We have waxed enthusiastic several times here about The Wildmans, a young group of string players taking old time music in a new direction. They are recently signed with Travianna Records, an imprint in the Mountain Fever Music Group, and have a new record coming soon from the label.
When we say young, we mean college age. In fact, three of the four members are studying music now in Boston at the Berklee College of Music. Eli Wildman, mandolin, and Victor Furtado, banjo, have been at Berklee for a year and a half, while the youngest Wildman, Aila, was accepted at Berklee this semester at only 16 years of age. All three are home schooled students, and have been studying classical and old time music since they were children. As Aila completed her high school requirements, Berklee agreed to let her start at the school now.
Victor and Eli are budding prodigies on their instruments, and Aila is not only a fiddler to be reckoned with, but an unusually passionate vocalist. She brings the virtuosity of a singer like Rachael Price from Lake Street Drive into the acoustic world, along with her own interpretations of both classic and original old time and bluegrass. Price also studied voice in Boston, at the nearby New England Conservatory of Music.
The Wildmans are completed by Sean Newman on bass.
For their second single, following on the earlier release of Rock Of Ages, Travianna has selected an tune of Victor’s called Monster Ride. It’s an instrumental exploration of the same pentatonic melody as Rock Of Ages, and one would imagine they work well in tandem in a live show. The track starts with an airy, wandery introduction, but moves quickly into a driving ride that shows why Furtado is so highly celebrated in the clawhammer banjo world.
Here’s a taste…
Monster Ride is available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
The full album from Travianna Records is expected later this year.
