Quiet Hollers

After making a name for himself as a punk rock guitarist, most notably for Dischord records band Iron Cross, Shadwick Wilde moved to Louisville, Kentucky and formed Quiet Hollers. Much like the way fellow Louisville band Coliseum meld different genres, Wilde incorporates Americana and classic indie rock with a strong post-hardcore influence, which makes for a wonderfully unique sound. The band’s second album Quiet Hollers is set to be released on 23 october, but in the meantime you can get a great little taste of the record via the fun new video for “Aviator Shades”.

“The video for ‘Aviator Shades’ is made in the image of a kind of 90’s sitcom gone awry,” Wilde explains. “The swinging overhead lamp, the hanging picture frames, over-the-top grooving… all being swallowed up by a black sludge. We knew we didn’t want to do a ‘serious’ video, but that we didn’t want it to be overtly funny either. Like the lyrics, I think the video conveys feelings of social anxiety and being out of place. The catchiness of the song, the melody which seems at first to be peppy and innocuous, actually contains something far more sinister—like most of ‘90s pop culture, am I right?

“I don’t think a listener would have to reach far to grasp the metaphor of sunglasses as a protective mask against the outside world. In this case, the song’s protagonist wants to shield his blood-shot stoner eyeballs from the judgments of the people who see him at the grocery store. This becomes a ritual, as he retreats further and further inward, forsaking his loved ones and responsibilities in favor of the anonymity he feels his eyewear grants him.” - PopMatters

Louisville, Kentucky’s Quiet Hollers may sound indebted to alternative country, but the group is imbued with a punk rock soul. Much of that can be attributed to frontman Shadwick Wilde, who was formerly a guitar-for-hire for bands like Dischord Records’ Iron Cross before venturing down his own road as a singer-songwriter. Wilde carried the vibes of his working musician days over to the Americana sounds permeating Quiet Hollers’ 2013 debut, I Am The Morning. For their self-titled sophomore album, due out on October 23rd, the group continues to mine Wilde’s roots, presenting a new collection of songs that once more breaks the confines of roots music. Ahead of the release, the band has offered up a new song called “Mont Blanc”.

“‘Mont Blanc’ is a love song from the end of the world,” Wilde tells Consequence of Sound. “It draws inspiration from post-apocalyptic works like The Road (Cormac McCarthy), but in truth, I wrote the song after my wife and I moved to my family’s dilapidated farm outside Louisville. I imagined what life might be like for us here, if the rest of the world were to crumble into anarchic capitalist collapse, like many us of (especially those who pay attention to world news) think it could. Now that we have a child, the survival imperative is more real to me than it was then.”

Really, what’s more punk than the end of the world? Though the track is more of a wallowing, country epic than any kind of trasher, “Mont Blanc” carries with it a heavy sense of doom and fatalism that harken back to Wilde’s darker musical days. His drawl feels defeated, outlining his new life and lamenting the one he used to have, perhaps best encapsulated in the final coda: “Shed a tear for the books I should’ve read.” For all its weight, it’s a beautiful portrait that finds its strength in perspective, as well as some heart-tugging violin passages. - Consequence of Sound

Lore holds that a few years ago, Quiet Hollers’ members went ahead with a recording session at Kevin Ratterman’s legendary funeral home studio, despite their drummer’s broken neck. If that’s not punk rock, you tell me what is. But the funny thing about Quiet Hollers is that they’re not ostensibly a punk band. In fact, they’ve drawn so broadly from the well of American music- their influences span 90s college rock, alt country and post punk- that you’re just going to have to take an auditory dip into front man Shadwick Wilde’s ocean-sized imagination on Quiet Hollers’ newly-released eponymous LP to form your own notions of what he’s doing here. Whatever exactly it is, there’s no denying that it’s mellowing, coherent and purposeful.

With his subtle drawl by turns heartening and nonchalant, Louisville native Wilde’s even keeled vocal persona vibrates with subtlety and emotional intelligence as his delivery clings to the album’s winding trajectory. Here is an artist who compels us to “shed a tear for the books [he] shoulda read” and then drives the point home with heart swelling, ghostly violins in an ode to innocence lost on the the bucolic “Mont Blanc,” and leads us ever further down a pensive road in the band’s 21 year old van with musical choices both melancholic and driven.

Standout track “Aviator Shades” will tug at the heartstrings of any Americana lover, though its reach- along with other tracks on this meaningfully low key voyage- still manages to extend far beyond reassuringly old-hat (and effective) instrumentation.

