A Wild Strays Special.
We were very lucky to be featured in the Christmas edition of the new and rapidly growing WildSpiritz Rising Magazine.
They specialize in giving exposure to up and coming Unsigned bands and catching up with bands hot on the circuit right now. You can find them on the following link, www.wildspiritzmusic.com
I hope you enjoy the article taken with consent to archive here on our website.
Ernest heard about our band through social media and got in touch to ask for a Interview. After exploring our band further he saw our gig at the Sunflower Lounge supporting The Ramonas. He asked if he could come down to do a live gig review to go with the interview for the magazine.
Of course we took the opportunity.
If you read my blog a few weeks back called “First World Problems” you know that we met him just outside the venue and he hit me by surprise with his journal.
He was a lovely guy and below is the interview in full, followed by the Live Gig Review.
Ernest Platt chats with lead vocalist and guitarist KT
The Wild Strays are a hard rocking band who don’t really conform to what would be called ‘the norm.’ They play, what in their terms, is a mix of punk, rock, metal and a bunch of other stuff thrown in for good measure. One could possibly be forgiven for thinking that they might be too punk for a metal line-up, and on the other hand, too metal for a punk line up.
But for all of you out there who pay attention to things like this, you will realise that in playing this way, The Wild Strays are pretty difficult to pigeon hole to a specific genre, and this, ladies and gentlemen gives them something that is a little bit special.......The Edge.
As with most independent bands The Wild Strays not only play hard, but they work hard, holding down full-time jobs. Luckily for me a window of opportunity presented itself and I managed to get time with lead vocalist and guitarist KT.
First up for me was to find out about the band getting together.
In terms of bands you guys are new and have been playing live for a year now. How did it all come together and how long did you spend in the studio before deciding you were finally ready to get out there?
“I met Grace in 2016, she had applied to be lead guitarist with the band I was already in and we clicked immediately. We shared the same music tastes, passion and drive, which lead to us leaving that band to form The Wild Strays.
“Before we got to the studio we were writing and jamming songs in the lounge and we didn’t really get to a studio for about four months. It was just Grace and myself who were then first into the studio and after a couple of rehearsals (sometimes with Grace on the drums) we then decided to get a bass player who was a guy called Jake.
Grace knew Jake from a previous band and as he was at a loose end at the time, he was up for joining and seeing where it was going. He immediately felt that there was some-thing different about The Wild Strays. Jake had been in bands before but sadly they never really took off. However he was up for jamming with us to see where it would go.
We still needed a drummer, so I spoke to Phil Brooks who I knew from a place where I used to work. I called him up and asked if he would help us out.”
“We knew that he was never going to be our full-time drummer, but he was a good friend and he was up for the challenge. He did all he could to enhance our sound and will always be part of The Wild Strays history.
We spent two months rehearsing and went for it.
After two gigs on the live scene we advertised for a full time drummer. Spice joined the band and we have never looked back since.”
[Picture above, on the left is Jake, on the right is Spice]
Being independent and unknown was it difficult to get venues to play?
“It was incredibly difficult at first. A lot of venues state that they only book gigs through their promoters and unfortunately we live in an era where most venues tend to use that line as a get out clause. What it takes is for someone to give you a break.
With our previous band rehearsing we knew a guy called Robert Hoffman well. He owns Robannas Studios and it was through him that we got in touch with Adam Ward.
It was Adam who gave us our shot in a back-street warehouse in Digbeth in Birmingham.
There were tiles missing above the stage, the dressing room was built from pallets and there was no bar. This venue was called Get The Fear. I’m not sure it is still going though.”
“From there we maintained contact with him and he still gives us gigs today. He is a fabulous guy to know.”
Your musical style is a real mash up of genres. Is this some thing that you discussed or is it just a natural thing based on your own musical influences?
“I’m very pleased to say that it is entirely natural.
Grace is a proper Bullet for my Valentine fan and loves Trivium even more. I’ve also got to say she is a huge Taylor Swift fan as well.
I’m into the Swedish sleaze metal and everything between. The Runaways and Thin Lizzy to Crucified Barbara and Crashdiet to many more. I think we all listen to many different artists but there is also a cross over where we listen to the same artists.
So, as it is Grace and myself who have done most of the writing so far, you can see why it’s a fusion of music.
However, Spice and our new bass player Tanya are starting to have creative input into the song writing and so there is an ever broadening spectrum of influence which will drive us forward.”
And how do you feel that this style is received?
“To be honest it’s been awesome. We have had excellent reviews from radio stations with our debut single "9 Lives being played both in the UK and the US, and the traction on Facebook is very strong. With the imminent release of our EP we will have an even better understanding.
One reviewer called us ‘fresh and crisp and exciting’ so I feel that we have been taken in very well.”
[Picture above, Tanya]
I noticed on your social media that you held auditions and recently engaged a new bass player, Tanya. How is she settling into the band and the live set?
“She has settled in incredibly well. She is both a tomboy and a girly girl. I’m sure she wont mind me saying that. She is fun energetic, lively, warm and friendly and has gelled into the band like she has always been there. We are all extremely happy. You can see her hunger and dedication so like the rest of us she will help drive the band forward. We couldn’t have wished for anyone better.”
Sticking with social media I was very interested to see that there is a weekly blog from you. How did this come about and why do you do it?
