Matt Hires and WakeyWakey Review

This past Saturday, I had the please of attending the Matt Hires and Wakey!Wakey! show in Charlotte, NC. The show was absolutely AMAZING, and I can't wait to see them in concert again. The interview that we did after the show was a lot of fun, and they could not have been any nicer.

The concert started about 8 o'clock, and Wakey!Wakey! went on about 8:45. Mike usually tours with a full band, but for tonight's show, he was flying solo. He played a total of 11 songs, and they were as follows:

1876-The Brooklyn Theatre Fire
Square Pen Round Hole
War Sweater
Twenty-Two
Take It Like A Man
Cover- Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper
Feral Love
Brooklyn
Dance So Good
Almost Everything
Car Crash

For those of you that didn't know, Mike Grubbs was on last season of One Tree Hill. The set lasted a little more than an hour; and after each of the songs he would interact with the audience. I don't know if it would have been possible for him to have made me laugh any harder. I was actually one of a select few who were able to sing along with his songs; and actually sang back-up for "Twenty-Two." Grubbs is a very animated guy who truly believes in the music that he writes, and you can see that when he performs. He is a down to earth guy who also appreciates his fans, and he knows that they are the ones who make him who he is.

After a quick break, Matt Hires started playing at about 9:50. Matt played a total of 13 songs, and the guy is super talented. His set list was as follows:

Pick Me Up
Rock N Roll Heart
Oh, Sunrise
A Perfect Day
Out of the Dark
Listen To Me Now
Cover- Hide Your Love Away by The Beatles
You In The End
I Always Lose
A to B
You are the One
Honey Let Me Sing You A Song
State Lines

Matt is another musician that I have found believes in the songs that he sings. For those of you that don't know, he has had a few of his songs featured on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, CougarTown, and Life Unexpected. That is a whole lot of talent for one guy to have. One of my favorite songs of the night, was "Out of the Dark," because it requires audience participation. During some of the musical breaks in the song, Matt asks that we either whistle or lala along with him. It was a lot of fun for me while I was able to whet my whistle. I was also introduced to a new instrument called the pianica. It is a mini piano with a tube that you blow into, so that you can play the piano as if it were a harmonica. It was pretty darn cool!

If any of you have a chance to catch these acts in your local towns, I highly recommend it. It is a great time with great music. You will also get the chance to chat with the guys when the show is over, because they make sure to take the time to do meet and greets! How cool is that?!