The Wild Feathers: In The Untraditional Tradition

Though they ooze with 21st Century sophistication, Nashville’s joyfully rocking Wild Feathers bring to mind rock’n’roll bands from another era entirely.

Why? Because with very few exceptions, today’s typical line-up includes one human who writes, sings, and plays an instrument, and one accompanying back-up group. Put ‘em all together, and you got a “band.”

But not so the Wild Feathers. The exceptional quintet--featuring Ricky Young, Joel King, Taylor Burns, Preston Wimberly and Ben Dumas—is brimming with singers, writers and multi-instrumentalists, in the classic tradition of great rock forefathers such as the Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, and even the Beatles. Which means that whether you’re listening to their memorable Warner Bros. debut album, or watching them live in concert, you’re experiencing a sonically diverse, personality-driven outfit with a repertoire that almost militantly never repeats itself: No two songs sound the same. But they sure sound good.

Yahoo caught the band at the South By Southwest Conference in Austin last month and watched them effortlessly tear off a pair of acoustic tracks in our makeshift Brazos Hall studio. Great stuff—which, along with their brief but enjoyable interview, made the Wild Feathers session one of this year’s absolute highlights. If they come to your town, don't miss 'em. They’re only beginning a career that, with any luck, might go anywhere and everywhere.