Biography
Rather than functioning as a mere offshoot from the Feelies, Wake Ooloo operated chiefly as a short-lived sequel project. Glenn Mercer and Bill Million had led their proto-indie pop group the Feelies on an intermittent basis since 1976, positioning the band among the lesser-recognized acts from CBGB's 1977 cohort, yet their deepest roots remained tied to the local scene in their hometown of Haledon, New Jersey. The partnership between Mercer and drummer Dave Weckerman reached further back still; Weckerman, who served as an occasional uncredited Feelies percussionist before becoming an official member in 1983, had first performed alongside Mercer in the high-school outfit the Outkids. When the Feelies dissolved for what appeared to be the final time in late 1991 after Million relocated to Florida, Mercer and Weckerman simply carried their collaboration forward without interruption.
Having issued their two most recent Feelies albums through the major-label imprint A&M, neither musician sought a return to that scale of ambition even amid the indie-friendly climate of the grunge years, nor did they wish to resume touring. Like earlier Feelies-related ensembles such as the Willies, the Trypes, and Yung Wu, they preferred to perform regularly in a low-pressure setting. High-school acquaintance Russell Gambino and longtime Feelies roadie Troy Weiss completed the lineup. Wake Ooloo retained the Feelies' signature interlocking guitars, layered percussion textures, and underlying Velvet Underground influence, yet adopted a noticeably freer execution in the absence of the detail-oriented Million. Issued three years after the Feelies' Time for a Witness, the debut Hear No Evil captured something of the spontaneous energy found on early Feelies concert bootlegs, although later releases gradually introduced more restraint. Mercer handled most songwriting duties, but Weckerman, Gambino, and additional contributors also supplied original material. Listeners drawn to the Feelies would find Wake Ooloo equally rewarding to investigate, particularly since the group served as Mercer's central vehicle across three albums.
The project ended in 1998 once Gambino could no longer commit the necessary time. Mercer and Weckerman persisted in various configurations, including a stint with former Feelies drummer Stan Demeski in Sunburst, a subsequent Mercer solo release, and the Feelies' own return in 2008.
Having issued their two most recent Feelies albums through the major-label imprint A&M, neither musician sought a return to that scale of ambition even amid the indie-friendly climate of the grunge years, nor did they wish to resume touring. Like earlier Feelies-related ensembles such as the Willies, the Trypes, and Yung Wu, they preferred to perform regularly in a low-pressure setting. High-school acquaintance Russell Gambino and longtime Feelies roadie Troy Weiss completed the lineup. Wake Ooloo retained the Feelies' signature interlocking guitars, layered percussion textures, and underlying Velvet Underground influence, yet adopted a noticeably freer execution in the absence of the detail-oriented Million. Issued three years after the Feelies' Time for a Witness, the debut Hear No Evil captured something of the spontaneous energy found on early Feelies concert bootlegs, although later releases gradually introduced more restraint. Mercer handled most songwriting duties, but Weckerman, Gambino, and additional contributors also supplied original material. Listeners drawn to the Feelies would find Wake Ooloo equally rewarding to investigate, particularly since the group served as Mercer's central vehicle across three albums.
The project ended in 1998 once Gambino could no longer commit the necessary time. Mercer and Weckerman persisted in various configurations, including a stint with former Feelies drummer Stan Demeski in Sunburst, a subsequent Mercer solo release, and the Feelies' own return in 2008.
Albums