Those partial to The Shins, Pixies and even Beach Boys’ vocal timbre will take a shining to Wilde’s aching inflections and how he lilts his way through reassurances like, ‘If we can make it thought this one I think we’ll be alright.’

This is a gathering go songs for people who’ve experienced the pang of ruptured adolescent friendships and soulless business trips. Muses Wilde, “Living in a hotel room ain’t hard/If it gets too lonely you can break into the mini bar/Put it on the company card.” This is an ingrate conversation to carry you through the approaching winter, and the Quiet Hollers creep up like a slow burn, running arrestingly deep.
(Joanie Wolkoff) - GoldFlakePaint

Quiet Hollers is the perfect band to listen to if you're giving your life choices a serious think. Or maybe not, since it'll make you cry. Depends on what you need.

I Am the Morning is a series of meditations on mortality, life on the road, and lost love. So...your usual alt-country subject matter, but the Quiet Hollers gets it right every time. Not too shabby for a debut album.

You'd never believe that these gents started out playing hardcore punk. While they are part of a growing tradition of punk rockers moving to roots music, these are not guys playing punk with acoustic guitars. What remains from their hardcore days is their ethos: frank and emotionally searing songs.

When I thanked lead singer Shadwick Wilde for calling my attention to his band, I called the album "gorgeous." He said I was being "generous." I'll let you decide. - Adobe & Teardrops

When Kentucky's Quiet Hollers come to town this week for a gig at Frank's Power Plant, you might hear lots of comparisons. The quintet's folk and country infused rock and roll recalls the Avetts or Lucero, some might say.

But, to me, the eight melodic and gritty, acoustic-fueled tunes on the band's "I Am The Morning" remind me most of all of those powerful mid-80s Springsteen tunes like "Shut Out the Light" – songs about despair and darkness but also hopes and dreams.

Singer and guitarist Shadwick Wilde says, with a wink, that the band likes the adjective "Bummerfolk" best of all.

We asked Wilde about the band, the record and his first trip to Brew City to play at Frank's on Thursday, April 25.

OnMilwaukee.com: Tell us about Quiet Hollers.

Shadwick Wilde: We've been playing since around 2010. People call us an Alt Country band, and that suits us fine. Although the preferred nomenclature is "Bummerfolk." That should be read with a wink.

OMC: Is this your first gig in Milwaukee?

SW: This will be our first time in Milwaukee.

OMC: Any expectations?

SW: My chief references thus far have been from beer and Bon Iver. I'm probably not alone in that. We've heard only good things from our friends here and our friends who have play here. As for expectations, I try not to have any ... But I'll definitely be expecting some of "what made Milwaukee famous," as they say.

OMC: Is the name sort of a reference to the mix of folk and punk? Tell us a bit about how the band came to meld those two styles.

SW: Almost everyone in the band has played in punk or hardcore bands up until this project. A few of us still do! The name wasn't necessarily a reference to the blending of styles, but I think it fits quite well. In Kentucky, a "holler" – "hollow" to Northerners – is also a small valley between two hills, where the "Deliverance" folk tend to reside. So the name is meant to evoke both the pastoral and the jarring.

OMC: The new record's opener, "Road Song," suggests you guys spend a fair bit of time touring. Can you talk a bit about that?

SW: I've been touring off and on since I was about 17. Playing music is pretty much all I've ever wanted to do, and the only thing I'm good at. Touring is probably the most important – and hardest – part of that. When you grow up a little and have to go work, pay bills and become something resembling a contributing member of society, it becomes even more of a challenge ... especially for DIY bands, like us. You have to try and find a way to balance home life and touring life, or you can end up losing the means to have either. I guess that's what "Road Song" is about.

OMC: What can folks expect at the gig here?

SW: We like to have a good time, and make sure everyone at our show does, too. People have said the songs I write are depressing, and I have to agree ... so we like to make our live show as fun as possible so people don't leave wanting to hang themselves. It also helps that we really do love to play together! - OnMilwaukee.com

Am The Morning is the Quiet Hollers debut album together. They started as just a band to play at Shadwick Wilde’s solo debut, but ended up staying together. The lead singer Shadwick WIlde has a soulful voice that is very suited to the country feel of their music. “Road Song” gets you hooked from the first line and makes you want to hear the rest of the album which doesn’t disappoint. ”Flying Song” ends the album on a high note that satisfies the listener. The middle of the album is filled with wonderful vocals and instrumentals from the band as a whole. The fact that two of the members of this band used to play for punk bands is really interesting since this album is nowhere near being punk. Wilde has found his niche in this genre as a singer/songwriter in what he likes to call “Yes Depression.” - See more at: http://kjhk.org/web/2013/04/18/quiet-hollers-i-am-the-morning/#sthash.Bx1T7xai.dpuf - KJHK 90.7FM University of Kansas

