Uakari opens new Union with upbeat concert in Phoenix Club
Zachary Martin
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: Entertainment
MTV's "A Shot at Love II" participant and UW-Green Bay alumnus Scotty Dickert opened up the fall semester with a bang. He and his band, Uakari, rocked the new Union's Phoenix Club last Wednesday night.
In a scene that easily could have been mistaken as a happening downtown nightclub, students bobbed their heads and bounced around to an eclectic vibe and funky vocals most of them had never heard before. Many stuck around longer than expected or bought CD's they hadn't planned to.
"I'm surprised," said undecided sophomore and free-hug-giver Ryan Birdsall. "I'm enjoying this. They're pretty good, and honestly, that's more than I expected."
This sentiment seemed to be shared by others as they crowded around tables and at times even seemed to spill into neighboring rooms. There was curiosity in the air.
Uakari has been in Green Bay before. In fact, the band was originally formed here in 2003. They released their first album, a nine-song compilation, called "Where the Fuakawi," in 2007 and are currently working on a nearly finished project tentatively titled, "Sunday Songs."
The band hopes to record the album shortly and looks forward to beginning the project in Tallahassee, Fla., as soon as they work out the details. They expect it to have a more structured vibe than their first album, which has the definite jam band influences of Jack Johnson, Jimmy Buffet and Rusted Root. Fans looking to stay on top of Uakari's releases may also want to keep an eye on the Internet.
"We also have a single in the works with iTunes and it could be one of their 'Downloads of the Day'," Dickert said.
The newest member of the group, bass player Patrick Bauer, who was sporting the always-appropriate barefoot overall look, was also asked about the progress of new material.
"It's good, real good," Bauer said. "We have a bunch of new songs. We've learned a lot of new stuff for this show, in fact."
He also said, "We've got a two hour allotment tonight and we're looking to fill the whole slot. It's about twenty songs or so."
In a scene that easily could have been mistaken as a happening downtown nightclub, students bobbed their heads and bounced around to an eclectic vibe and funky vocals most of them had never heard before. Many stuck around longer than expected or bought CD's they hadn't planned to.
"I'm surprised," said undecided sophomore and free-hug-giver Ryan Birdsall. "I'm enjoying this. They're pretty good, and honestly, that's more than I expected."
This sentiment seemed to be shared by others as they crowded around tables and at times even seemed to spill into neighboring rooms. There was curiosity in the air.
Uakari has been in Green Bay before. In fact, the band was originally formed here in 2003. They released their first album, a nine-song compilation, called "Where the Fuakawi," in 2007 and are currently working on a nearly finished project tentatively titled, "Sunday Songs."
The band hopes to record the album shortly and looks forward to beginning the project in Tallahassee, Fla., as soon as they work out the details. They expect it to have a more structured vibe than their first album, which has the definite jam band influences of Jack Johnson, Jimmy Buffet and Rusted Root. Fans looking to stay on top of Uakari's releases may also want to keep an eye on the Internet.
"We also have a single in the works with iTunes and it could be one of their 'Downloads of the Day'," Dickert said.
The newest member of the group, bass player Patrick Bauer, who was sporting the always-appropriate barefoot overall look, was also asked about the progress of new material.
"It's good, real good," Bauer said. "We have a bunch of new songs. We've learned a lot of new stuff for this show, in fact."
He also said, "We've got a two hour allotment tonight and we're looking to fill the whole slot. It's about twenty songs or so."
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