Before they come out to Australia for Splendour in the Grass, Larry has a chat with Ricky Young from American act The Wild Feathers ahead of a sold out show in NYC, appearances at Bonnaroo and Firefly festivals and more importantly, their Australian appearance at Splendour.
Whereabouts are you at the moment [Ricky]?
We’re in New York City, we’re playing the Bowery Ballroom tonight so we’re just hanging around waiting for the show!
Fair enough! I do love that venue. That’ll be a great show, I would expect!
Yeah! It’s been sold out for quite some time now, so we’re excited to be playing here! Last time we were in this city, we played the Mercury Lounge and we like this one better because it’s like, twice the size.
It’ll be a great place to play! It looks like you’ve got a splattering of shows over the next couple of weeks leading up to festival season.
It’s been a fun year so far, man. We’ve already done a couple little festivals and we’ve got Bonnaroo and Firefly coming up. It’s been fun! Working hard, but it’s been fun.
I understand that, was it this week or maybe yesterday, that you were on Late Night…?
Yeah, it was yesterday, we did Late Night With Seth Meyers. It was awesome! It was a really cool gig and it was a great show, we had a good time. This morning, we did this thing for mornings on VH1, which was really cool. It’s kind of similar to Late Night…, except on early in the morning, but it was a blast!
I’m always amazed when I hear that VH1 is actually doing things about music, it’s good to see!
I know!
I guess MTV’s the worst of the two, but anyway…
Yeah, for sure.
So, what song did you play on Late Night…?
We did “Left My Woman”, it’s going to be our single here pretty soon, so we’re trying to transition over…it’s nice changing up the tempo.
We’ve seen The Ceiling now for a little while and it’s been a pretty crazy year for you guys and it feels like there’s a second wind now for the album, with everything that you’re doing and with the festivals.
Yeah! We’re still really, really proud of this record and you know, we’ve got a lot of work to do on it still. We’re just keeping it going and we’re looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen with the next single. Somewhere in the near future, we’ll start talking about the next record. Right now, we’re focusing on this one and making sure that it gets into as many hands as possible. I think we’re doing a pretty good job and we’re definitely working our asses off! It’s been good, it’s been a good year; last year, we did almost 350 dates and so yeah, we’re working, you know?
That’s a pretty good number! You guys have been pretty relentless!
Yeah, you can’t really focus on a lot…it’s not like you hear a song on the radio and everyone rushes to the store to buy the record, you’ve got to get out there and get in the trenches and work your butt off and reiterate the fact that you are a hardworking, good band. People need the evidence, you know? There is so much music out there that is easy and accessible, I think evidence of a live performance, where you know the musicians and the band are capable of creating the same things you’re hearing on the record, live onstage in front of you, I think it helps.
Definitely. Looking to the year past when I last spoke to you guys, I spoke to Taylor in August just when the album was about to come out, you guys were about to go on tour with Willie Nelson. I believe he’s a well-known musician, you might have heard of him…
Yeah, man! That was an incredible experience, I still can’t believe we got to do that. We have a couple more with Willie coming up this summer, which we’re super excited about. It’s Willie. Willie Nelson. That’s all you really need to say! Everyone on that tour was just so incredible and gracious and nice, we learned a lot from them.
It must’ve been pretty consistent ‘pinch yourself’ moments with that one.
Oh yeah! Just seeing how they operate and treat people and all of us, it’s always an experience. When you go out with a band like that, you learn so much from one of your heroes, we’re forever grateful.
In the midst of everything that’s happening for you right now, we’re getting you down to Australia finally!
Oh I know! We couldn’t be more excited, man. It’s been on my bucket list, you know? I always wanted to go there. To come over there and do it and get to play music, it’s a double whammy. It’s incredible, it’s like, this is our lives right now.
It could be a lot worse!
Exactly! We’re super excited about it.
So, that’s still a few months away and I think there are quite a few festivals between now and then. When you come down, do you think you’ll have some new songs in the bag? Are you planning anything in between now and then, in terms of new writing or are you just going to make sure you bring out all the favourites from the debut record?
You know, we’re always writing and coming up with new ideas and whatnot. We’re already starting to incorporate new songs into the set, so I imagine by then, there should be one or two we’re ready to play live. It’s good to try out different songs for different people, to see how they go over live. You never know man, we’re pretty excited.
We’re excited to get you down here; I’ve had the opportunity to see you a couple of times over the years, at ACL and things like that, I’ve always felt that with you guys, the music lends itself to the live environment so well. If you haven’t seen you live, you’re almost missing part of the story.
Thank you for that! We pride ourselves on giving it everything we have and on live performances and whatnot, it’s the most fun part of the job. Getting to go up onstage and play music and see people react and respond to songs they’ve listened to on the record, to see them excited about it at a show is very rewarding. It’s like the payoff, you know? It means a lot to us that people come out to the shows. Like I said, tonight has been sold out for well over a month now, it’s like ‘Wow!’ That’s just so great. It’s like a dream come true.
Are there any aspects to touring which you find difficult? I mean, now that you’re doing it so relentlessly, do you just get into the motion with it? Early mornings and things like that can, I’m sure, be pretty tough!
I mean, we do a lot of early mornings and travelling and all that stuff…it seems a little weirder than I anticipated it being in all my life growing up, you know? It’s awesome. It’s better than any other job I’ve ever had. I’ll pick it any day over waiting tables, like I used to, or working at a golf course…It’s a lot of fun. As I said, all that hard work and the payoff is playing in front of people who want to hear the songs, you know? It’s not a bad deal.
No, certainly not! I really appreciate your time, I hope the show goes well and enjoy your New York night!
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it.
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Splendour in the Grass takes place at the North Byron Parklands from July 25-27!
