Backstory:
Wasteful Solution was born in the basement of a dilapidated apartment complex in Austin, Texas, in late 2013. An unlikely meeting of four high-school friends – frontman and songwriter Mike ‘Kingpin’ Clayton, lead guitarist Oliver ‘Ollie’ Hughes, bassist James ‘Jazz’ Patterson, and drummer Scott ‘The Machine’ Anderson – led to the formation of a band that would redefine alternative rock. The band began jamming, creating a sound driven by Kingpin’s soulful, gritty voice and Ollie’s piercing guitar work. Their raw, emotional lyrics drew on personal experiences, societal issues, and the suffocating claustrophobia of growing up in a small town.
As they played, they began to develop a fan base, gaining recognition for their frenetic live performances and their refusal to conform to the safe, mainstream music industry. Their choice of the name ‘Wasteful Solution’ was a tongue-in-cheek nod to the band’s origins; a play on the fact that they were born out of the ‘waste’ of their small-town lives and represented a ‘solution’ for those seeking authentic music.
Genre: Alternative Rock
Title: “Shattered Reflection”
Full Song Lyrics:
(Verse 1)
[C] Waking up to the [Am] same old scene,
[G] The mirror laughs at [F] what I’ve been.
[C] Trapped in a cage of [Am] my own design,
[G] Looking for a way to [F] leave it behind.
(Chorus)
[C] Shattered reflection, [Am] broken dream,
[G] We’re all just players in [F] a twisted scheme.
[C] Looking for answers, [Am] lost in confusion,
[G] We’re the wasteful [F] solution.
(Verse 2)
[C] Lost in the shadows, [Am] chasing the sun,
[G] Running from battles [F] already won.
[C] Stitching up the wounds, [Am] still, we bleed,
[G] We’re the broken hearts [F] that still believe.
(Chorus)
[C] Shattered reflection, [Am] broken dream,
[G] We’re all just players in [F] a twisted scheme.
[C] Looking for answers, [Am] lost in confusion,
[G] We’re the wasteful [F] solution.
(Outro)
[C] In the end, we’re [Am] all just the same,
[G] Playing with matches [F] in the pouring rain.
[C] Searching for a sign, [Am] a spark of revolution,
[G] We’re the wasteful [F] solution.
Favorite Fan:
The band’s favorite fan is a girl named Jenny, a record store owner from their hometown. She was one of the first people to believe in them, even when they were just a garage band. Here’s what she has to say:
“I’ve never seen a group as raw and honest as Wasteful Solution. Their music is a lifeline, a beacon of hope. It’s like they’ve seen into your soul, lived your pain, and are screaming it back at you, offering solace. They’re my favorite because they’re unapologetically real. They don’t sugarcoat the world, yet their music always leaves you with a sense of hope, a sense of belonging. They’re the soundtrack to my life.”