January 1, 2000. That is when, for all intents and purposes, Darwin's Waiting Room came into existence. It's an appropriate date, for Darwin's Waiting Room -- called "rock's secret gem" by MTV News -- is a band that's tailor-made for the turn of the millennium, an explosive force of nature that combines five different personalities and a crazy quilt of musical influences to create a sound that's totally new and forward-looking.
"Everyone in the band is influenced by different styles of music," says emcee Grimm, one of the two human whirlwinds that front the band. "But whenever I'm asked, 'what are your influences,' I think it's each other. Just working and interacting and vibing off each other. I think the diverse stylings and personalities of each person come together and that's why we have such a different sound."
The sound of Darwin's Waiting Room a raw, unclassifiable, pulsing fusion of hip-hop rhymes, monster rhythmic grooves, crunching riffs, and moments of stark melody -- was incubated in Miami, Florida, a city associated with rock like Seattle is associated with sunshine. "The club scene in Miami for rock music has never been that strong, in my opinion," says Grimm. "I think a lot of our success comes from an underground kind of appeal. It's word-of-mouth kids telling other kids and so on. A band can succeed there, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. You really have to believe in yourself and what you're doing."
Inking with MCA Records following a showcase at the fabled Miami rock club the Chili Pepper, Darwin's Waiting Room convened in the studio with producer Jason Bieler, recently behind the board for the debut album from fellow South Florida upstarts Nonpoint. "Jason was the best guy for the job because he knew the band well, and he knew exactly what to get from each one of us," says Grimm. "He knew the expectations, personalities, and talent level of every guy in the band, whereas if we went to somebody who didn't know the band well enough, I don't think he would have gotten what Jason got."
The result of what the band calls both an awesome and stressful experience is Orphan, an album whose title alone is infused with meaning far beyond the norm. "For us, because we think that the style we have is pretty different and unique, and doesn't sound like the other bands out there, so we're orphaned in that regard. A lot of the song topics on the album are sort of linked to the title as well. They reflect the way that a lot of kids out there feel left out, set aside, or alone. There's a communication that's been lost, so a lot of them feel alienated. So Orphan definitely describes that."
Grimm who endured what he calls a "rocky" relationship with his father speaks from personal experience as well, most eloquently on a track called "Sometimes It Happens Like This." "My folks got divorced when I was six months old and I was raised by my mom, so I never had that tight, father-son relationship that a lot of kids have," recalls the emcee. "A lot of kids don't have that either that whole go-to-the-park-and-play-ball, father-son bonding thing wasn't really there. Most of the time, I felt that I was being passed over or ignored, not being given the attention I wanted, so that's where a lot of that came from."
Other tunes, like first single "Feel So Stupid (Table 9)" and "All I Have Is Me," deal with relationships or the loss thereof, while "Live For The Moment" acknowledges the fragility of life itself, and the speed at which time passes. "You're always told that you have to think about your future, you have to think about tomorrow, and you have to think about what you're gonna do with your life. A lot of people forget about the fact that they're alive now, and there are things they can do and enjoy now. You don't know what's coming; you don't know if there's gonna be a tomorrow, so why not live for the moment and enjoy the life that you have and the people around you today."
Astute observations from a band whose goal is to rise above the rapcore fray and whose mantra is "evolve or dissolve," and whose very name is a slang term for the stereotypical image of the South as a place populated by the slow and backward. "We've always wanted to create music that's different, constantly evolving and changing, and never staying stagnant, so we figured the name would be great because we're always trying to evolve and change and create something new, and do something with music that hasn't been done before."
Grimm - emcee Jabe - vocals Eddie The Kydd - guitar Alex Cando - bass Joe Perrone - drums
