Orange County’s own WANK returns with founding members Bobby Amodeo, Spider, Danny Walker, and new addition of Higgins X-13 (formerly of The Offspring). The band plans to release their new album ‘White Knuckle Ride’ later this year.
On WANK’s return and new record, frontman Bobby Amodeo comments, “WANK is stoked to be back making music. It’s been 20 years since our Maverick Records release, and we’ve spent the last year producing our new album, ‘White Knuckle Ride.’ Song by song, our record stands up – You’ll hear PRD, reggae skank, melodic hooks, and pop harmonies. WANK is rock-ready, and we look forward to destroying a stage near you very soon. Check us out!”
Watch for album release details, a new single and accompanying music video to debut shortly.
In the meantime check out their latest track “Shut You Down” here: https://soundcloud.com/wankusa/shut-you-down.
WANK guitarist Danny Walker comments about writing the song, “Shut You Down is about an experience I had working in a toxic environment, hitting a boiling point, and responding. When you spend every moment of your day dumping on people, you get what you get. Bad things will happen to bad people.”
WANK formed in 1995 in Huntington Beach, CA. Mixing pop sensibility, rock chops, and punk energy, WANK (influenced by the Beatles and the Clash, among others) quickly gained momentum and garnered a reputation for themselves with melodic songs and highly entertaining live shows. In 1996, WANK self-released their debut, Get a Grip on Yourself. Their continuing success as a live act brought them to the attention of producer Mike Ness of Social Distortion, who oversaw the recording of “Larry Brown” for a split 7″ on Time Bomb Records (1997.) Ness also produced WANK on their version of “Auld Lang Syne,” their contribution to the comp, Christmas Gone Wrong (1997.)
In late 1997, “Forgiven” was added to rotation at the World Famous KROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles, and WANK was still unsigned. An industry bidding war ensued, and WANK signed an historic record deal with Maverick Records. In 1998, following an expedited major label re-release of Get a Grip on Yourself, WANK took their show on the road, touring with The Specials, Goldfinger, Social Distortion, and Warped Tour ’98. The band parted ways with Maverick Records in 1999 and focused on other projects.
In 2000, Amodeo was diagnosed with cancer, and after years of treatment, he’s back and rock ready. Walker formed and fronted Handsome Devil and was signed to RCA in 2001. Handsome Devil released three albums – Love and Kisses (2001), Knock Yourself Out (2004), and Fully Automatic (2007), and toured with The Used, Lit, Zebrahead, and Warped. In 2007, Walker and friends (from Lit, Adolescents, and Cadillac Tramps) formed Rockers in the Round – an acoustic showcase series. Walker released two singer-songwriter albums – Mumble & Strum (2011) and Salvation (2012). Spider focused on session work and artist management, and he’s still the hardest hitting drummer around.
WANK reunited in 2016, self-releasing their 5 song EP – On with the Show and, in 2017, added guitarist Higgins X-13, formerly of the Offspring. In 2018, WANK is in the studio finishing a new full length album for release. Enjoy – WANK is back.
