News Update

Well, we are closing in on the end of another year, and there is much to report. We spent the entire week before Thanksgiving in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, recording our new album at Dirk Powell's Cypress House studio. Specific details of that session will follow in later posts, however, I'll go on record right now and tell you that this will be a landmark in the recorded history of The Wilders. For example, this new album will feature many more of our originals. Everyone in the band contributed new songs and tunes to the project. There's a lot of surprises too. Our old approach of trying to capture our live sound in the studio, was basically thrown out the window. Each song features it's own unique instrumentation and treatment. We recorded in complete isolation wearing headphones to monitor the rest of the band. We overdubbed extensively, building songs up from a rhythmic foundation. Why do this? Because we wanted to make an album that stands on it's own as a total listening experience. In the past, most of the people who bought our albums did so after seeing us live. And so those recordings only served to remind them of the experience. But there has been a significant development in the last year that made us rethink that approach. What happened? We finally signed with a record label.

In the early spring of 2006, I got an email from a young man in the Washington DC area who expressed interest in working with us. He told me he was starting a new label, Free Dirt Records, and he wanted us to be one of his first artists. His enthusiasm was compelling, and we met with him several times over the summer working out the details. This week we have finally inked a deal which not only includes the release of our next album, but also the re-release of "Wings of a Dove", "Spring a Leak" and "Throw Down" on the Free Dirt label. Each of these back catalog titles will be professionally re-mastered, and will feature bonus tracks and a new package design. The reissues will be available sometime in February of 2007. The new album will be slated for release in the early fall of 2007 (think Winfield!!!)

So you got signed, so what? Well, because of retail distribution and marketing, for the first time in our 10 year history, people who have never heard of us will be hearing our album FIRST, before they see us live. This is significant. We can't rely on having a kick butt show to get people to buy our records. This record has to stand on it's own. And it most certainly will. I expect that a very small percentage of our old fans will walk away, scratching their heads when they hear it. But I also expect a much larger percentage to hear it and tell 40 of their friends about it. I also expect it to get a lot more attention from radio stations. Dirk Powell has acquired several vintage microphones since we recorded "Throw Down" and the warmth and quality these mics delivered was unbelievable. Then, with the separation we were able to achieve by isolating all the instruments, the resulting sound quality will be crystal clear and LOUD. And ultimately, the songs are great- full of pain, desperation, loss, love, sacrifice and resignation. Dirk and I were talking one very late night in his studio. He told me, "This album is going to be world class..." I believe him. Other bands may shoot to the top of the mountain a lot faster, but sometimes their momentum carries them right off the other side and they ultimately break up. We've always taken the "little engine that could" approach. Each year we grow a little bit. This album will be a major step up.

I'll go into the actual making of the record in more detail later. In the meantime, be patient and put some money aside so you can buy the reissues in February. They will sound and look fantastic too. And for those who still thirst for our live sound, there are two new live shows on our "listen" page. Check them out at wilderscountry.com/listen.asp