by Shannon Fox
Psychedelic rock quintet The Wilderness is set to hit the Philadelphia scene for the first time this Thursday, July 23 with their show at Legendary Dobbs. The band from Orlando, Florida consists of Eliseo Gregory (vocals, keys, guitar), Ryan Monks (guitar), Nick Lucas (bass) and Jonathan Woodward (drums/percussion). Lucas talked to That Mag recently to help Philadelphia get to know The Wilderness.
Their EP, Natural Wonders, was released this past January and now the band is hitting the road for an east coast tour. Tonight and tomorrow sees The Wilderness in New York City, followed by Philadelphia, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and then back home for shows in Florida. Lucas explains that the group had a humble beginning as Eliseo Gregory’s solo project based out of Dallas, Texas. Once Gregory transplanted the project to Orlando, he met Jonathan Woodward to form a more dynamic sound. The group was finally complete in August of 2014 when guitarist Monks and Lucas joined band.
With many similar sounding bands such as Tame Impala, The Black Angels and The Flaming Lips growing in popularity, I ask Lucas what draws his band to this genre. For him, The Wilderness didn’t set out for a genre in particular, it came naturally and they are continuing to expanding it.
“We listen to a lot of Bob Dylan, Creedence ClearwaterRevival, The Beatles and tons of other greats. Everything coming from the [record label] Captured Tracks right now is great, but The War on Drugs has been putting out some awesome music too.”
As for the upcoming show at Legendary Dobbs, The Wilderness will be performing along with Cookie Rabinowitz, The Absolute Sky, Morse Coda, and The Local Smokes. Lucas says, “It is our first show in Philadelphia, but with the awesome fans and talented locals we expect it to be a great show.”
The Wilderness fans should be prepared to hear some new music along with tracks off of Natural Wonders. A full length LP and west coast tour are currently in the works for this winter.
