Your New Favorite Band From Out Of Left Field

The average person in the Greater Philadelphia Area doesn’t know who The Wayside is. The lucky few that have heard of this four-man musical machine, however, have been treated to an audio experience with an origin story almost as nostalgic as their music.

The Story

The four members of the Wayside met in their high school jazz band and, in the words of the band’s pianist Preston Ziegenfuss, “started a band almost by accident.” On a slow day of class, three of them ended up collaborating with each other, finding both that they had great synergy and that they all could play the Beatles’ “Let It Be” on their respective instruments. Despite not being close friends beforehand, Preston Ziegenfuss, Nick Mancini, and Andrew Brown resolved to meet again. It was this second meeting that saw them begin making original music, starting with pieces that they each had writ

ten on their own and planting the seeds for the united sound they have today. By the end of the session, they had gone from three friends to a proper band. They just needed one thing: a drummer. Returning to the jazz band where the three of them met, they recruited the best drummer they knew: Ethan “Ziggy” Frattarelli. Before long, they became The Wayside.

The Sound

The Wayside’s sound is more or less what one might expect from a band with an enigmatic pianist, an outgoing vocalist, a stoic bassist, and a drummer that goes by a pseudonym: nostalgic. Though their four-man lineup and commitment to a clean sound may be stripped-down by modern standards, the lyrical and musical versatility of the members ensures that no two songs sound the same.

Ziegenfuss likes to think that this versatility stems from the band members’ diverse musical tastes. Preston credits his favorite band, Shinedown, for inspiring him. Vocalist Nick Mancini, on the other hand, finds himself inspired by The Beatles, which along with the Beach Boys tend to be the two groups that audiences compare The Wayside to. Ziegenfuss says he considers this “a great compliment… seeing as many people consider The Beatles to be the greatest band of all time.” He goes on to say that he hopes their unique taste and sound will prevent them from getting boxed in. “We are not and have no desire to be a Beatles tribute band.” While they may not yet be the sensation that The Beatles was, they are on their way.

The Sensation

Their debut EP, cleverly entitled “Left,” was released on all major music platforms on August 1st, 2022. The collection has three songs, each one by a different one of the band’s three original members. While Ziegenfuss says that there was “very little discussion in regards to the order of songs on the EP,” there is a distinct musical journey across the three tracks.

The musically upbeat “Mushroom Girl” opens with a musically complex and lyrically dense piece about a princess and her lover that hides a darker side. The next track, “She’ll Be Okay,” is a slow, reflective ballad that appears at first to be a sad song but hammers home an optimistic message with its titular lyric. The third and final piece, “Around The Bend,” is a driven rock and roll experience about two opposite personalities seeking solace in wanderlust, longing to be anywhere other than where they are. This sense of possibility marks the end of “Left” and the beginning of something else, the nature of which is up to the listener.

For Preston Ziegenfuss, the obvious answer is more music. “At the end of the day, all four of us just enjoy writing and playing music, even if we’re our own audience. The Wayside isn’t going anywhere.” As celebrity musicians are embroiled in questions of quality and of character, The Wayside continues to prove that great new music can be found just around the bend.

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