January 2008 Wiretap Profile

Chairman Wow

The first time I heard the music of Chairman Wow was not at a club, on myspace, or on a mix CD a friend made for me. No, the first time I heard Chairman Wow was in my house. I heard the sounds vibrating through the wooden planks of the floor.  My ears did one of those perky things dogs' ears do when they hear something in the night that piques their curiosity, sounds far off and mysterious that only they can hear…

I followed those sounds and found my roommate Tom Sean (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter) behind it all. And it really was in those first few minutes of hearing his voice and lyrics and the overall Chairman Wow sound that I fell in love with the music.

So I've been seeing Chairman Wow, which consists of Tom along with Mathew Gleeson on additional vocals and lyric-writing, play “live" for quite some time, though they’re a relatively new band and even I have only had the pleasure of seeing them in an actual venue three times.

It’s pretty incredible that they can get so much sound out of two vocalists and a guitar. And they manage to make quite a sound, indeed, full of grace and intensity. The way they weave their vocal harmonies together is something to marvel at. The music of Chairman Wow is the kind that demands the attention of its audience by being deeply introspective yet engaging. It is music that makes you think and feel many different things in many different ways. The kind of music to get lost in.

It’s also the kind of music that, for lack of a better word, is completely infectious. I guarantee that if you see them live their music will haunt you for days… And you'll love every minute of it.

I know it seems like a conflict of interest, personal bias, or favoritism to be featuring Chairman Wow on the site, since Tom is a friend and roommate of mine. But the truth is I'm really just a die-hard fan.

Since I've lived with the music being played live (it has in a very real way been the soundtrack to my life) that’s the only true connection I have with it. I've heard the recordings but they are a bit rudimentary… recorded in one take on a minidisk recorder. The recordings are spare and rough-hewn in the finest of indie-psych-folk traditions, and make a great, intimate listen. But they don't really capture the amazingness that is Chariman Wow live.

Tom and Matt are in the process of recording a "real" album, and I can't wait to hear it. As you can see, I also couldn't wait to feature them on the site.

[Olivia Parriott]


[STREAM] Chairman Wow: Various Tracks

- Olivia challenged Chairman Wow to make write and record 6 songs in 4 hours and they pulled it off!! check out the EP they wrote for us in the mp3 player below.