Wilder Woods, Abraham Alexander
Photo credit: Courtesy centerstage-Atlanta.com
Wednesday February 22, 2023 07:30 PM EST
Cost: $40-$45
CL RECOMMENDS
> CL Critic Hal Horowtiz Recommends:NEEDTOBREATHE frontman Bear Rinehart slips into his side project as Wilder Woods, a rocking guise heavy on soul and substantially different than his full-time gig in the Christian themed group. His second album under this name was released last month. Rinehart mixes roots rock with a dose of R&B, not far removed from Nathanial Rateliff’s sound. The music is fiery, his vocals are fierce, the lyrics introspective and to many this might be more enjoyable than much of his other band’s more commercially slanted work. — HH
From the venue:
Bear Rinehart unveiled Wilder Woods in 2019, releasing a neo-soul record that focused on new beginnings: the advent of fatherhood, the launch of his solo career, and the updated branding of a longtime bandleader who’d decided to expand his reach. With FEVER / SKY, he widens Wilder Woods’ cinematic sound while celebrating the parts of himself that made him most proud. It’s a personal, poignant record whose songs focus not upon the horizon ahead, but upon the road itself, stacked high with heartland hooks, western wooziness, southern soul, and festival-worthy anthems. “I’ve been in a band for 20 years, and a band is a democracy where you make decisions together,†explains Rinehart, who also fronts the Grammy-nominated, chart-topping band NEEDTOBREATHE. “Wilder Woods is a different outlet. I’m giving myself the freedom to do what I want to do and say what I want to say. This isn’t the kind of journey where I’m worried about the places I’m headed or the places I’ve left; it’s a journey where I’m just happy to be in the car, driving forward.†Created alongside producer Cason Cooley, guitarist Tyler Burkum, and a small group of collaborators, FEVER / SKY brims with the insights of a family man and road warrior who’s spent two decades on tour, balancing his art with his commitments at home.