Am The Morning is the Quiet Hollers debut album together. They started as just a band to play at Shadwick Wilde’s solo debut, but ended up staying together. The lead singer Shadwick WIlde has a soulful voice that is very suited to the country feel of their music. “Road Song” gets you hooked from the first line and makes you want to hear the rest of the album which doesn’t disappoint. ”Flying Song” ends the album on a high note that satisfies the listener. The middle of the album is filled with wonderful vocals and instrumentals from the band as a whole. The fact that two of the members of this band used to play for punk bands is really interesting since this album is nowhere near being punk. Wilde has found his niche in this genre as a singer/songwriter in what he likes to call “Yes Depression.” - See more at: http://kjhk.org/web/2013/04/18/quiet-hollers-i-am-the-morning/#sthash.Bx1T7xai.dpuf - KJHK 90.7FM University of Kansas

The Kentucky-based Quiet Hollers began as a one-off backing band for Shadwick Wilde’s solo debut, Unforgivable Things, in 2010. But three years and many miles later, the quintet has coalesced around – rather than behind – Wilde. Aaron West’s violin threads its voice through the songs, but it’s Wilde’s confessions that first greet you in the opening letter home, “Road Song.” Wilde catalogs the stream-of-consciousness moments and seasoned observations of a sleep-deprived road warrior, leavening the self-discovery of travel with the ever-present longing for home. Wilde’s earlier years as a punk rock musician add heat to his vocals, but his turn to Americana has add introspective layers to his lyrics and wider dynamics to his music. His older self may be just as unsatisfied as his younger self, but rather than lashing out, he deconstructs inwardly, sensing that the seeds of both discontent and absolution are within. Wilde’s songs still feel like they were written on cloudy days, but they aren’t as thoroughly overcast as his previous set, and the band’s moody backings pick up at just the right moments. There’s a sense of contentment to “Not Oceans, Not Skies” that suggests the flux of Buddhist impermanence rather than angst of existentialist nihilism, and “Mean Avenues” shucks off its resentment more than wallows in it. It’s exciting to hear an artist change and grow, evident here in both Wilde’s songs and the band’s accompaniment. [©2013 Hyperbolium] - Hyperbolium

The show opened with Louisville alternative country band, Quiet Hollers. I was delightfully surprised at such a great opening act. I didn’t realize there was going to be an opening act, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They were a very unique group. The lead singer/guitarist, Shadwick Wilde, plays a left handed guitar. The bass player, Ryan Scott, played a sick looking six string bass guitar. Then most importantly (slightly biased here) they have a very talented violinist, Aaron West. The other two members include Adam Buntain on guitar and Nick Goldring on drums.

Quiet Hollers aren’t as loud and rowdy as the Dropkick Murphys, but they definitely had a few moments where the Murphys’ influence shined through in “Motorcycle Song” and “Destitution Road.” I personally loved the little violin lick in “Destitution Road.” Wilde’s vocals are versatile and easily transition from being heavy and raspy like in “Destitution Road” to smoother and mellow such as the vocals in “Girls Like You.”

At first glance you would never know West is a classically trained violinist. He’s a burly-looking guy with a big beard and typically someone you would envision as a country fiddler, but after he starts playing it becomes obvious he is classically trained. His playing was smooth and sweet sounding with his finessed vibrato, but at the same time successfully bridging the gap into fiddling by not playing overly virtuosically. West successfully utilized his classical training, but retained that country fiddle feel. I wished the sound mix had a little more violin present. I could usually hear the violin clearly when West was play on the A and E strings, but sometimes when he played in the lower register he would get drowned out by the rest of the band. This is a typical sound mixing problem many violinists face.

A select few in the audience were growing impatient and bordering on rude waiting for the Dropkick Murphys to come on stage. One particular individual kept yelling for Quiet Hollers to hurry up. It was a Sunday night, so I guess people weren’t as eager to stay out all night. For the most part I believe the audience really loved Quiet Hollers. - Louisville.com

Shadwick Wilde is a guitarist for the driving, electric punk rock bands Brassknuckle Boys and Iron Cross, but on this solo debut he’s relaxed the jackhammer tempos to more thoughtful folk strumming, but retained the intensity of his themes. There’s some angry young Dylan here, as well as some of Springsteen’s distress, but Wilde is less poetic (or, obtuse, if you prefer) than the former and less grand (or, grandiose, if you prefer) than the latter. Think of what Nebraska might have sounded like if it was Springsteen’s debut as a self-loathing country-folkie, rather than a respite from the overbearing success of the E Street Band.

