Wetbrain

Wetbrain is an upcoming Hip Hop/Alt Rock band deriving from the Philadelphia. Formed in 2014, members include Matt del Rio (lead vocalist), Andrew Haff (guitar/vocals), Branden King (drummer/back up vocalist), and Mat Antoina (bassist). Wetbrain has been compared to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots, and Rage Against the Machine. Because of their differing musical backgrounds and general tastes in music, the band has been able to incorporate different styles into their ever growing sound. The bands formation took place over several months beginning in June of 2014. Guitarist, Andrew Haff, vocalist Matthew DelRio, former bass player Tim W, and former drummer Judah K, all met in the rooms of a 12-step fellowship. All recovering from Drugs and Alcohol for about a year at this time they decided it would be fun to put all of their musical talents to good use and were ready to begin writing music and playing shows. The original idea for the sound of band was to be Trip-Hop. That sound never really developed as they had never all played together and did not have a set sound in mind that they were trying to accomplish. They just knew they wanted to make music. As they progressed in the early stages of their music, front man, Matthew del Rio, struggled to find the right sound. Coming from an entirely rap-oriented background, he was originally self conscious in applying melodic elements to his vocals. He knew the band had a very wide range of potential instrumentation, and feared that rapping on every song would be one dimensional and limit their growth. However, once he summoned up the courage to incorporate these melodic elements, he began growing as a vocalist, and the band also began to expand their boundaries. What originally looked like a rapper with a live band, was now becoming something entirely original. Blues, funk, soul, metal, alt rock and hip hop were beginning to intertwine into an out-of-the-box musical experience. The original line up of members only recorded three singles (Pipe Dreams, Gunnysack, and Jazzy Brue) and played two open mic’s before then drummer Judah K, decided it was best he move on from the band. Judah K was an integral piece of starting the band and helping them craft their sound. The three singles were recorded at his studio. He decided that since playing guitar was his main passion and that drumming was not his strong suit it was best for himself and the band that he seek out other musical endeavors. He has since put out a solo EP and continues to play shows and support Wetbrain. The band was therefore without a drummer and unable to play any shows right away. Meanwhile Haff’s childhood friend, Alex Muller reached out to say how much he loved the singles they just released and if there was any opening in the band either singing back-ups or drumming or otherwise. Turns out it was his lucky day. Haff and Muller have known each other since they were in pre school and have always shared the same love for music. Muller joined the band and immediately started learning all the Wetbrain songs so they could start playing shows again. They played about 15 shows that year with Haff, del Rio, Wylesol, and Muller. As the music continues to grow and expand, so does the lyrical content. del Rio, who battled serious alcohol/drug addiction for years until finally becoming sober in 2013, fell into a lyrical box. His first solo project primarily focused on the struggles of his active addiction, and during the early days of Wetbrain, he had trouble escaping his past. Most of their earliest music discusses his struggles in addiction. However, in a desperate attempt to avoid redundancy, he began straying away from that all too familiar topic. Although several songs do discuss his past struggles, del Rio has begun to expand his lyrical content. Whether it be his fear of selling out as an artist, flying through space with Wetbrain, flipping people off, the pros/cons of California, or just being a rotten asshole, del Rio, with the help of fellow vocalists, Haff and Muller have found plenty of ways to express how they feel in their lyrics. In the summer of 2015, Wetbrain faced its next internal debacle.. Nearing the end of the summer, they decided to move on from Tim for strictly musical reasons and bassist Coco Simone joined the group. They played several shows throughout the Fall, and were impressed by Coco's bass prowess. However, her work schedule became incredibly time consuming, and as the band continued to grow more serious, they knew they needed maximum dedication and time from the members.. At around the same time, nearing the end of 2015, member Alex Muller, who was dealing with personal issues, chose to leave the band. This was not a negative split, but more so a mutual split between two parties. He remains a good friend. As the start of 2016 came, Matt and Andrew faced a serious issue and one they hadn't yet faced in their nearly two years together. Without a rhythm section, Andrew contacted Branden King, a long time friend and highly regarded drummers in Philadelphia. Haff and King met each other in the early 2000s playing music at the Paul Green School of Rock Music in Philadelphia. Both have had the experience not many high school kids get to do like touring the West Coast and playing in Europe playing the music of Frank Zappa and other artists. Luckily he agreed to join. The three members began writing songs together and slowly building a chemistry over an extended weekend jam straight through the “Blizzard of 2016.” They didn't rush their bass search knowing it was better to allow things to develop semi-organically rather than forcing the issue. Around February of 2016, Andrew got in touch with Mat Antoina, an incredibly talented bassist and French native who had recently moved 10 minutes from Wetbrain’s rehearsal and recording studio and really dug the band. After practicing with the band it was clear they had found their ideal lineup. Antoine showed up and knew how to play all the old songs at the first practice. As Spring came, the band began playing shows, and found an immediate chemistry, which continues to grow as they enter summer 2016. The current lineup (Haff, del rio, King, Antoina) has played at Connie's Ric Rac twice, 1984 in Wilmington, DE, and most recently at the Grape Room. They have shows lined up at Ortlieb’s, Isle of Wild (Wildwood, NJ), as well as Caravan Music Festival (Belgrade, ME) They have also recently released a brand new single "She Bad" ft. Rone and Russell ¿Que? They will continue to book new shows and record music into the summer. Check out our new website! http://www.wetbrainmusic.com