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KC ensemble the Wilders puts some rhythm in their country
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Nashville City Paper, KC ensemble the Wilders puts some rhythm in their country >>
By Ron Wynn
While the musical menu of the Kansas City ensemble called the Wilders features classic country and bluegrass as well as stirring group originals, guitarist/vocalist Ike Sheldon says there’s another genre that infuses everything they perform, vintage rock ‘n’ roll.
“All of us grew up playing in rock bands, and rhythm is a very important element in anything that we’re doing musically,” Sheldon said. “No matter what type of song, we always feel that if the rhythm element isn’t working, then the song isn’t making it. A lot of people seem to have forgotten that the formula for rock ‘n’ roll in the beginning was equal parts R&B and country. We always want to have the groove going in our songs, and I think that’s what makes everything that we do a little different.”
Indeed the Wilders, holding a CD release party tonight at the Station Inn for their newest disc Someone’s Got To Pay (Free Dirt), take honky-tonk and bluegrass and injects some driving beats into the arrangements.
Special guest Glenn Fields from the Red Stick Ramblers puts the percussive fire into blazing versions of such songs as “Collard Greens,” a dedication to the legendary African-American fiddler Joe Thompson, “My Final Plea” and the conceptually intriguing “Sitting On A Jury: The Prosecutor.” This song was developed from the experiences of Dobro, banjo and mandolin player Phil Wade during his stint as a juror in a Kansas City murder trial. The song effectively creates the atmosphere of tension and anxiety, while also providing more examples of the group’s unique sound.
It’s also a five-movement work, one that was initially the second half of the band’s limited-edition 10-inch red vinyl EP titled Sitting On A Jury: that also presented the Wilders’ doing sparkling Hank Williams Sr. and Flatt & Scruggs renditions.
“If anyone asks whether we’re trying to reach fans of folk, or traditional country, or Americana, we always tell them that we’re really interested in people who enjoy music,” Sheldon continued. “One of the reasons why we decided to do mainly originals on the new CD is that you can do them the way you like without any considerations about form or past versions. When you do classic songs in some genres, you get people who get upset if your interpretation is different from what they think it should be, or if you don’t necessarily play it the way the original sounded. We love country music, but we also are real rock fans, and like many other types of music. So we’re kind of interspersing all those things into our core sound.”
Besides Sheldon and Wade, other group members include tremendous fiddler Betse Ellis and bassist Nate Gawron, whose booming lines underscore those of Ellis and Sheldon, yet also assist the drummer in keeping the beat loose and moving.
The band’s lone cover song, an outstanding version of the Skillet Lickers’ “Broken Down Gambler,” spotlights their cohesiveness and ability to faithfully rework a classic number and still include some fresh twists and maneuvers.
Still, despite their penchant for energetic and propulsive performances, the Wilders are thoroughly steeped in the classic country sound.
“We’ve spent a lot of hours closely listening to the masters like Hank Williams and Flatt and Scruggs and we have a lot of reverence for what they’ve done,” Sheldon concluded. “Frankly, they’ve been much more of an influence on a lot of rockers than they’ve been credited. I think our music is just a natural extension of what they’ve done, as well as what we all grew up playing and hearing. There’s nothing more energetic and rhythmic than great country or great rock ‘n’ roll.” 04/29/08 >> go there
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