Country rockers The Wild Feathers are topping off a massive year in 2013 with the release of their debut self-titled album in Australia today. Since signing to Warner Bros Records, the band have toured with Paul Simon and are set to begin another tour with Willie Nelson – not to mention the festivals they have been playing in between. Larry Heath had a chat to Taylor Burns from the band about making music in Austin, Texas and potentially coming to Australia.
You’ve got some much-needed time off at the moment.
Yeah, this is our first two weeks off since January.
And then you’re straight back to work?
No rest for the weary.
Are there any plans to come to Australia?
I hope in the next year. We’re doing Europe and everything. I hope. We’re doing a lot of Australian press, so I think that’s the plan in 2014.
You’ve got your debut record coming out in Australia on the 2nd of August. Can you talk a bit about the path to making this record? How far back do these songs go for you guys?
Some of them go back a couple of years. We were on Interscope for a while and we got dropped in the middle of making our record. We were like six songs in and we got dropped. So, we were all freaking out and we didn’t know what we were going to do. But our management and our booking agent stuck with us and shortly after that we got our first big tour with Paul Simon. We honed in a lot of the songs that are on this coming record on that tour and tried out a lot of different material. And that was the moment that we knew that if can hang in – we’re going to be all right.
It must have been a relief when you got re-signed and everything started looking up.
It was so hard because we didn’t have the cash to just go out there and tour. We were sleeping on people’s couches and we were struggling to get by. So, just with a little bit of help from a label it makes everything so much easier and makes things seem more possible when they’re behind you.
Especially, when you’re touring with someone like Paul Simon. It must be hard to be going back from those amazing shows and then sleeping on a couch.
No kidding man. We did do that. I was sleeping on Ricky’s couch in Nashville before I moved out there. We were just so happy to have that opportunity. We were just grateful for the opportunity. It just made us more driven and hungry to keep pushing.
You’ve got some more great tours coming up. You’re touring with Willie Nelson next month.
Yeah, I can’t believe that. It starts in August. The day the record comes out is our first show with them is in Las Vegas. Three of us are from Texas, so he’s bigger than Jesus. He’s the real deal. He’s an icon everywhere, but especially in Texas. He’s just on a different level, so we couldn’t be happier. He’s a great guy. He couldn’t be nicer. So, we can’t wait to hang with him and his crew. And just learn a little thing or two from another legend.
Are you looking forward to playing Austin City Limits (ACL) in Austin soon?
I’ve dreamed about playing ACL ever since I went. I think the first year I went was around 2005 or something. It’s a big bucket list moment, so it’s another notch on the belt, so to speak.
And that as well as Outside Lands. You’ll be playing alongside Paul McCartney and the Cure and other great bands.
It’s so fucking unreal – I can’t believe it. This year in particular has just been on crazy thing after another. I have to pinch myself and really try to soak in the moment. Because I’m thinking ‘I can get used to it,’ but then I have to say ‘no, take a step back and look where you are, look what’s going on you know.’ It’s easy to let it just wash over you and just go through the motions. But as a band, we’re doing huge already, so early in our career. We’re really grateful and excited to be doing all this cool stuff.
I imagine people who have seen you over the years will have a good idea of what’s on the record. What do you hope that fans will take away from this record?
We love melodies. We love cool guitar parts and harmonies. So, hopefully, it’s good rock and roll songs that every can latch on to and that will stand the test of time – not just listen to it for a couple of months and then forget about it like so many of the songs right now. And fans will be like ‘I never wanna hear that song again.’ So, hopefully our songs will be around 5 to 10 years from now – that’s probably most important thing to me, personally.
Well, with the combination of country rock and roll that you produce. Would you say you’ve gone for a timeless style of music?
Yeah, definitely. I think we’re all old souls as far as our musical tastes go. That’s just what we grew up with. We grew up playing and covering the Stones and Hank Williams. I love the classic old country and rock and roll.
When it comes to that kind of sound, is that also reflected in the way that you put together the album in the studio. Can you talk a bit about the studio process for this album?
Yeah, it was really cool. We tried to do it old school. We did everything to two-inch tape. We did it all in the studio live together – all of us in the same room. Jay Joyce produced it – he’s done most of The Wallflower’s, records and Cage the Elephant, also. So, all in the same room – I think that’s how all of our predecessors did it – the people we idolize and look up to and our influences all did it that way. So, we were like ‘why shouldn’t we?’ And we wanted to do that but Jay was right on board with it too – we didn’t have to twist his arm. He was like ‘that’s how I do it anyway.’ It was really cool. You do each song 10 or so times and then you get that one take that has that little spark. We can all feel it and feed off each other like we do at shows instead of just – ‘ok let’s get the drums and bass and then we’ll get the guitar player to go in there and play a quick track’ – it just feels so sterile and so staged that way. So, I was glad to it all to tape and all live like we did it. I think it comes across as a little more genuine.
That must make translating the music to the stage show a bit easier.
Yeah, for sure. I mean there’s a lot of organ parts on the record and we don’t have an organ player live. As soon as we start making enough money, we’re going to hire one. But that’s probably the only thing, There are a couple of parts on the record that we don’t do live, but I think it’s cool – it’s a little more rocking live because we just amp it up with guitars. Our guitars are pretty loud ass guitars. When we start headlining Austin City Limits – we’ll have an organ player who has a whole area to himself.
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The Wild Feathers was released in Australia today!
