Wild Cub is sure to be your next big obsession.
For all you new wave electro-pop fans out there who haven’t heard of this Nashville-based 5 piece band, you are in for a treat. One of the best live performances I’ve seen to date and they’re coming back to San Diego on January 30th to play at The Loft. We got the DL on their favorite venues to play, the writing process for the album Youth, and some of their musical influences.
How’d you all meet each other?
We had all been floating around Nashville in one way or another, as songwriters, players or solo artists. So much of Nashville is based around singer-songwriters and players, so once I decided that I wanted to strip my name from my solo work and pursue a band, we all bonded over that shared desire. I was excited about the idea of presenting music without our names on it, without our faces, just a bunch of small sparking images to let people associate with in their own unique way.
What’s your favorite venue to play? What’s your dream venue?
We really love Bowery Ballroom in NY. Before coming down to Nashville a few years back, I spent a little over 8 years in New York, so Bowery is where I really saw every band I loved. It’s that iconic place for me. The only venue I’ll never be able to tick off my list was the venue I went to as a kid in Portland, OR called La Luna. It’s where I saw my first show ever at 13 years old, where I saw Elliot Smith, where I saw everyone. I’m sad that I can’t tick that one off the list.
Who/what are the major musical influences on your album, Youth?
Our biggest influences are usually non-musical (although we all are passionate listeners love discovering new music). For ‘Youth,’ the writing of Philip Larkin and the visuals of filmmakers like Claire Denis, Antonioni and Godard were very big. We were inspired by artists who were using art as a way to explore very very small moments.
What was the songwriting process like for this album?
Well, it was unique in that the recording of the record pretty much served as the genesis for the band itself. So that being said, I wrote a lot of the music alongside Jeremy. It was a moment where I was intentionally transitioning from being a solo artist and trying to find a way to construct songs differently. So much of being a solo artist is… you have to write songs so they can be played on an acoustic any time, anywhere. I was excited to not only strip so much of my face/name off of things, but to also explore what it meant to start with a drum beat that could never be played lvd by just one person. What’s it like to build one erratic layer on top of the other and let them construct something that would be very tough to pull of live in a songwriter-setting? Those were things I was really excited by.
How would you compare playing home shows in Nashville vs. other places?
We really don’t play at home much anymore. Most of the members of the band (except one) are not from Nashville and moved there to pursue the arts. Nashville specifically provided a way for us to be able to afford to make music our full time job and we are extremely grateful. That being said, we have always sort of thought outward with how we wanted our music heard. We never really focused on Nashville specifically as a place that we needed to strictly identify with. For us, it’s a resting place, it’s a quiet annex where we are able to refuel, enjoy amazing food/people and write in a bit of a secluded way.
Do you have a favorite taco/burrito spot in San Diego?
I wish I did. This is where you come in, we need recommendations. So often, we pull into these amazing cities and have to rely on the wild west of Yelp to guide us. We have been to SD once before and absolutely loved it. This time we are hoping to have a bit more time to explore.
Purchase the album, Youth, on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/youth/id793529841