New Music Alert: WILD's "Friend Like You"

I listed WILD as one of my favorite new bands of 2018. They're out with a new single called "Friend Like You." It is a tribute to long term friendships with lyrics like, "Been through hellfire and glitter. The sweet and the bitter . . . Thick as thieves, it's been you and me." Yes, those are friends we all love dearly. 

The music has their genuine cheerful pop. With The Mowgli's deciding to call it quit, WILD easily can be a substitute to fans of that band. The music just flies with vocals and music coasting along like a road trip along a curving highway. 

Photo taken at School Night

School Night: WILD and Didirri

I was scrolling through my e-mail and noticed that WILD was playing School Night. I hit RSVP. I love WILD, but Didirri was a big surprise. He opened up the night. He walked on stage with just his guitar. And then came the most down to earth set I've seen in awhile. His vocals and style just caused the crowd to listen with their full attention. Usually, when music is of the Hotel Cafe style, you can hear folks talking in the background. For his set, he held the attention of everyone.

He also told some fun stories.

One example came from his time in London. He was at a convenience store, waiting behind a 75 year-old who kept on asking the clerk where he could buy weed. Didirri, meanwhile, was just wanting to pay for an avocado. The 75 year-old wasn't getting any answers so he turned around and said, "I'll just ask this lady." Didirri replied, "I'm a dude." The 75 year old then responded back after hearing the accent, "You're from Australia? I'm from New Zealand. F-uck off."

Didirri

WILD came up next. This is my 3rd time catching this band. The first time I saw them was in September at Tarfest. So yes, I've caught a set about once a month since that time. I just love how their vocals and music just seamlessly blend together. Currently, I appear to be one of the few photographers in Los Angeles that catches this band on a regular basis. I expect that to change at some point. 

WILD

Tarfest 2018: Caught a Ghost, Freedom Fry, Smoke Season and WILD

It was off to Tarfest to catch some bands out in the open air. The last time I went to Tarfest was 2014, I believe. It was time to head back over.

Most of the bands I saw, I've seen before: Caught a Ghost, Freedom Fry and Smoke Season. So the band I was most interested in seeing was WILD. I'm a sucker for pitch perfect vocals. That perfectly applies to Lauren and Zachary, who share singing duties. As I was listening to the band, I ended up thinking Family of the Year, but with a female vocal lead. Also, I'm a sucker for cheerful sounds, which applies so much to WILD (of course, that also applies to Family of the Year).

WILD

Opening the day for me was Smoke Season. I caught this band playing at Echo Park Rising back one month ago. I also caught them playing the Troubadour earlier in the year. Their soul electronic beats are always mixed in with the energy of Gabi. I'll say that Jason, guitar, seemed to be just a touch more energized than normal, as well, during this set.

Smoke Season

Caught a Ghost brought the soul to the late afternoon. They got the crowd to help sing along with a couple songs. Interestingly, as pointed out by lead singer Jesse, the two backup singers have the same name, but spelled differently: Jazmen vs. Jasmine. What I just obsess about when it comes to Caught a Ghost: how Jesse uses his drum sticks.

Caught a Ghost

Freedom Fry closed out the night. Their music brought the festival to a poetic end as the sun set behind LACMA. They also had some of the most fun conversations of the night. The band recently spent time in France -- the lead singer, Marie, is French. There was talk about Marie was trying to teach members of the band how to say things in French. However, the band members didn't think much of it as they said no one can ever understand what the French are saying, anyways. They also amusingly admitted that they prefer Italian food that is served in the US versus in Italy.

Freedom Fry