Surfer Rosa' over and over again in my high school. Ever since I wanted to make music like that." That it took so long for her and Thomas to find bandmates who felt the same way is indicative of some larger issues, says Trouble, who has been playing in bands since the mid-'90s. "I think anyone thinks they can be in band now, no matter how talented they are," she says. "Lots of people want to be rock stars, but don't realize it's about your playing ability and your showmanship. Those are the things I wanted to have for everyone in this band. It doesn't seem like a lot to ask." The band will play Ladyfest later this month, a festival focusing on women's bands that Trouble first played in 2001 with one of her other bands. Both she and Thomas see it as an opportunity to help raise some funds for worthy charities and to perhaps inspire a few more like-minded would-be bands. "Here we are in 2011, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way the way females are treated in the music industry," Thomas says. "There are a lot of women out there who would like to do what we do, but maybe couldn't or were discouraged. So it's good to see women who aren't afraid and are doing it."
— GREG KOT, CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Aug 12, 2011)
I’ll have to remind bassist Traci Trouble about the somewhat testy e-mail exchange she and I had about the first demo of many of the tunes now found on The Wanton Looks eponymous debut. I think she was caught quite off guard when I gave her pointed criticisms about why I wasn’t so knocked out. I, in turn was quite surprised by how good the finished recording (and songs) became. Hopefully, all will be forgiven when the band comes by for a chat on this Sunday’s Local Anesthetic. I hear plenty of classic Girl Group stuff on here along with a touch of Go-Go’s-style pop, Ramonesy crunch, Hole-ish angst and, to my most pleasant surprise, New York Dolls‘ swagger. Somebody in this band knows their Rock and we’ll find out who when The Wanton Looks are my guest on this week’s Local Anesthetic, Sunday night at 7:30 here on XRT.
— 93.1 WXRT (Jun 1, 2012)
BAND BIO
The Wanton Looks are a rock-tastic pop-gasm hailing from Chicago, IL. Their music consists of catchy riffs, harmonies, fuzz-tone chords and thumping beats that packs a punch and leaves you begging for more.Traci Trouble's bass and vocals are electrifying. Her all-out balls-to-the-wall stage presence is fueled by Meg Thomas' animalesque explosion on the drums. Inga Olson wields her guitar like a sharp knife cutting up infectious leads. Their chemistry and passion are exhilarating on stage, and their love of music and dedication to the rock gods of days past is exciting and contagious. They will break your face and your heart.