WANK Returns With an Even Tighter Grip on Their Sound

There’s always been a stroke of genius in the way WANK looked at their contribution to punk rock. By never firmly adhering to any formula, they firmly grasped an original sound that often drove their critics crazy.

“Somebody told us a long time ago, ‘You guys aren’t focused, you’re not a ska band, you’re not a punk band, you’re not a rock band or a reggae band,” remembers guitarist Danny Walker. “He said ‘You’re not really committing to anything and it’s pissing me off!’” Luckily, the frustrations of others never were or will be a problem for WANK since their formation in Huntington Beach in 1995. They probably care even less now that they’ve gone through the fires of show biz, health scares, battles with major labels, earned the respect of rock stars and sold a few records in between. It’s still all about making the music they want to hear, finding the right outlet for rage, humor and hopes and the occasional masturbation metaphor.

It’s been years since the band’s last album, yet their appetizer for their long awaited new release starts with a new single and a set of shows that harkens back to where it all started for the Social Distortion proteges. This weekend, Anaheim’s scrappy punk road house the Doll Hut is the home of WANK Weekend, two back-to-back shows featuring a mix of old and new material from the band (including their recent single “Salvation” which will be out by Thanksgiving). The show is bolstered by a lineup of late ‘90s OC bands who continue to rock against the tide of gray hair and onerous adulthood. On Friday Nov. 16, WANK will share the stage with  Mr. Miranga and the Gasoline Addicts, followed by The Cornfed Project and MonoDelux on Saturday, Nov. 17.

“It’s totally getting back to our roots,” says Walker, who also used to help book talent for the club between ‘95-‘98 along side original owner Linda Conyers and the late Steve Soto. Of the Adolescents. “It’s been like a decade since we played there. Before that it’s probably been another decade.”

But 20 sum odd years ago, the Doll Hut is where the band’s raucous performances, tight licks and wall-busting charisma got the attention of Mike Ness of Social Distortion who stopped in randomly to check out a show. After showing up to one of their shows amidst a mosh pit of fans and wild drunks, Ness approached them and offered to mentor and record them.

The backing of Ness led to a whirlwind year in 1998 when Walker along with high school friend Bobby Amedeo, his brother Spider grew from a barroom band to a major label outfit signed to Madonna’s former label Maverick Records, re-releasing their debut album Get a Grip on Yourself. The band’s eclectic, fireball energy fronted by the gravelly voiced attitude of Amadeo made them up and coming stars with popular KROQ single like “Forgiven.”

However the band never quite got the notoriety they deserved in their day, failed by struggles with their label and changing music climate, they disappeared right at the turn of the millennium. Walker continued on, fronting the band Handsome Devil in 2001 on RCA Records and has released albums as a singer/songwriter. Meanwhile Bobby and his brother Spider pursued careers in artist management. For years since 2000, Bobby endured a battle with leukemia which sidelined a lot of his musical ambitions.

“I thought I was done,” recalled Amodeo in a 2015 interview with the Weekly. “I thought I was done in life–period. . . . I sold everything, checked into the hospital, and did chemo for five years.” Afterward, it took time for him to build up the strength and will to get back onstage. Amodeo channeled the anger, fear, and pain he felt as a cancer survivor into songwriting. “It was tough coming back from that emotionally and physically,” he says. “I’m ready. I feel the strongest I’ve ever felt.”

When it was clear he’d be lucky enough to survive the Big C, the frontman and bassist vowed to make the most of the time he’d been given, which also eventually led to the reunification of WANK in 2016 following a reunion show and a plan to record new material. Currently at work on their album, the band enlisted the help of another local rock star Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters, who signed on to produce their single “Salvation.” Not only was he excited to record the song of friends he’d known since his days with No Use For a Name, he also wanted to make them sound as great as possible.

“He came in, knew exactly what parts he wanted to change in the song, what parts he wanted to keep in the song, what parts he wanted to get rid of in the song and he had ideas for all of us,” Amadeo says regarding their recording session at Buzzbomb Studios in Orange. “Everything he wanted us to do we executed and the song elevated so much more. I already thought it was a good song and he came in and made it that much better.”

Another X-factor to making the song great was former Offspring guitarist Chris “X-13” Higgins who joined the roster permanently this year, adding his explosive power to the mix. The result wasn’t a departure from the old sound so much as an affirmation that it can still work with the right tweaks made by people who are not only apt musicians, but also fans of the band.

“It’s not the first time we’ve tried to record that song, we’ve tried to record the song but it just didn’t have the stuff or anything special,” Walker says. “[Shiflett] immediately cut out the silly key changes, on’t get too tricky, focus on this part, don’t try to impress me, rock me!”

Taking that experience with them as they continue on to finish the album (which will be out by Christmas, the band members of WANK are secure in where they’re going based on how hard they’ve had to fight to keep their musical dreams alive in the face of personal and professional obstacles. Life is all over the place, as is their sound until they decide to longer pull themselves together on stage. As always the goal is to main vexingly original.

“The new stuff we’re recording it’s not too far off from the kind of total mix of stuff that Get a Grip on Yourself was,” Walker says. “Reggae influence with rock and punk rock and pop because there’s harmonies going. It’s all over the place, sorry…so our friend who used to criticize us will still be pissed off.”

The Wank Weekend, featuring Mr. Miranga and Gasoline Addicts (Nov. 16) and The Cornfed Project and MonoDelux (Nov. 17) at The Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim, 1(562) 277-0075, facebook.com/world famousdh, 9 p.m., $10, 21+.