Review: “Wakin’ Up” – Sifu and the Hat

by Scott Roos

Our Grade - C+

Released on Oct. 17th, Regina's Sifu and the Hat's “Wakin’ Up” is a bold attempt at the traditional blues genre. While it doesn’t completely break new ground, it delivers enough grit and energy to make an impression. With a press release citing Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough, listeners can expect something raw, angular, and lived-in. Instrumentally, to a degree, the track succeeds.

The groove has a decent, unforced flow, and there’s a welcome organic roughness to the guitars. Eric “Sifu” James’s slide work is the clear highlight - ragged, expressive, and confidently flirting with chaos. The decision to omit a bass guitar is an odd one; rather than adding tension or space, it leaves the low end feeling unnecessarily hollow at points (writer's note: Jeske is listed as playing bass in the bandcamp notes but I honestly could not make out any kind of bass on this track at all).

Trent Mailander’s drumming stays in the pocket, but the fills are often too busy, stepping on the groove and cluttering the song rather than pushing it forward. Vocally, the track falters as well. Steve “the Hat” Jeske’s sly grin delivery lacks depth and emotional weight, undercutting the bluesy gravitas the instrumentation is clearly aiming for. The performance never quite digs deep enough to match the grit implied by the influences.

This song would likely land better live as part of a larger set - dust in the air, drinks held high, bodies moving. It feels built for a dim, crowded bar or a darkened late night festival side stage, where volume and atmosphere can do some of the work the recording doesn’t.

Overall, it comes off as a fun novelty song more than a fully realized statement. The lyrics are derivative, the guitar delivery is legitimate, but the drums are too busy and the vocals lack the grit required to sell anything remotely rootsy or bluesy. The trio is clearly aiming for something in the vein of The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, but the result feels like imitation rather than a convincing reinvention.