Exposé Online banner

Exposé Online

Not just outside the box, but denying the existence of boxes.
Covering music from the fringes since 1993.

Reviews

Wax Theatricks — Different Voices
(Bandcamp no#, 1984/2026, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-13

Different Voices Cover art

Seems like artists from the coastal metropolitan areas get all the attention, while artists from flyover country have to work ten times harder just to get noticed — if they are lucky. Bands from St.Louis in the late 70s and early 80s would certainly fall into that latter group; Earwacks (later to be rechristened Wax Theatricks) was one such band, formed in the early 70s by brothers Dominic and Benet Schaeffer, on sax / flute / vocals and drums respectively, along with guitarist, keyboardist, and singer David Udell and bassist Tracy Wynkoop. They released two singles and an LP in 1979 and 1980, and around that time added keyboardist and singer Dan Stefacek and changed their name to Wax Theatricks; when the band changed their name, they invited one hundred fans to join them in the studio to record a three-song flexi-disc that appeared in Noisy Paper magazine in 1980, and then went back into the studio to record six cuts their second (and final) LP. Different Voices is a remastered collection that contains all of the tracks recorded as Wax Theatricks, plus the songs from Earwacks’ second single in 1980. Their sound was a mix of new-wave pop informed by jazzy and progressive elements, mixing clever hooks, interesting lyrics, with great solos on saxes and guitar and more. The vocals are unique, sometimes seeming as much spoken as sung, but certainly effective; those familiar with David Udell’s later albums Orchids and It’s Worth It will recognize his style here immediately. Tracks like “Cold Wet Cat,” “Pleasure from Sadness,” and the title track illustrate this vocal style well, not urgent and barky like Talking Heads, but more gentle and casual. Three cuts herein, “Aztec,” “Debris,” and “Dim” are essentially instrumentals, showing the band’s more progressive sides. “Come On” rocks pretty hard for a song that barely clocks in at two minutes, but it’s a real powerhouse, while “Conversations” builds some interesting lyrics over a decidedly funky bottom end. And that single, “The Scrape,” jumps back and forth from razor-edged hard rock to more gentle styles, further embelished with a flute solo and interesting lyrics. I’ve heard about this band often, so it’s good to have their music available again with this archive.

Filed under: Archives, 2026 releases, 1984 recordings

Related artist(s): David Udell, Earwacks / Wax Theatricks

More info
http://davidudell.bandcamp.com/album/different-voices

 

What's new

These are the most recent changes made to artists, releases, and articles.