Back in January, I posted about a great show headlined by The Queers at The Wormhole here in Savannah.
I knew The Queers would be good – what else could one expect from Joe Queer after all these years? — but the unexpected surprise was the opener, a folk punk band from Atlanta: The Wild.
I’ve had The Wild in my rotating playlist at home ever since — I just can’t get enough of their energy, their message, and their sound, drenched with energy and incorporating equal measures subtlety and strength, vulnerability and power.
So it’s good to see the great coverage this week by AMP Magazine, which has an interesting interview with Witt Wisebram.
AMP’s coverage includes “Street Names”:
In the interview, Witt talks about Atlanta, punk, and the corporate scene that dominates the city:
Atlanta is a really interesting and frustrating place to be in a rock band. There is a big garage rock scene with bands like The Black Lips and Deer Hunter doing really well all over the world, but I think you’re right… The main thing, at least on the national level, that Atlanta is known for is Hip-Hop. That being said, there is a really awesome punk scene in Atlanta, it’s just pretty small. We play bigger shows in other cities like Lexington, Birmingham, and Richmond, but there is a lot of excitement about the punk scene and people are really loyal and put in a lot of work to make sure there is an alternative to the corporate driven music side of Atlanta.
Witt Wisebram and his band The Wild at The Wormhole in Savannah in January
Cities obviously develop different cultures for many reasons — duh — but, as someone who writes and thinks a lot about the size and shape of cities, I can’t help wondering how Atlanta’s sprawl and growth-based economy might have impeded the kind of grassroots indie scene that Witt touches upon in the interview.
You can find more of The Wild here.