DU band wows audience | The Triangle

DU band wows audience

The only words to describe Wild Rompit are best said by the lead singer Blair Ollendorf: “Wild Rompit is three words, INFIDELS, CHEESECAKES, BOYS NIGHT OUT.” I can’t tell you what he means exactly, but after interviewing with this up-and-coming band, I think it is a perfect way to describe the group.

This past week I sat down to talk with one of Drexel’s hottest bands – Wild Rompit. Not knowing what I was up against, I walked into the studio waiting for the band to come in.  Four guys joined me in the room: lead singer Ollendorf, lead guitarist Brandon Bost, drummer Sean Huber and bassist Paul Impellizeri. The boys and I got to talking about their process with their music, their history in how they came together, what the word “Wild Rompit” really means to them and a whole slew of random questions the boys and I felt needed to be shared with Drexel.

When asked where the name Wild Rompit came from, Bost explained, “We all went to see “Where the Wild Things Are” and we screamed out we are The Wild Rumpus, but we liked Wild Rompit a lot better. It has no meaning but that is who we are.”

This response and many answers like it give me true insight on what these guys were like and the real music behind Wild Rompit. From my observation, these guys are your typical college students who one day started a band. However, not realizing what they had created, they started something that may become the best big thing not only at Drexel, but throughout the entire country as well.

We discussed their musical process within their first EP “Stampede” and their new upcoming EP “Brotherhood,” which can be found on CD Baby and iTunes. Ollendorf explained his system for creating a great song. We talked about writing lyrics, placing it with a melody and adding the background. The boys continued to tell me hilarious types of effects they used on their CDs, like bells, floor cymbals and even something called gang vocals or pirate singing. The group also explained what went into the process of creating the new EP.

“We were in a production class at Drexel, and [our professor Chris Charcidillo] produced us. We went for a more cohesive sound. The overall tone is a very clean sound,” Ollendorf said.

“[We] did a lot of pre production,” Impellizeri said, with Huber adding, “We got basic drums then overdubs we mixed 10-hour sessions in a row.”

“Another thing about our new album is it’s really different; we have different parts to it, like gang vocals, some strings, some bells, Huber explained.

Even though their effects seemed a little out of the ordinary, the one thing that stood out to me was a different aspect of the band entirely. These four guys seemed different than any band I had interviewed before, because they are not only co-musicians, they are actually friends. As it shows very clearly in the music of “Brotherhood,” these four are truly looking out for one another not only in music, but in life as well. Their bond only makes them a tighter, more appealing band; as a fan of Wild Rompit, I was so excited to finally see this talent come to life in their very own CD release show concert at Drexel’s Filbert building May 6.

When I got to the show, the building was filled up with more music industry majors than I could ever imagine. There was a merchandise table in the far left, art designs occupying the blank wall space and, of course, the stage sitting right in the middle for everyone to see.

Wild Rompit was lucky enough to have an amazing opening band play for them —River City Extension. The boys informed me it was very hard to get this guy to play and it was a secret guest that I couldn’t tell anyone about. River City Extension was unbelievable. The lead singer’s voice was a great way to get the crown pumped and ready to see the main event.

As Wild Rompit prepared to take the stage, the crowd erupted in excitement and the building was soon filled with screaming fans. When the band started their first song I was finally able to see why this group of guys and their music were so popular.

Ollendorf started off with a smooth raspy tone, gracing its tough qualities with interesting and memorable lyrics and melody. The rest of the band wowed the audience with their energy and excitement for their music and performance. As the show progressed, the music only got better – even their Cage the Elephant covers were fantastic. They made the audience so pleased that we begged for multiple encores before they could leave the stage.