Wilde doesn’t contemplate the broader plight of the world, he discovers the intimate realization that a grown-up’s life may suck every bit as much as he imagined in his rock songs. Having nearly drunk himself to death, he writes from inward feelings of depression rather than lashing out at the world in punk anger. It doesn’t always live down to the modified slogan stuck to his guitar, “This machine kills hope,” but it gets pretty dark, and by disc’s end you’ll be looking for some kind of emotional respite. The songs of broken relationships feel desperate, and even the few rays of hope are shaded by an infinite expanse of cloudy days. Anyone who’s been really depressed will know the feelings of helpless self abnegation that Wilde expresses.

The lyrics depict a world without upward momentum, of time spent drifting numbly by bromides that don’t apply, and the will to live getting ever more lean. The murder ballad “Die Alone” is particularly bitter, and though the mood improves momentarily with “Ride All Night,” Shadwick quickly returns to the darkness, undermined by habitual bad choices. His nostalgic moments are drunken reveries rather than wistful remembrances, locking into past failures rather than propelling towards new opportunities. Wilde seems to be in the middle steps of recovery, making a moral inventory, but not yet able to step past his realized shortcomings. It’s a harrowing place to be, loaded with the knowledge of his “unforgivable things” but not a map out. The emotions can be uncomfortably raw at times, but they make for interesting listening. - Hyperbolium

I discovered this album through Reviewshine, and it is one of only a handful that I've received that way that didn't suck. Shadwick Wilde was raised in a San Francisco but is now based in Louisville. He's just self-released Unforgivable Things, an album of songs concerning heartache and sadness (more or less). No happy melodies here. There's a lonesome fiddle here and a sparse, somber electric guitar fill there, but the primary focus of the album is the lyric. "Wearing Thin" is the confession of a man on the edge of giving up, and "Motorcycle Song" is about the guy that can't get that one girl.

The first comparison that came to mind when I heard Unforgivable Things was Lucero. Careful though, because I'm talking The Attic Tapes brand Lucero, not rock and roll brand Lucero. That said, this could be Shadwick's Attic Tapes, a group of songs that have a vulnerable identity when first recorded that is great, but may also grow into rock and roll excellence somewhere down the road.

Shadwick is playing a ton of shows in Louisville now so you should check him out if you can. He has an Ear X-Tacy show coming up too. Buy Unforgivable Things here, or get it from Itunes. - inmybasementroom

Courier - Journal - Louisville, Ky.
Author: Joseph Lord
Date: Jun 16, 2010
Start Page: V.38

"Unforgivable Things"

Shadwick Wilde

Wilde's bio is familiar enough: He's a former hardcore punk (with the militant, but not racist, D.C. hardcore band Iron Cross) who, upon reaching adulthood, discovered Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle and set about unleashing youthful punk angst and rage in their likeness. We've heard this one before, but usually with less effect. "Unforgivable Things" is 13 tracks of sad cowboy songs augmented by somber harmonicas, organs and violins. It's a good thing, considering the cover art -- a bloody ax leaning against a stairway. Right. Some of the brighter moments on "Unforgivable Things" are some of the best -- "Girls Like You" is sure to get the WFPK set a-dancin'. Though thoughtful and competently performed, the melancholy of Wilde's album begins to wear by the ninth song, coincidentally titled "Broken Record." - Velocity Weekly

Courier - Journal - Louisville, Ky.
Author: Joseph Lord
Date: Jun 16, 2010
Start Page: V.38

"Unforgivable Things"

Shadwick Wilde

Wilde's bio is familiar enough: He's a former hardcore punk (with the militant, but not racist, D.C. hardcore band Iron Cross) who, upon reaching adulthood, discovered Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle and set about unleashing youthful punk angst and rage in their likeness. We've heard this one before, but usually with less effect. "Unforgivable Things" is 13 tracks of sad cowboy songs augmented by somber harmonicas, organs and violins. It's a good thing, considering the cover art -- a bloody ax leaning against a stairway. Right. Some of the brighter moments on "Unforgivable Things" are some of the best -- "Girls Like You" is sure to get the WFPK set a-dancin'. Though thoughtful and competently performed, the melancholy of Wilde's album begins to wear by the ninth song, coincidentally titled "Broken Record." - Velocity Weekly

It'll make you want to gather your loved ones and build a premium bomb shelter...just in case. - Paste Magazine