The Wild Feathers’ Soaring Harmonies Lead California Country Sound On Latest Album

The Wild Feathers. Pictured (L-R): Ricky Young, Ben Dumas, Joel King, Taylor Burns

The Wild Feathers band members hail from Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia, but their shared rock, Americana and country influences brought them to Nashville. Following the release of their self-titled album in 2013, the band has spent the past five years on the road.

“Wildfire,” a track from the band’s June 29 release, Greetings From The Neon Frontier, captures the feeling of riding hundreds of miles between their music destinations.

Moving from town to town like a wildfire, nothing feels better than being free, the band’s tightly blended harmonies chime on the track, one of the many songs built from the band’s real-life experiences.

The Wild Feathers perform. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

The band’s previous album, Lonely Is A Lifetime, which relished in harder rhythms and more electric guitar work, while Greetings leans more toward the country side of the band’s many influences.

The band returned to work on the new album with veteran producer Jay Joyce, who also produced the band’s previous two projects with Warner Bros. Records, including their 2016 album Lonely Is A Lifetime.

“He’s almost like part of the band now. He chain-smokes cigarettes all day and just grunts,” member Ricky Young says jokingly during a recent visit to the MusicRow offices.

The album’s 10 tracks of spacious, free-wheeling acoustics offers a fitting contrast to the signature harmonies from Young, Taylor Burns, and Joel King. Drummer Ben Dumas rounds out the band.

Pictured (L-R): Drew Bennett (Manager, Q Prime); Jamie Younger (Senior Director Artist Development, WMN); Ben Kline (SVP Global Revenue & Touring, WMN); Ricky Young, Joel King, Taylor Burns; Ben Dumas; Shane Tarleton (SVP Artist Development, WMN); Tim Foisset (VP Streaming, WMN)

Over the past few years, The Wild Feathers underwent a series of label shifts, ultimately releasing Greetings with Warner Music Nashville, an easy transition from their Warner Bros. Records days in Los Angeles.

“We were getting interest from Interscope. Then Jeff Sosnow went from Interscope to Warner Burbank, and he took us under his wing there,” King says.

While still working with Interscope, they decamped to Los Angeles for three or four months at a time. “We felt like we lived in like Hollywood and Vine. You would see like Spiderman smoking a cigarette with his mask off,” says Young.

The Wild Feathers with MusicRow Magazine owner/publisher Sherod Robertson. Photo: Haley Crow/MusicRow Magazine

“It’s been a natural progression,” Young continues. “This feels good because Warner Nashville was right here in our backyard.”

Making music and recording on the West Coast was a welcomed location for The Wild Feathers, whose distinct harmonies on tracks including “Wildfire” have drawn comparisons to The Eagles.

“We always loved California country, like Gram Parsons and The Byrds,” says King. “We lived out there and would go to Joshua Tree all the time and that kind of stuff, so it made a lot of sense. There is a lot of West Coast influence.”

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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