What seems to be day in and day out, my inbox is filled with over produced quantized triggered metal-core that is recreating what has been created a million times over with less and less heart put into the music. Call me old fashioned, but how is one band in this realm going to stand out in the saturated sea of these bands? If my ears could smell, I’d say today they were given a breath of fresh air when taking a listen to We The Wild’s latest single “Still Asunder”. Don’t get me wrong, there are still modern triggering and tuning techniques utilized in this production but there’s also a raw sound and sincerity that shines through. This track really drives me through the ringer of nostalgia as it takes twists and turns through a number of old school vibes. All I ask is some damn heart, and the boys in We The Wild have given that, so thank you!
“The seemingly strange timing, the obvious jazz influences infused into a heavy rock song, the musical layers that make you pick up something different with each listen… We The Wild are onto something interesting and thoughtful.” – Jeff Obermeyer – Life In The Vinyl Lane.
Stream “Still Asunder” below!
Interview with We The Wild:
SBN :Hey guys, for those reader unfamiliar with We The Wild, can you please introduce yourself(ves) and what you play?
WTW : We’re a 5 piece band from Portland, Oregon and we write heavy melodic rock n roll out of the NW.
SBN : In listening to your tunes, I really get an amazing “throw back” type vibe to late 90’s / early 2000’s. Do you feel like you were influenced by artists from that era?
WTW : Absolutely. That was a pivotal time in all of our lives and the music from that era plays a huge roll in where we draw influence from. It was an unmistakable sound, one that’s hard to come by these days and we try to tip our hat to it while bringing in modern ideas and motifs to complement it.
SBN : What comes to mind is Boy Sets Fire, Hot Rod Circuit, No Knife, Piebald etc, who would you say are huge influences on your music?
WTW : We definitely have an eclectic group of bands that each one of us draw on but a handful that we would all agree on are The Fall of Troy, Exotic Animal Petting Zoo, Refused, Thursday, At the Drive In and Every Time I Die. It’s an infinite list that’s constantly revolving.
SBN : The production sounds great, who did you work with, and would you mind giving a run down of your experience in the studio?
WTW : Hey thanks! We recorded at Interlace audio with Stephan Hawkes and Michael Sahm. We’ve wanted to work with Stephan, who has an incredible reputation in the industry for putting out superb albums, but also had the pleasure to meet and track with Michael Sahm, who truly went the extra mile with us. As far as the the actual experience, it’s safe to say we put our engineers through hell and slammed through what should have been a three week endeavor into a long weekend and it just about killed every single one of us. We’ve released two singles from the album and can’t wait to release the rest. Stephan and Michael captured the rawness of the experience and you can definitely hear it in the record.
SBN : This day and age, artists often find themselves remaining independent from record labels. What made you guys decide sign to Golden Ghost Records and how has that experience been?
WTW : Golden Ghost Records is owned and operated by our friend Daniel Jacob and he approached us with a great music video opportunity and we released the single through his label. We wanted to release one song through a local privately owned boutique label to help rep the NW music scene, but ultimately the album calls for something bigger.
SBN : Being from Portland, OR, would you say Voodoo Donuts is overrated?
WTW : Honestly, none of us have ever been able to stand in that line for more than twenty minutes so we’ve never had one. But their label puts out some pretty good bands, and we would definitely stand in line for an hour for that.
SBN : Same question, but regarding strip clubs. Side chat…Last time I toured through Portland with my band The Venetia Fair, we hit a place called Blush next to this massive Goodwill type place (“The Bins” is what someone called them I believe). They asked us if we were in a band and had a CD to which we handed over and then found ourselves watching strippers dance to our music while eating a $5 steak/shrimp/fries meal. I was pretty sure that meant we “made it big”. Does that place exist still? If so, would you please try and re-live that experience for me?
WTW : We have yet to indulge in the $5 steak meal but hot damn that’s a deal and we will be making our way to Blush immediately!
SBN : Lets chat about the local music scene in Portland. There’s a lot of great stuff going on there and coming out of that scene, can you please delve a little further and give your inside thoughts on that?
WTW : We love this city. And we love living here. Unfortunately venues for our vein of music are closing at an alarming rate. There’s a ton of bands working their asses off in the blue collar hardcore scene to put on amazing shows and put out incredible music. Although in more recent years Portland has been known for other genres, we have a strong and very supportive community.
SBN : Every city has a local scene that often 90% of goes unheard of and unrecognized. Can you pick a few local bands that you guys feel either don’t get recognized, or are under rated, and share them with our readers?
WTW : We have got to give it up for our brothers in Icarus the Owl who recently got signed to Blue Swan Records. We’ve known those guys for years and are just so stoked for them. And more bands deserve this kind of attention. She Preaches Mayhem who we toured with last year, have one of more brutal live shows we’ve seen. Vigil Wolves writes some of the most memorable songs we’ve ever heard. Divides brings there sound all the way from Alaska and are wrecking shop with it. Sustainer has more swagger than an All-Spice commercial and are bringing a welcomed and unique style to the Portland hardcore scene. Our homies The Lion In Winter up in Seattle are both the life of the party as well as exceptional musicians. New comers Dead Tropics and Wellwalker just put out EP’s that’ll make you shit your pants and wonder what happened. And our oldest friends in Owner are inventing music that the world has never known.
SBN : What are your upcoming plans as far as releases, videos, tour etc? Anything in line?
WTW : We plan to take the entire NW by storm with a full-length album, a slew of shows around the NW and up and down the West Coast, as well as a series of non-music related media and content for everyone to laugh to.
SBN : Do you have any closing words for our readers and/or where they can find and keep up to date with you?
WTW : For anything and everything We the Wild head to our website wethewildpdx.com – We’re on every media outlet you can think of so hit us up on there as well. Our community thrives on meeting and making new friends so please don’t hesitate to say hello!
Bio:
We the Wild is a national touring band based out of Portland, OR. Combining modern punk and hardcore with a heavy jazz background, We the Wild is a perfect mix of sophisticated musicianship and accessibility.
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