There’s a pretty good chance, when listening to To the Waves — who will celebrate the release of a self titled, debut full length CD, at Hell’s Kitchen on Friday, Aug. 15 — that you’ll hear a little Polecat. Probably a bit of Leuko, too. And perhaps even some Seaweed and Pipefitter.



That’s because To the Waves — who played their first show ever opening for Seaweed at the August reunion show at the Kitchen — has elements of all those bands. Literally. It’s a commonality you can hear, and one that becomes blatantly obvious when you consider the band’s lineup. Jessie Fox, who’s in Seaweed and also fronted both Leuko and Polecat, heads up To the Waves, bringing his signature two-ton guitar and vocal style with him. Fox is joined by former Leuko band mates like drummer Geoff North (who also played in Pipefitter) and keyboardist Kelly Wyse and Cheryl Hopper (who also played in Polecat). Throw guitarist Ryan Malley in the mix and you’ve got To the Waves.



It looks confusing in print, but once you hear the band everything comes together. A natural next step in the evolution of post punk, To the Waves’ jagged and urgent brand of rock is big enough to fill a room and sharp enough to draw blood. These are two very good qualities in a rock band.



“All of the feedback that we’ve received from fans of our previous bands has all been positive. If people don’t like it, I guess they just haven’t told us,” says Fox. “Besides the obvious comparisons to Polecat and Leuko, I think fans see this as a step forward and see that we’re trying to expand on what those previous bands did.”



“I think we have really great creative chemistry together. Since most of us have all been in previous bands together, we know what to expect from each other,” adds Malley. “Jesse and I have pretty similar song writing styles that complement each other’s parts. One time we even wrote the same song without knowing it.”



Friday night at Hell’s Kitchen will be your chance to catch To the Waves in all their glory — and also snag a copy of the band’s debut CD. Seems like a situation with no downside to me.



[Hell’s Kitchen, To the Waves, Lozen, Black Houses, X-Ray Press, The Oswald Effect, Friday, Aug. 15, 8 p.m., $5, 3829 Sixth_Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]