If songs can be compared to short stories, then singer/songwriter Will Wakefield’s new CD, “The Rise, The Fall, The Drama And The Rebirth” can best be seen as a novella, a short but intense tale of love and loss. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Will’s “day jobs” – at labels Sub Pop and Mack Avenue and working with the legendary band Yes on their 2002 US tour – never remove him from the musical milieu that feeds his muse. Based in Seattle, Will performs with his critically lauded band the Congress Hotel and have earned a dedicated following throughout the Northwest, performing at such well-known venues as the Showbox, and the Tractor Tavern. “If You Ever Go To Mars,” a track from Will’s debut LP, and most recently “Strangers,” and “I’m Sorry,” from his sophomore release, have received commercial airplay on Seattle’s flagship AAA station, KMTT. For updates information and tour dates, visit www.willwakefield.com. Contact willwak3@yahoo.com, 206-604-3655.

Influences

Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, U2, George Michael, Sting, Smashing Pumpkins, Bob Dylan, Seal, The Cure, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye etc.

Bio

Will and the guys in the Congress Hotel are lounging back stage in the green room of yet another venue. The verbose, but poetic songwriter Will Wakefield, sitting on a footstool, the melodic, but solidifying bassist Mike Stewart finishing a beverage, and the subtle, yet virulent guitarist Chuck Edwards hanging on the edge of an old sofa. Performing at the Showbox in Seattle requires their complete attention to properly entertain with the Hotel’s swimming lyrics, and colorfully chord-laden rock n’ roll jangle.

With the release of “2nd & Hayes,” and the record’s subsequent airplay on the KMTT 103.7 Mountain, the guys in the Congress Hotel are garnering a larger and more voracious audience than ever before. Their most recent release of a 4 song EP has also whet the appetites of fans waiting for a new full-length release to come in the near future. They continue to play strongly attended shows, at venues such as the Showbox, the Tractor, and the Sunset in Seattle, and on a recent tour packed the house in Spokane, WA, and Moscow, ID, along with receiving much airplay in Pullman, WA.

Their sound is comparable to the Counting Crows, “Recovering the Satellites,” album but with lyrics comparable to very early Bruce Springsteen, or Lou Reed. Other comparisons have been made to Steely Dan or Van Morrison. This can be heard in the danceable story song “Battery Street Tunnel,” or the runaway tragedy of “Frankie the Drifter.” Both tracks are included on the new EP.

With the continued succession of performances, support from other artists, and rapidly growing audience the Congress Hotel looks like they’re on their way to an amazing future.