Pink and Blue by Waterdeep

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Waterdeep. Never heard of them, eh? That’s ok; the majority of us haven’t, I’m sure. I was just introduced to Waterdeep for the very first time at around 3:00 PM, yesterday afternoon when the mailman stuck an advance copy of their latest offering in my mailbox (thanks Jenn and BookEnd Media!). The existence of this band was news to me. Now I know! I am no longer a member of the uninitiated, thankfully.

If you are a fan of talented independent artists that work incredibly hard for every ounce of success experienced, then you’ll love this story! Don and Lori Chaffer, an incredibly talented husband/wife duo, front the band. Don began Waterdeep in 1995 with four other guys. They released their first independent album – To Chase Away the Birds – later that year. Don and Lori married a year later and she joined the band. They released Sink or Swim in 1997. Two more independent albums followed in 1999: Enter the Worship Circle and Live at the New Earth. The band went on to sell 40,000 units of those four albums all on their own, without a record label. Enter the worship Circle has gone on to sell over 150,000 units without ever having been released on a label. Not bad at all, for independent artists.

In spite of the obvious successes Waterdeep has experienced as an independent band, the members did take the plunge and signed with Squint Entertainment (label home of Sixpence None The Richer and Chevelle, among others). Waterdeep then released Everyone’s Beautiful and You Are So Good To Me under the Squint banner. The band’s home at Squint Entertainment was a temporary one. The band reclaimed its independent status when Squint Entertainment dissolved. Don spent his freedom and independence on two solo albums: Whole ‘Nother Deal and What You Don’t Know. Lori also released a solo album titled 1Beginning. The couple took some time off from the music scene after that flurry of creative activity. The couple’s return to music a few years later resulted in the vibey, diverse, pop rock-laden Heart Attack Time Machine, which was released in 2006.

A brand new full length album – composed of a compilation of his and her EPs – called Pink and Blue is set for a December release. The advance release is quite good. Alt-folk rock is a welcome change for a culture filled with cheap, pro-tools heavy, pop music. Again, Pink and Blue is a full-length album composed of two EPs: The “Pink” CD features Lori’s songs and the “Blue” features Don’s. The album is also available in a limited edition, which features original art their children and a 40-page activity book written by the Chaffer parents.

What about the music? It’s great. If you are a fan of alt-folk you’ll really appreciate this offering. The music is sometimes contemplative and ambient (I Rolled Into New Year’s Eve), trippy and melodic (Okay Okay Yeah), fun and upbeat (Life of the Party), but always musically and spiritually cognitive. Waterdeep’s Pink and Blue not only entertains, but also nudges listeners towards a celebration of their own spirituality in a thoroughly artistic way that is not at all dependent upon popular Christian musical cliches.

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