Hi, everyone! This past week, I've been exchanging emails with John Ross, the creator and lead singer of the Brooklyn-based folk group Wild Pink. Ross has built the band quietly over the last few years, working with regulars T.C. Brownwell (bass) Dan Keegan (drums)- not to mention studio musicians Ben Carbone and Mike Brenner. After releasing a few EPs in 2015 and '16, their gripping, transcendentalistic music caught the eye of indie record label Tiny Engines. The band then released their eponymous debut LP back in 2017 and their sophomore outing, Yolk in the Fur, dropped last year. With an EP that dropped earlier this year, I found out about these guys on a lot of "rising bands" lists on various websites. I decided to check them out, and let me tell you, you won't be disappointed with what you hear. I'm really glad that John accepted my interview invitation, and this is what I got back from him!
bazzreviews: Which artists or albums inspired you to start a music career in the first place?
John Ross: For me, REM and Queen were my first exposure to music, and then a few years later I became obsessed with Nirvana.
br: How did you meet the other members of the band?
J.R.: I met Dan at a show we both played in 2013 at the Delancey in the Lower East Side. I put up Craigslist ads looking for musicians, and that’s how I met Mike Brenner and TC. The last member I met was Ben Carbone, through Dan.
br: What’s the significance behind the band’s name?
J.R.: I had a friend nicknamed “Shrimp”, and was in a grocery store in Greenpoint where I saw a can of Wild Pink Shrimp. I took a photo of it and sent it to them thinking Wild Pink would be a funny band name.
br: Can you describe the band’s process for making songs?
J.R.: There’s not really all that much to it. I usually write everything on a guitar or synth and then flesh it out in Logic Pro.
br: What’s more important you- lyricism, or production value and instrumentation?
J.R.: Lyrics are very important to me, I’d say maybe the most important of those three things. I think then it would be instrumentation- followed by production value.
br: In my opinion, a lot of your lyrics are very transcendentalist and focus on aspects of nature- what fuels you to write songs in this nature?
J.R.: New York City is an unnatural environment for nature to thrive, so that’s why I crave it so much. Whenever I'm upstate, out of the city, or back in Florida, I always find it really inspiring.
br: Do you guys have any projects in the work right now?
J.R.: I've got a new Wild Pink album written already and I'm hoping to record it in the fall. I also have a new record coming out for my other band Eerie Gaits in March. I also just got started on some songs for another new project, but it’s too early to really get into it.
br: What music goals would you say that you have for the future?
J.R.: I'd like to keep touring as much as possible and put out as many albums as I can.
LIGHTNING ROUND
What is one album you find as overrated and one you find as underrated?
Overrated: The genre of blues-rock
Underrated: Stay Wild by Sontalk
Who are your non-musical heroes?
Bill Hicks
Who was the first artist you saw live?
Primus
What are your top three albums of all time?
Graceland by Paul Simon
Tunnel of Love and Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen
Into The Great Wide Open by Tom Petty
Honorable mentions: Apollo by Brian Eno and Bluebird by Emmylou Harris
What was the first album you ever bought?
From The Muddy Banks of the Wishkah by Nirvana
If you weren’t a musician right now, what do you think you would be doing?
I should have been a firefighter
I'd like to thank John again for giving me his time to answer these questions. For those of you who haven't checked out Wild Pink, please do! They have an awesome sound and one that I think a lot you guys will enjoy. In the meantime, I hope you all liked the content, because more awesome bazzreviews stuff is on its way soon!
To support Wild Pink's music, go to https://wildpink.bandcamp.com
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