Well-Known Strangers making themselves well known
Since Well-Known Strangers played Land the Big Gig in 2016, the big gigs have kept on coming.
The alternative-rock group, featuring members from Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, took third place in the Journal Sentinel-sponsored band contest.
From there, the band’s opened regional gigs for established acts like Blue October and Candlebox, played a pregame show at a Chicago White Sox game, and singer Betsy Ade performed the National Anthem at a White Sox game and a Chicago Bulls game.
And included in its busy concert slate this summer: a Wisconsin State Fair show next month, and a return to Summerfest earlier this month.
“The Big Gig event had a ton of press, and it started to get our name out there,” said rhythm guitarist Joe Adamek.
The shows, and band’s releases (including recent EP “Path Away,” its third body of work since 2015) and some radio promo work, have assured its name has stayed out there.
Who’s who: Adamek; Betsy Ade (lead vocals, guitar, ukelele); Roger Gower (drums); Sacia Jerome (cello, backing vocals); Theodore Koth (lead guitar); John Kulas (bass).
Describe your sound: Ade: I say cello-infused rock.
Adamek: I always describe it as Alanis Morrisette meets the Goo Goo Dolls.
Making the new EP: Adamek: It was significantly different making this EP. We had a long time to work on it. We had been playing a couple of the songs for a while, and some of the feedback from AAA stations was, “You’re a great band, you sound great, but you sound dated at times.” We went to our producer Nick Radovanovic (Melissa Etheridge, Rachel Platten, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness) to make us a litneed tle bit more modern, and he helped us rewrite songs in the studio.
Stand-out track: Ade: I really like “Sidewalk.” … I think it’s rough and sexy.
Adamek: When I was walking one day, it hit me that all these different blocks of sidewalks, different colors, different heights, different cracks, the shapes and pieces missing, made me think of different friends and relationships you have, and each sidewalk piece represents a person I’ve know or have crossed paths with. I brought that to Betsy, and she took that and went with it.
Ade: I took his ideas and compared it to romantic relationships. if you have multiple relationships like I have had in my life, you realize how hard it is to get to a place where one person is willing to put in all the effort you possibly could to build your home together. And it takes a lot of work and experiences, in my opinion, to get to that place.
Gower: It started out as a country song with a very fast, quick tempo. It morphed a ton.
Plans and goals: Adamek: We want to become more of a Midwest band. That is our real goal right now. Maybe at the end of the year, we’ll release another single and plan for another EP.
Gower: We’ve still got 15, 20 songs sitting we could pull out.
Ade: And we’ll never stop writing. Next gig: 8:20 p.m. July 27, Taste of Wisconsin Main Stage, Kenosha. Free.
Watch two exclusive performances from Well-Known Strangers at jsonline.com/music. Sound Check appears the 15th each month online and in the Journal Sentinel.