“We have our website, www.wildstrays.com and there is a page for each band member. That is their own little space to engage with people who follow the band. I love writing, well i enjoy talking and so it was only natural for me to write about our adventures. People come up to me at gigs and they are avid readers of my blog which has encouraged me to write weekly and maintain it for them.”
Do you think it is something that all bands should do?
“I couldn’t possibly tell other bands what to do.”
I’d like to talk about your sound for a moment. On the EP you can get the energy, passion and angst in the music but seeing you live it was a different experience entirely. And it’s like a ‘yeah man’ moment as it really comes across well. What are your thoughts on this?
“I have to say that that is a very nice compliment. And I have to say that it’s true.
We are very much a come see live band. We engage with the audience and through the playing you can feel the raw emotion exuding from each member. What we give to the audience they give back and there is a real electricity surrounding the set.”
Musically and vocally the band have shown amazing progression. Do you feel that you are almost where you need to be or is it a case of never stop?
“I think it’s a case of never stop. Next year we want to be working on dual guitar harmonies. I feel that vocally I am stronger and will continue to improve. There is much more to come from us.
I don’t feel that the band have reached their full potential yet and it’s a very exciting time for us. As we move forward the sound becomes tighter, we bounce off each other very well and we test our limits with each performance.”
If I’m right I think that you have three more gigs to do which takes you to the end of the year. What’s 2019 looking like so far?
“I think that 2019 is going to be our biggest year yet. We have some great things in the pipeline and we have gigs booked all over the country including a festival. Keep checking in on our website and social media platforms for updates.”
Wildspiritz Rising is currently picked up worldwide. What would you hope to get out of being featured in the magazine?
“I would like to think that it brings our music to a wider audience and that there will be a good insight into The Wild Strays and where we want to go.
We are very pleased to get some magazine exposure and its through people like Wildspiritz we get to be heard by a greater number of people.”
Being independent, how do you feel the music industry could better support bands and artists like yourselves?
“There are a lot of opportunities missing. We have so many music channels but there do not seem to be any grass root shows. With all the social media available not enough is being done to promote the independent artist. It all stems back to being able to get that first break.
It’s through people like Adam Ward and publications like Wildspiritz where the independent artist gets to have a voice and this needs to happen more.”
You gain fans wherever you go. Is there anything you would like to say to them?
“If you have ever come to a Wild Strays show you will see that when the crowd claps and cheers I tap my heart, and I do so at every gig. This happened instantaneously in the early days of the Wild Strays.
We are having the time of our lives and it wouldn’t be possible without the fans. I am so grateful to each and every one of you who join us on this Wild adventure.
Final words before we wrap up?
“Keep it Wild, Strays.”
THE WILD STRAYS LIVE REVIEW
THE SUNFLOWER LOUNGE
BIRMINGHAM
FRIDAY 30th NOVEMBER
On a crisp evening I battled the traffic and made my way to the Sunflower Lounge in Birmingham. It’s a cracking venue with a very good bar upstairs and a fabulous room downstairs for band performances. Adam Ward the venue promoter is a very gracious host and gave me a warm welcome. The purpose of my evening was to review The Wild Strays which would round off my magazine article perfectly. Interview, EP review, live review. On a bill that featured four bands they were originally down for a thirty-minute set but due to unforeseen circumstances, one of the other bands pulled out, so happily for me I was treated to an extended set by The Wild Strays. After much rushing about the band were finally ready and the rain and thunder of ‘Banished from the Heavens rang out through the pa. This was followed by a drum intro and the band launched into my favourite track, ‘Broken Glass.’ There is an energy about the band that draws the audience in and with her powerful vocals KT Eden is the consummate front woman. ‘Beast Inside’ and the most recent single ‘9 Lives’ further enhanced why the band are so highly thought of on the live circuit. There was a slight interlude and little bit of banter as they set up ‘Guilty of my Innocence’ which showcased the guitar playing of Grace Hale. Being an extended set, we were treated to two covers, The Runaways ‘Cherry Bomb’ and the Bullet for my Valentine version of ‘No Easy Way Out’ from the Rocky movie. Although there was a pause due to a tuning issue, new bassist Tanya seems to be a good fit to the band and has settled in well. There was a big finish in the form of ‘The Wild Strays’ and by this time everyone has a smile on their faces.
As a live band The Wild Strays just keep getting better. Their audience engagement is superb, and they put on an excellent show with everything left on the stage. This is what it’s all about. And the bar is set high.10/10
Full set list – Banished from the Heavens, Broken Glass, The Beast Inside, 9 Lives, Guilty of my Innocence, Cherry Bomb, Own Personal Hell, No Easy Way Out, The Wild Strays.
As the year winds to a close and 2019 rears its head we will be keeping tabs on the Strays and will bring you updates. If you haven’t managed to see them live yet you have three chances left this year. Get to a gig. You won’t be disappointed.
Ernest Platt
Editorial Director
WildSpiritz Rising
ernest@wildspiritz.co.uk
So that’s about it for this special. Thank you to Ernest for the awesome four page spread in your magazine and for allowing us to also archive it here.
Please check out the link www.wildspiritzmusic.com for further details of the magazine and there support for all things music.
Until next time,
Keep it Wild,
KT x