Written by: Cait Elizabeth - April 2019
Edited by: Travis Ryan

INTRODUCTIONS:

Oogee Wawa brings the party, sunshine-infused music, and love to every stage they cross. That made it easy for me to follow them across the Island for about a year before I knew a soul in the music community. The warm welcome I received from the band and from their extended family, the Oogee Wawa Warriors, gave me the confidence to keep exploring the music world. Serving up their own blend of reggae, hip hop, and pop punk vibes to energetic crowds, Jesse Lee Roenbeck (MC), Nick Loiodice (keys/vocals), Chad Chadwick (bass), Lawrence Coleman III (guitar/vocals), and Ryan Birkbeck (drums) make music that insists you dance and sing along. It’s the soundtrack of beachside good times with friends.

Founding members Jesse Lee, Nick, Chad, and JP Aceto (guitar/vocals) decided to form the band while hanging out together, experimenting, and playing together in bars. Many of their early songs touch on their shared bar tending history and their mutual adoration of surfing and the beach. 2018 was a year of transformation and rebuilding where the lineup saw some major changes. With a new chapter unfolding in front of them, Oogee Wawa continues to get the crowd dancing in every city they visit.

Currently Oogee Wawa has two albums, two EPs, and a handful of collaborative singles available. As of this writing there’s an IndieGoGo campaign running where you can contribute towards funding their new album in return for a slew of exclusive extras. With music streaming taking over the market, it’s becoming harder and harder for independent musicians to fund their projects. Oogee Wawa has taken a fun approach by offering their donors unique handmade art pieces, including a one-of-a-kind painted guitar.

Be sure to follow them on Spotify!

TOURS & SHOWS

Oogee Wawa has done four full cross-country tours since they began in 2009. They’ve built a family of bands across the country including Sowflo from FL, Tropidelic from OH, and Bumpin Uglies and Higher Education from MD. Making countless east coast runs and cramming 250 shows in every year for the past six, Oogee has made dedicated fans near and far. For their first west coast trek, the band set sail in Jesse’s 2001 Mercury Mountaineer with a 27’ camper in tow. From nearly getting stranded in the desert and finding themselves in Cali, to making friends in Texas, to falling in love with Colorado and being awed in Utah, the band had plenty of bonding moments.

After years of regular trips down to Florida to visit their second home, in 2018 the band crossed off a big entry on their bucket list. Ever since their first trip to the Sunshine State, Oogee has wanted to play Jannus Live in St. Petersburg and in October they were able to finally check that box!

Oogee Wawa is one of the most prolific touring bands in our community, but being gone so much isn’t easy: “It’s certainly not as glamorous as MTV in pop culture makes it sound life on the road is tough mentally and physically but at the end of the day seeing all those smiling faces in the crowd is what drives us to the next show” shares Jesse.

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INSPIRATION & INFLUENCES

Each member of the band has brought a different spin to the overall sound of the band. Hip-hop, soul, funk, pop punk, and rock are tied together with a reggae bow. The band lists Dirty Heads, Gym Class Heroes, and Sublime as some of their biggest influences.

Part of what makes Oogee Wawa so popular is how relatable their songs are. Spliffs is one of their best known songs and a good starting point for new listeners; it became an anthem among the fans as it captures the camaraderie of Oogee Wawa shows. Personally, my favorite song of theirs is Pack The Van. It reflects a little bit of their nomadic nature, spreading love and music wherever they go:

“Great wide open, never ending straight away, take me now my soul’s in need of better days.
Westward bound, pedal to the ground, never gonna look back now.
I’m starting to rust I gotta get outta this old town, right now.
And I’ll see you, when I see you if I ever make it back around (back around).
You can find me with the Oogee love bringing that Long Island Sound”
Pack The Van, Oogee Wawa