Scientists predict that in the near future the number of boy bands will reach its saturation point. Like bacteria in the pop-culture test tube, there won't be enough food to support them all.
Until that sad day comes, boy-band growth continues at an exponential rate. Think of made-for-TV groups like O-Town added to the already dizzying number of guy groups with cool hair and screaming fans. That generic boy band on the Kodak commercial probably even has a record deal by now.
Why do so many young men get the call to dance and sing silly little love songs? It's not just money. Dave Thomson from Wave isn't going to lie to you - it's the girls.
"Oh, yeah, man. I meet a lot through the Internet. They find me on this chat group I'm on. Since the band's come out, I've had about 350 new people on my list. There have been some (propositions) that involve coming to the hotel and ..." he laughs without completing the thought.
Care must be taken to verify the age of the fans.
"They tell you and then, if they're like way too young, I mean, you're like whatever, but most of them are 18, 19, and I'm only 21, so it's perfect ...
"I won't lie to you. There's a connection here. When you get on stage, the girls seem to like you."
We expect they will when Wave performs tonight at PsykoBlast 2001 in the Shaw Conference Centre. It's sort of like last year's PsykoBlast, but without Christina Aguilera. Also featured will be B.C. popsters soulDecision, former white rapper Snow (former rapper, not formerly white) and the impressively coiffed and tanned b4-4.
Thomson realized early in his career what being in a band can do for one's self-esteem, especially as it applies to attracting the opposite sex. "I was in a punk band in high school. I was, like, cool, Mr. Punk Guy, so yeah ..."
Nice to see he stayed true to his roots. Wave's big hit, California - with a line about "sipping tequila" that got the video banned from YTV - is about as punk as Care Bears.
Thomson doesn't have a preference about such mundane matters as labels. He likes it all.
"I've always had such an open mind when it came to music," he says.
"Even when I was in that high school band I was listening to anything. People come over and see a Faith Hill CD and a Deftones CD and they're like, whoa, OK, buddy. I've always had such an open mind about it. When I met (partner Paul Gigliotti), that was our common ground - this pop world, mainstream music, music that anyone can enjoy. We're not out to be Radiohead or anything and bust down boundaries. We're just here to write some good songs and have fun."
And continue to be good-looking, of course. Thomson admits he wouldn't be where he is today if he were old, fat and ugly.
"To be honest, no," he says. "That's one of the things about the pop world. You gotta be this young guy that the girls want. I can sit here and say, 'Oh, it's just about the music' - and it is; it comes down to the song at the end of the day - but the girls like a guy to look at. I won't lie to you."
Plenty of tickets to PsykoBlast 2001 are still available, for $35 through Ticketmaster (451-8000). Wave also opens for O-Town at the Jubilee Auditorium on July 13.
